1998 3.8 v6 blown heads and or?

werg · 05-08-2009

Hello everyone I have a few questions I was hopeing to get help with. A while back I took my car in and the mechanic told me that I had carbon monixide in my antifreeze indicating blown gasket(s) or cracked head(s). I continued to drive my car having no other solutions and it drove like crap sputtered hard starts died often then stopped working all together. I still turns but it wont start my question is what does that mean? Do I for sure have a cracked head now are my pistons prob fried cracked block ? what do you think I should do I was thinking I would just tear it apart and replace the heads and gaskets because the guy told me that that year and engine blow up alot. Any advice would be great.

232-K7 · 05-08-2009

what's your oil look like?

Pro Mustang · 05-11-2009

Good question 232-K7

Sounds like werg drove this till it quit. I am guessing the crank is probably damaged. If the oil is milky then a total rebuild is in order. I have a 96 V6 and it recently got hot and blew the head gaskets. Plus the oil was milky so I pulled the engine and tore it down. Good thing I did sinse the crank was strting to gaul sp?? Did a total rebuild.

werg · 05-19-2009

Well the oil isn't milky now I can't start it or anything and I don't know if something like that would make a difference as far as being able to tell if it's going to be milky or not. I've been debating on weather or not I should just purchase another engine for it I put a new clutch kit in about 2 years ago and these are the first problems I've had with the car. I'm affraid that it's going to start nickle and dimeing me to death any suggestion?

stangluver111 · 05-21-2009

Hey. Have you been able to do a compression test on the car yet. If not, its a simple thing you want to do. Just pull all the plugs, get a compression tester, and for each cylinder crank it 4-5 times. If your psi is low on only one side, it could indicate a cracked head or head gasket for that side. The easiest thing to do is to pull the heads as this engine is relatively easy to do being a single cam ohv pushrod engine if you have some know how.