How to replace head gasket in a 98 Ford Explore?

Answer 1

This is just an overview - for the V6. A haynes manual, even from the library, is recommended for all of the torque specs and little stuff (and there's a lot of little stuff...

Open the hood. Look at the intake and the accessories, like the AC, the alternator, and the Power Steering pump. You can hardly see the valve covers! All of this stuff has to come out first. So drain the radiator and engine oil, get some Duct Tape and a marker, and mark and remove the first layer of electrical connections. Remove the air filter and the hose it connects to. Remove the alternator, and the AC compressor (don't disconnect the hoses, just tie it out of the way). The power steering pump and the big aluminum bracket have to go. Then the intake plenum (plastic) and the EGR system. The coil packs are held on by some exhaust manifold studs. Mark the wires to keep them in order. The valve covers come off now, then the intake manifold. Go under the car and remove the exhaust pipes from the manifolds. Remove the rocker arms and the push rods (keep in order, too.) Now the heads can come off.
Have them checked for flatness by a machine shop, this may be the cause of the head gasket problem. The machine shop can cut a little off the bottom and give you a new flat surface.

Now is a good time to take care of any noisy lifters - the heads have to come off to change them.

Buy a "head set" gasket kit. All of the gaskets that came apart will have to be replaced. And new head bolts are required - they are stretched during installation and only work once.

Everything goes back together just like it came apart. Take extra care with the intake gaskets- they are very sensitive to torque and will leak water into your engine if anything is less than perfect. Most of the gaskets go in dry, but the gasket kit has directions for using silicone on the end rails and around the water ports.