Hi everyone i am having trouble with my 1991 ford f150...It has the 4.9 (don't know if its the head gasket or if the heads cracked) it is leaking water into the oil and i don't think its real big cause the water level doesn't go down much, I am going to try to put some sealer in the water to try to stop it for now but i don't think it will stop it forever...what i am really wondering is what would the time and cost be to redo a head gasket if its that and if while I'm that far in what else should i do to the head

 

Possible intake gasket? Figure about 10 or so hrs depends how ambitious you are and 2 people to lift\set the head, you will need all the gaskets from head up.

 

1000 to 1400 for head gasket replace on my 5.0. I could get a rebuilt motor for that

 

First thing I'd do is a compression check. Make sure it's a blown gasket. Like dirtcrew51m says, it could be a bad intake gasket. Water in the oil is pretty good sign but still... Anyway, you can get some pretty good sealers these days. K-seal has worked well for me in the past. There's others too. And you might be surprised. I've seen that stuff stop leaks forever. Better to fix it right though. Now lets see, how long to R&R the head. (You're doing your own work right?) I'd think around 8-10 hrs. would be a good guess. Plus machine shop of course. If you have air tools it's not too bad. That's another nice thing about a truck. Lots of room to work. As far as what else to do while it's off, I'd have it checked for cracks. Milled of course. New valve seals would be a plus. And I suppose you could tank and paint it. I mean why not. Make it clean. One word of caution. Many people like to do a valve job on a head when it's off but you run the risk of turning your engine into a smoker if you do. So unless it's absolutely necessary...

That's my 2 cents

 

I do would do the work myself and ya i would probably have the head machine while its off...The reason i would wait is cause the shop doesnt have heat and i dont like working on trucks in 20 degree weather

 

How much would you think it would cost to get the head remachined

 

It's $40 bucks here at NAPA. And I'm with ya on no heat. I've got the same problem. I just bought an '89 F150 that has sat for 4 years. Needs a little this an that but man... it's cold out there!

Good luck