Symptoms
White smoke when warm, clean spark plugs, low compression on one or more cylinders, coolant loss with no external leak, or milky "snot" on a warm dipstick or oil cap.
The fix, step by step
- Stop driving it: The Ranger Station warns that coolant in the oil destroys the crank bearings and turns a head job into a rebuild.
- Drain the oil and coolant, pull the intake and both heads, and have them magnafluxed to confirm the crack.
- Fit the improved 1989-on heads (89TM castings with rectangular rocker pedestals) or aftermarket heads from World Products.
- Torque the head bolts in three steps: 22 lb-ft, then 51–55 lb-ft, then a further 90 degrees.
- Tighten the intake manifold to 15–18 lb-ft in five steps and retorque it after warm-up.
- Old valve covers with turned-down flanges tend to leak on the newer heads, so use later covers with turned-up flanges.
- Change the oil again after the first run.
Tools & part numbers
- Torque wrench and angle gauge
- gasket scraper
- compression tester
- machine-shop magnaflux.
Where to buy the parts
Cylinder head, 1988 Bronco II 2.9RockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Cylinder head gasket set, 1988 Bronco II 2.9RockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Cylinder head bolts, 1988 Bronco II 2.9RockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Intake manifold gasket, 1988 Bronco II 2.9RockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Ford Bronco II parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.