Hi, i recently purchased a 1997 EL Falcon, i was told it had a crack head or blown head gasket.
The guy i bought it off said he had put chem weld in it recently.

When we got the car home and off the trailer i checked all the fluids, radiator, trans and engine oil, all of them were empty, radiator was dry. So i filled up the radiator with water and put oil in the motor as well as put some trans fluid in the trans, then started it up and it started fine. I then drove it up to my garage and parked it.

Before i put engine oil in i noticed there wasn't any milkiness at all none at the oil cap nor in the sump. The trans wasn't engaging drive after reverse very well before i put fluid in and it was a little bit better after I put oil in it.

In the engine bay the drivers side has rusty water stains all over it as for the passenger side it was covered in oil where the rocker cover gasket has stretched and split and spat oil out.

Also when i took the rocker cover off i noticed the rockers were black as if they were burnt and it smelled like burnt oil.

I'm putting this up to ask people what they think has happened before i go any further by taking the head off.

Well since it runs how about a compression test and a few Other obvious running rough, waterloss out the side of the head, smokey exhaust observations

how do i do a compression test?

i didn't notice any water leaking at the sides of the head that i could see or feel. and no to smokey exhaust

Would need to let it run for a fair while.
Look up how to do a compression test, you'll need a compression gauge and a mate, I'd Dona pressure test on the cooling system swell, just to see if thencoolant was going elsewhere

thanx. does any of that sound like it could have a cracked head or blown gasket?

When you say rusty water stains on the driver's side, I'm assuming on the block under the exhaust manifold. While it's normal for the paint to burn off the block and rust to form, water leaking under the exhaust manifold is a common symptom of a blown head gasket (but can be other things too). With the water topped up and the front of the car on stands, get it up to normal operating temperature, then shut it off and use an inspection light to look for any signs of water leakage, particularly where the block meets the head.

From your description, it sounds like the car has been generally neglected or abused, which tends to increase the probability of a blown head gasket. Low or absent fluids don't do it much good. Too long between oil changes, too little oil, or using bargain basement oil can leave lots of varnish and oil sludge inside the engine. This probably what you're seeing.

The BTR automatic is very sensitive to low fluid level and tends to slip or lag. Double-check your fluid level. Also, make sure any fluid you add is the special stuff for BTRs (labelled 95LE, TQ95, Type 95, LE, or similar).

+1 on compression test and cooling system pressure test. If those check out OK and no visible leaks, then recommend you replace the rocker cover gasket, give it an engine flush and some good oil (Valvoline Durablend if you're on a budget), and a cooling system flush and new coolant.

Give it a good wash so you can see new leaks and dribbles.

the rusty water is just on the bonnet lining and down the strut tower none on the engine, Ive been underneath and couldn't see any rusty water marks. i degreased the engine and engine bay the other day, but i haven't got another rocker cover gasket yet to run the car.

Just turned the car on, and got underneath there's water dripping out from the back of the engine as well as alot of water/ water spray coming from the back of the cat and possibly a little bit from the rear where the head meets the block

headgaskets blown id say

might be leaking from the rear welch plug?

Ill take the head off today and have a look and feel around for the welsh plugs. is there more than one on the back of the motor? i honestly didnt know there was any on the back of the motor

Another thing to check is the coolant pipe from the back of the water pump, runs under the exhaust manifold and goes around the back of the engine. If that rusts out, you will get something like you are seeing.

there is 5 under the exhaust manifold and one at the rear of the block, the one at the rear is only accessible by taking the gearbox out..

Ive just checked the pipe that runs out of the water pump, that seems in good condition as far as i can feel, i just took off the thermostat housing and that is full of rusty sludge.

can i remove the head with all the intake, bbm still bolted up to it? or do i have to remove that separately? there is dampness in 4 exhaust ports 1 and 3 are dry the rest are all damp