Hi,

In need of a little advice for my 2003 Ford Ranger Edge with 150k miles on it since I know very little about this topic :

The situation:

After not passing smog (random misfire) during a routine check, my 2003 Ford Ranger Edge was showing extremely low compression in Cylinder #6 only. The mechanic suggested that I replace that Cylinder Head on that side, so they did so after alot of headaches, with a cost of around $1050. Immediately after, the compression test passed with flying colors.

5 months later (a few days ago)....

I'm driving on the freeway and out of nowhere, my car begins shaking heavily, the oil gauge goes dead and looks like it's on life support (literally the meter is shaking back and forth), and the engine starts making a very loud noise (sounds like a loud helicopter). Then, it begins acting like it's stalling.

So I slowlywoddled in to get the oil changed, and the guy suggested that I had spun a rod bearing..

My question:

Is it possible that "spinning a rod bearing" could be related to or a result of the recent head change (or a faulty one)? When I told the previous mechanic who replaced the head about this, he seemed like he was scrambling to get it to look at it to make sure it wasn't him.

Do I have any possible recourse with this mechanic since they guarantee their fixes?

Had anyone had this happen to them?

Thank you.

 

It ran great for five months after he replaced the head? When was the last time you had the oil chanced? did they pull the pan and insure that a rod bearing had spun? perhaps it ran completly out of oil and the whole bottom end is toast. I personally don't think you have a leg to stand on with the guy that replaced the head.

 

- Didn't run great after - engine made a slight clicking noise (kind of like a softer version of the helicopter-like noise it's making now) especially above 3k RPM

- Last oil change was at the time of the cylinder head fix (5 months ago)

- He's in the process of inspecting it to see what's wrong (same mechanic who replaced head)

- Checked the oil at the time when I went off the road and he said the oil level was fine (the original guy who said it sounded like it spun a rod bearing)

 

Ok, so what was the mechanics responce when you told him it had a ticking noise after he put the head on?

 

He basically said that the noise would go away

 

The neglect of regular maintenance notwithstanding, my understanding is that if coolant gets into the bottom end of the engine there's really no fxing the damage that's caused. It's very hard to keep the coolant from getting into the bottom end if the head is replaced. Even a little will damage the bottom end. Proving that caused the bearing to spin is going to be problematic.

Oh, if you'd have checked here 6 months ago for opinions on what to do with your Edge that had just failed smog, oh well lesson learned.

New engine? or New Truck! your choice.

 

g_k50... are you saying that some damage from coolant getting into the bottom end of the engine could have been caused from when they replaced the head, or even exacerbated by the process? Is this typical?

The mechanic is pretty fair overall, I just wasn't sure of other ways to spin a rod bearing... And as of right now, I'm thinking probably selling to a mechanic so they can throw a used engine in and resell....the body's still perfect and it has a nice (black) vision shell on the back of it....

 

It's more likely the damage was caused by the poor maintenance.

 

The engine should be disassembled and inspected. You need to determine what is wrong with the engine before you can say what caused the problem.

 

Thanks for the replies

 

When coolant and oil mix, you get pudding. It would take a pretty appreciable amount of coolant to kill the bottom end. Most conscientious mechanics will minimize any coolant getting into the pan, and there should be no problem. Coolant does not sink below the oil the same way water does, so your pump would be getting 99% plus of lube oil through the intake screen at the bottom of the pan.
Making my vote that changing the head likely did not cause a spun bearing, if that is the problem. However. The replacement should NOT have had any sort of ticking, clacking, nor helicopter noise. Noises just do not 'go away'. If something is loose, it will not be tightening itself. If something has extra clearance, it won't likely close up the tolerance, and instead, likely increase it. That said, I'm not sure you have a helicopter problem nor a spun bearing. Inspection is really necessary.
If the oil gauge was moving erratically, your oil pressure was likely very low, with moments of normal pressure. The sending unit is just a switch, on or off, rather than an indicator of actual pressure. It closes or opens when the pressure is around 5 psi. So, if it was indicating middle of the gauge pressure it might actually have been a lot lower than normal. You would not know from the gauge reading. If this is the 3.0l Vulcan, it may be that the drive for the oil pump was on the way out. The cam position sensor mounts in the distributor location, and is geared to the cam, and drives the pump. From what I have read, they can deteriorate, leading to loss of pump drive.
tom

 

Assuming the oil change was done after the cylinder head was fixed, any coolant that ended up in the oil pan would have been flushed from the crankcase with the oil.

 

Not sure what motor you have. I just put a 3.0 in a month ago. It was used, had 40k miles, cost $850 and took a day. No way would I put any money or time into a rapped out motor with 150k

 

Did the engine make these clicking (helicopter) type sounds before the head replacement?

 

Thanks for the excellent advice! But now I politely need more .

Turns out:

The original mechanic did some basic checking (I had it towed to his shop) so he could make sure his work was not faulty.... AND:

1. Full compression in all cylinders

2. Both heads are perfectly fine (not at all cracked).

3. and, according to him, "the engine runs great (with the exception of the loud noises)"

*Keep in mind though that when I drove it a few times after the noise started, it was in full 'about to stall mode when I had my foot on the gas. I could run it with the clutch in fine, but when I gave it gas, it would act like it was going to stall (and even did a few times). It acted exactly how it feels when you run out of gas on the freeway...starts shaking then power out.

SO, my question is:

Can the possibility of a spun bearing or engine damage be determined from this new information?

(He obviously won't tell me the answer to this question because it wouldn't be a smart business decision for him:

He either

1. Wants to make some coin running diagnostic tests or

2. Assuming the engine was fryed, he wants to purchase it at a minimal cost in this condition, probably putting a used engine in it (or tighten a bolt) and selling it for an enormous profit.

-- Also, the clicking started after the head replacement and was most noticeable on acceleration and very heavy right at and above 3000 RPM --

Thank you.