Well, found out yesterday from dealer that i have the dreadded headgasket failure. I have an 03-F250 CC 4x4 King Ranch. I have been dealing with the mystery coolant loss since last october when i bought the truck. I feel like i just joined some type of famous club! The truck has 92k on it and the build date is oct-02 even though it is listed a 2003. They say truck is out of warrany now and that i may have to do 60/20/20 split on the cost with the factory/dealer/and me. So my questions are

#1 how much should i expect the dealer to say this will cost. including heads/ and gaskets.

#2 has anyone else been out of warranty by date and not mileage?

#3 should i expect to be paying more than the standard 100 deductable?

#4 They will only put factory head bolts back in, no studs (aftermarket)

#5 once they complete this, should i expect lots of trips back to the dealer for lots of little issues due to engine being torn down this far and put back together?

#6 Should i ditch my Banks tuner/speed loader? I dont even use it, it sits at setting #1 = Factory settings.

#7 will my truck run better by fixing this? They say the coolant getting in the cynlinders is causing rough running and coolant flow issues.

Any feedback would really help!

thanks
Rick

 

Probably be a couple of grand if not a little more if the dealer is doing it.

No typically I'm expired by mileage long before date

Depends on how they handle the fact that you had the tuner. More often then not just prepare yourself for paying for it all yourself.

I would strongly recommend aftermarket studs since you have to go in there as it is and if your out of warranty it shouldn't bother them one bit if your footing the bill all yourself.

I haven't, but you might have headgasket problems again if they don't machine or replace the heads.

Yes, if you want a tuner get the SCT with custom tunes by Matt.


When I was leaking coolant, I didn't notice any rough running issues, but it would have taking alot for it to register with me. I would strongly suggest getting studs done especially if your footing the bill for this, just supply the studs to the dealership. With studs in there, you will be able to go with more aggressive programming and modding(if money and inclination desires it) and you'll have an engine that should be able to handle it without any worries.

 

#1 how much should i expect the dealer to say this will cost. including heads/ and gaskets.

Don't have personal experience on cost. But would say that I would get a firm quote, including any help from FMC or the dealer, before I consented to the work. Then I would get an independent shop quote, where you'll be able to get the ARP studs, which is what you really want.

#2 has anyone else been out of warranty by date and not mileage?

Yes, but not on this vehicle. They do go by date, not just mileage and they do take it seriously. And the date starts when the original owner drives it off the lot. Very likely you are past 5 years.

#3 should i expect to be paying more than the standard 100 deductable?

Of course, if it's out of warranty. Incidentally, FMC now offers an upgrade warranty to 7 years/200k miles. If I were you I would be talking sweet to this dealer to see if they could sell you the warranty and get this work covered under the extended coverage.

#4 They will only put factory head bolts back in, no studs (aftermarket)

Most won't. No surprise there. You could shop around for one that will, but no great chance you'll find one. If you really want studs, consider an independent.

#5 once they complete this, should i expect lots of trips back to the dealer for lots of little issues due to engine being torn down this far and put back together?

Maybe. Lot's of unqualified techs out there working on these motors. You should not have issues, but lot's of folks do. Try to get some reports on the particular dealer you are working with, maybe try asking in the chapter section for your area.

#6 Should i ditch my Banks tuner/speed loader? I dont even use it, it sits at setting #1 = Factory settings.

Not much love for Banks around here. If you hope to get work done under warranty you will probably have to take it off. Might be too late if they've seen it. Some guys here will tell you it's the reason you are in this boat. I don't know.

#7 will my truck run better by fixing this? They say the coolant getting in the cynlinders is causing rough running and coolant flow issues.

Well, you gotta do it. You can't leave it with blown HG. The HG may or may not be the reason for running rough. Lot's of these trucks run with blown HG and run great for a long time. They just puke under load, and run good otherwise. Depends on how bad the leak I guess. You may well need one or more injectors, or other things above my pay grade here.

Good luck with it, and please keep us in the loop.
Bill

 

just make sure it is out of warranty first. i just don't trust dealers for anything. find out when the truck was originally sold. that will be when the warranty started, not the build date, and would last 5yrs/100k.

 

Yes, if it shipped before todays date, in 2003, then it's expired. It could easily have delivered before or after. Your DMV registration will often show date first sold.

Or, they could be excluding the warranty because they saw the Banks.

Bill

 

When mine went in last week I had the oil cooler, egr cooler, and driverside head replaced. They installed the studs, and replaced the stc fittings on the hpop. It was covered under warranty but the lady and the checkout desk said $5061.24 would be the total if not under warranty. By the way I supplied the studs.

Also, If they won't do the studs I would find another dealer that would.

 

yes i agree with Momorris i would find someone credible who will do the aftermarket studs if not your just asking for the same problem down the road and i'd check on that initial sale date too

 

Curious about this. Did they install HG on both sides, but only replace one head? Because it was warped? Did they machine the other head, or was it already flat enough? I assume they installed the studs on both sides, but just wondering if the two sides are balanced compression. I know you don't get a choice when it's warranty work, but it would concern me to only replace one head. That may be ignorance on my part, but it's my instinctive reaction.

Bill

 

I suppose the possibility exists that they may now claim they will partially cover it, but after getting the heads off, they may claim the tops of the pistons show a tuner was used and say you are on your own.

 

Talked with Matt (Spartan Diesel) about spray patterns on top of the pistons and this is hard to prove unless you are running after market injectors and extreme tunes or long term use of a tuner. So with some luck the dealer will not notice a different spray pattern. ARP head studs are way to go from what I have read here and on other threads and for that reason I am going with them. I have been hit with blown head gaskets as well and my truck is in the shop getting the work done. I talked the the Service Manager at my local Ford Dealer who are doing the work about install the studs and what part of the warranty would be effected by using them and his answer was that he would not flag the warranty so no part would be effected. He went on to say that Ford should be repairing these trucks with the stud and not a bolt. He also said that the stud does not modify and performance of the truck but does make the top end a lot stronger. So good luck with your repairs rcsjr4546. Chuck

 

I just got a quote from my dealer, $2200 in mhrs + tax. That's also assuming nothing else goes wrong. The only thing the mechanic ask about was if the truck was coroded badly. After 4yrs of western NY winter salt, he maybe in for a battle at my expense.

 

Take a little vacation and drive it to Matt at Spartan and let him do the work with the new studs, other wise I'd find another shop that will do the studs, If the heads are coming off it is the time to do this mod. especially if you have to pay for it yourself anyways.

 

I am meeting with the dealer today to discuss what ford is going to do. I am going to bring up again the questions about head studs (if i provide them). Here are a couple of more questions for the techs or anyone who has lived thru this.


#1 - they say they can do the change with engine still in truck and not lifting cab. Can they still do it that way if we do studs instead of factory head bolts?

#2 - Will this happen again even with the headstuds?

if they say i pay for everything, then i will take it to a performace shop and not the dealer. Any other upgrades i should do while engine is that far apart if a performace shop does the work?

 

I am not a fan of doing headstuds with the cab not off, especially if you have headgasket problems, you need to have the heads either machined or replaced depending on the severity of damage.


If they don't address the problems with the heads, then yes it can happen again, the only difference is that you'll be able to reuse the headstuds that you bought versus having to pay for another set of bolts.

 

Yeah, they studded both sides, and only the drivers side head was warped and the passenger sid was fine. I dont believe the other head was machined. THe truck has been running great since, so no complaints here.