I covered this but ill go back to it. the awnser here is no. It would only effect the cyclinders with open valves. so if the truck was parked leaning to passanger side and #7 intake was open then it would only be that cyclinder.

 

If it was a HG failure between two cylinders wouldn't the adjacent cylinder have at least some water?

That would have to be some crazy angle on the truck/valve timing to find only ONE intake valve open with the rest on that bank completely closed. I know what you're saying but I just don't see it happening.

 

and seriously.. does anyone find a logical explanation for this much water in the intake, where the truck has to be at a special angle, and the intake valve on THAT cylinder is open so it can (while melted) run down there and THEN freeze? the intake tube, filter, etc will freeze LONG before the block does.. the intake TUBE would have to be 1/2 full of snow.. the filter should be destroyed (with a hole) to allow that much snow past it. AND the driver would have to have run into some serious snow JUST before turning the engine off..

and I agree, the pics are worrisome..about the only way to get there with ice is to look inside the cylinders with a borescope thru the injector holes, and see the ice, and decide right then to pull the cab and head. where are the pics of the borescope output.. no one had a cell phone that day? come on.. this would have been a shock to anyone to find this situation..

Sam

 

Some very weird is going on. Subscribed

 

they don't call them stealerships for nothing.

 

The coolant in the picture is not Fords "Gold" coolant but so what, if its mixed properly to handle the temps the truck sees it don't matter. Besides if the coolant was freezing or the coolant was the issue it would have caused problems elsewhere.

 

That's why I said something is weird about all of this. If the truck was indeed never touched except "topped off", that green coolant is the WRONG STUFF for a 6.4

At some point, I wonder if the (a) dealer did something that required a coolant change, maybe even before the truck was bought.

Get an OASIS on this thing. Fast.

 

That rust looks like it is where the water was coming in. I almost wonder if it didn't happen when the truck was shut off and went from 200+ degrees F and cooled down to -35 degrees C (-31F).

 

I figured because of the extreme cold situations the truck sees in the winter the factory coolant might have been drained and a stronger mix of the green stuff added. When your talking constant temps in the negative temps its not uncommon to switch to fluids that handle the cold better.

The 6.4ls had radiator cracking issues, especially in the earlier trucks. The dealer could have swapped the radiator and the coolant before the customer even took delivery. Don't know if an Oasis would show everything that was done even prior to taking delivery.

 

Not sure about the coolant being swapped out completely, but this truck is post radiator recall and is a 2009 model year.

The air filter was checked and is in perfect condition. It still looks brand new.

Some Ford higher ups are going to be taking a look at it now so it the waiting game now.

Based on the responses here it would seem to be a fairly cut and dried case of head gasket failure?

 

Subscribed! Hope the best of luck with this.

 

seems that way to me.. did you happen to notice any white smoke in the exhaust lately, before this last drive? I really can't believe that this is THE first failure (and it froze solid), but weirder things have happened..

no other explanation makes sense.. (and per judge judy, "if it doesn't make sense, it's not true")..
and still don't get why they need to replace complete engine for a little water if it didn't crack the block. and I think 200+ degrees to -31 AND crack the block into the cylinder bore on ONE overnight is unlikely. so, you should be able to see the damage to the head gasket.

Sam

 

No driveability issues or smoke whatsoever. Truck was driven up the province and parked. No reason to believe there was an issue and it had just been in for servicing a week ago.

At those extreme temperatures materials can do funny things and gaskets can harden or contract, metal can become brittle, so it is easy to say that there could have been some crack or weakness that is no longer evident.

 

Have they even verified the motor needs to be replaced? Is a rod bent? Seems if there isn't any damage from trying to start it then it just needs fresh gaskets, heads checked, and reassembled.

 

right.. if it wouldn't turn over, then not much damage can be added to the freeze damage.. if its not a block, it can't be much..if water only in ONE cylinder, then when it froze and expanded, it would push the crank back a tiny bit (in either direction), but that shouldn't cause damaged.

I dropped a valve in my 460 and the starter couldn't turn the engine due to debris but nothing else was damaged from my trying to turn it over.

So like u, I am confused..
Sam