Lets play a game of name that chunk of metal i found in my oil pan.




I'm afraid it looks like a hunk of piston, its non ferrous and appears to have a "wear surface". One day it ran fine the next it made a loud tapping noise, My father and neighbor believed it was coming from the timing cover so in the process of replacing the timing chain I pulled the oil pan and found these. Its a 97 F150 4.2L with about 175,000 mi. Is it as I fear? thanx in advance
-Brad

 

I had a look in the daylight and connecting rod #1 is bent and the bottom corner of piston #1 is gone.


Looks like a rebuild or replacement is my next option. Im thinking a rebuild is my best option. can this engine be rebuilt in chassis? I would also like to upgrade a few things while i got it apart, does anybody know where i might be able to get forged rods for this motor, I just want the bottom end to be a bit stronger incase i want to push a little mor power out of her in the future. thanx
-Brad

 

If you have the 4x4 and can pull the pan without pulling the engine (which it appears you have), you can rebuild it in situ. However, this option is a pain in the butt, and I've found that it's usually a whole lot less hassle just to pull the damn thing and have done with it.

As for upgrades, I haven't seen any, but if you're looking for a rebuild kit, flatlanderracing.com sells just about every re-ring kit on the freaking planet.

Good luck! ~BBM