I think there is your root cause of the plug discoloration. Since all of the plugs are showing the same symptom it would make sense the root cause is something common to all of them....fuel/air and "some sort of fuel treatment".

 

i've been thinking about upgrading my air intake system to a K&N open air intake. but i'm not sure if this is the right idea, since i travel on dirt roads alot. also i found out something called a '' 6 liter tune up '' which i need to swap my old ignition coil for a hotter one. plus a few other things. i thought this might be a good idea, cause i could always use extra hp along with better fuel comsumption. with the loads i carry and come to a steep hill, i sometimes wonder if i have enough power to make it to the top. i've given up on using my truck as a work truck until i either find another engine or rebuild my own. i just don't think it's safe to haul heavy loads with a blown head gasket. heck i'm surprized that the darn thing is still running!!!!! i had a chevy Astro and when the head gasket went, it was no time before it overheated and siezed. maybe it's true what they say about these engines, they sure can take a lot of abuse. i'm not meaning to put my engine through this much abuse, but it's winter time here and it's just too darn cold to do anything. i think i'm gonna slow down on the fuel additives cause it seems like i'm doing more harm than good.
thanks for the advice and your helpful input. T.C.M.

 

i have a question about the hei ignition. i've been searching through some auto parts places on line and came across this hei ignition. by the looks of it, it sits directly on top of the distributor cap. but what i can't see is how it connects to the harness. is this something that i can use on my 4.9 engine? if so, do i have do make any changes to the wiring to hook it up? i've read up on some of it and it said that this hei unit can produce a higher voltage than the stock ignition coil. would this be something any of you would recomend? as i said before i'm just trying to improve on the performance of my 4.9 engine.
your input and advice on this subject would be most welcome. thanks T.C.M.

 

That is the GM style HEI Distributor with the coil mounted on top. You would have to alter your wire harness. I'm not sure, but it would be my guess that they make an adapter harness. But, it really isn't any more beneficial for your engine, than the MSD ignition coil that you read about in the link, "Six Liter Tune Up", on my thread titled, "HEI Ignition". All of those tune up parts listed in that link are specifically for a Ford. The coil in that link is the same for your 4.9. MSD doesn't make a Distributor Cap for the 4.9. But the Accel part number for the cap and rotor kit for your 4.9 is Accel 8230. That would be a better route for you to take.

 

I am not sure what "this hei ignition" is referring to but I point you back here to Post#4: Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - View Single Post - ignition upgrade

I give up trying to advise you from spending money on worthless upgrades, including that K&N hot air intake. Even mentioning the 4.9L engine and performance in the same sentence is an oxymoron IMHO. You have a tractor engine that is putting out just about everything it can. If you want more it is going to cost more $$money$$ beyond the fancy ignitions or air intakes.

It's your decision to spend money on items that most of us have found to be of questionable worth. I would focus on fixing your head gasket issue you have mentioned time again before spending a dime on whiz bang gadgets. RANT off

I wish you luck

 

If your current ignition system works, I wouldn't waste the money. A 300 inline is a hell of a reliable engine, but it's not a hot rod, and putting an HEI unit on it isn't going to give you any more power. There's really not much you can do to the EFI 300's to wake then up anymore than they already are. And forget the K&N garbage unless you're just dead set on wasting money.

 

ok guys i'm sorry, i see i'm beginning to annoy you guys. i get the point now, i was just trying to get some info on some things. i guess i got caught up in the un important stuff, but my focus is back on my engine repair. i still have to have a back up plan in case my engine doesn't pan out. i've noticed a great deal of moisture around the distributor area and was wondering if the other side of the head gasket has blown out as a result of this stupid additive i put in my rad. i guess i'm gonna have to '' bite the bullet '' and face the cold in order to repair this engine.
again guys i'm truly sorry for annoying you, i last thing i want is to lose the advice of these people of this site. thanks again T.C.M.

 

TCM, since you have a blown head gasket, you have water in your oil. Therefore, I'd venture to guess that the moisture around your distributor, is seeping through your distributor shaft seal, from inside the engine. I went to college (a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...LOL), and got an Associates Degree in Automotive Mechanics, before I went on to make my career with the Chrysler Corporation. Anyway, my Instructor taught us to, NOT put ANY foreign chemicals in your engine. Back then, Slick 50 had just came onto the market (that should tell you, how long ago I started my career). The engineers for these Automobile Industries, are brain scientists, and if there was anything created, that would make your engine run more efficient, then they would have made it so. There is nothing out there, that is going to make your engine, out perform it's optimum performance. If you brake a leg, is the doctor going to make you drink something to make it stronger? No, he's just going to mend it, and send you on you way. Fusion of a bone, is like a welded joint of wire. The fusion is stronger than the wire itself, and the wire will break somewhere else, before the weld will. Change your head gaskets, and quit putting all (additive) junk in your engine.

 

i understand what you're saying, but i guess when you listen to the wrong advice, you get bad results. when this trouble began, someone from the ford dealership where i live, suggested this product that might get me by untill i had the chance to strip the engine down. but i see now that i made the situation worse. now i have more work then was needed to do this repair. if i can't get my rad cleaned out, i may have to replace it, also the issue with the bottom end. i think by running my engine with a blown gasket, i think the sludge build up has affected the oil pump. when i first start the engine, it has a knock for about 5 or so seconds. i figure this may be where there is so much sludge, the oil pump takes a while to clear it and start sending oil through the engine. i may be wrong on this but that's my take on it. so is there a way to clean this engine of sludge before i do any repairs on it? i don't to make a magor repair only to have it fail because of a dirty engine. i think i may have a battle on my hands now. but the advice will be most welcome. thanks T.C.M.

 

How do you know about this sludge you keep talking about and how much are you saying is there?

 

Sludge isn't going to be caused by a sudden blown head gasket. Not unless you drove it for a month or so with the water in your oil. Have you added any additive to your oil, such as Lucas? What grade oil, do you use? If you have a combination of an additive, and a thick grade of oil. That will cause your short time knocking sound. And, when you change your oil, hopefully, you will not find that your crank bearings aren't worn out. I've done been through all that with a 1979 F150 in recent months, that I sank over $6000 into over the past couple of years. God, what a money pit that was. Needless to say, I took a major loss when I sold that one.

 

the head gasket went last october or november. it was when i was deep in the woods and on my home, i noticed that i had no heat in the cab. now being miles from home and a heavy load of wood on board, i had to figure out what was going on. there wasn't any over heating at the time and my coolant level was fine. so all i could think of was that the thermostat was stuck in the open position. i continued on my way home and after i unloaded the truck, i checked the coolant level again it was still fine except the overflow bottle was empty. the next day was a differant story, when i started the engine it made a knocking sound,so i remove the oil fill cap and noticed a milky like sludge this was also presant on the dipstick. i drained the oil and removed the filter, it was like someone had put milk in my engine. i replaced the oil with new stuff along with some lucas additive. after that i didn't here the knock again. it seems to run ok except that the steam coming from the exhaust looks like something from a steam engine. i've been nursing my engine along untill the weather warms up so i can repair it. i fear that with the amount of sludge in the engine, i may have to replace the oil pump. i have a album of my truck posted up and in it you can see the slidge on the oil fil cap as well as the color of it.
i know how you feel, i'm beginning to think that this truck is becoming a money pit. but i won't be sinking 6 grand into it, the bone yard will see it before it gets that far.
thanks again for your advice T.C.M.

 

So now how much coolant is mixing with the oil is that still going on? And how much coolant are you losing when you drive?

 

if you can view my album of mr truck pics, you can see a pic of the oil fill cap that is covered in this sludge. this pic shows a minor amount compare to what's there most of the time. there are times when i remove the oil fill cap and blobs of it just fall off the oil fill cap. i know it's gotten into the lower end because the dipstick looks like it was dipped in milk and it's also begging to rust.

as for the amount of coolant, sometimes it's little and more other times it's alot. i've noticed that when i fill the overflow bottle, within a couple of days it's empty or it looks like it's filled with sour looking milk. i haven't had the chance to pull the head off the engine yet cause it's very cold here and also it's the only vechile i have for transportation. i've drained the oil several times now, in hopes of saving the engine, i also used a lucas oil additive and it seems to be working, well it got rid of the 5 second knock i use to here. i only use my truck now when nessesary. i just hope it pulls through till i can repair it. thanks again for repling back. T.C.M.

 

Alright, man, I'm going to tell you what to do. And this is very effective. Flush your engine with Seafoam. First of all, here is a little bit of info on Seafoam (and I can greatly express the effect of Seafoam). Sea Foam Motor Treatment is a highly refined, pure petroleum blend with no chemical additives, and is compatible with all motor oils, including synthetics. It is safe for all internal engine components and will not affect any seals, gaskets or o-rings. Sea Foam Motor Treatment is not a chemical engine flush, and therefore will not damage internal engine components or clog the oil pickup screen. Now, this is a rather lengthy process. Change your oil. I believe your oil capacity is 6 quarts with filter change. On fill up, use 5 1/2 quarts of oil, and one whole can of Sea Foam. If you drive the truck frequently, change the oil every 100 miles. Do this oil change 4 times, substituting a 1/2 a quart of oil for a can of Sea Foam every time.. If you don't drive it frequently, you must start the truck every day, and let it idle for 30 minutes. That lets it get up to normal operating temperature and idle at that temperature for several minutes. As I said, do this every day. Change the oil once a week, substituting a 1/2 a quart of oil for a can of Sea Foam every time. Do this 4 times, over a span of 4 weeks. After you complete the 4 step engine flush, go back to changing the oil at regular intervals, with one exception. Check your oil weekly, if your oil is extremely dirty, change it. This is a little costly, but cheaper than an engine overhaul. Also, after you complete the engine flush, from now on, every time you change your oil, substitute one quart of oil, for one quart of Marvelous Mystery Oil. Marvelous Mystery Oil is compatible with any grade of oil. It is the safest additive you can use. It adds to the cleaning qualities of the motor oil.