hello to all the ford junkies here. I am new here and I have a few questions. first off, and to get straight to the point. My 97 4.6 f150 wouldn't start after sitting for a few weeks. of course I first thought it was a number of things, battery, starter, alternator, and of course I tested all and the only thing I had to replace was battery, put it all back together and went to start it, and got nothing. starter kicked in but wouldn't start. I pulled out all spark plugs and did a manual start to see if it would turn over. and blam coolant splashed me right in my face. I have never delt with such a thing before but I automatically thought a blown head gasket. but anyways I did go a head and flushed the cylinder. and btw it was coming from the number 6 cylinder. none of the other cylinders had fluid in them. so I put plugs back in after cleaning them really good and replaced the one in number 6 cylinder. and I started it. fired right up. runs pretty good. but with a slight viberation now.
now my only concern is what kind of damage if any happened when the cylinder hydrolocked? I will be rebuilding the heads here soon as affordable, but in the mean time I do have to make a lengthy trip, what should my concerns be? I am a long time ford lover and replacing my truck is not an option. so any help and input will most certainly be appreciated. its a 97 ford f150 4x2 with 180k.

 

If the piston hit the coolant hard enough
it could of bent the connecting rod.
There should be a compression drop/missfire in that
cylinder if this was the case.
Vibration? steady misfire from #6 maybe?
If so it should throw a code po306
Make sure you get all the coolant out of the
oil, it will destroy your crank/rod bearings, if you plan to run
it as is.
Good luck and keep us posted
edit Welcome to the forum!

 

the truck was not running when it locked. and no coolant in oil to my knowledge, and no oil in coolant, smells like coolant not anything burnt. can the power from just the starter alone bend the connecting rod? when the truck wouldn't start at first the battery wasn't strong enough to do anything. then when I replaced bat I only tried cranking one time, and it was already locked. so I didn't try it again. then I pulled the plugs out and that's when I got literally sprayed in the face, owe and btw there where no warnings signs to this. truck has never over heated. and has always ran very good. but now I do get steam out the exhaust in the middle of the day after running for a while. should be condensation build up like that should there be? and thanks for the timely reply. and btw there are no codes, no misfiring

 

I have had a case diesel bend one on the starter once.
If your engine didn't turn over I would say a bent connecting
rod is highly unlikely.
Does the exhaust smell like coolant?
Is there bubbles in the degas bottle/recovery tank when engine is running?
Do you still have heat?
Temperature gauge steady and normal?

 

Are you sure on your cyl. ID ? a few cyl's are prone to intake gasket failure causing hydro lock . Just asking...

 

this is what is confusing me. no bubbles. heater works good. doesn't over heat, hell I have tried since ive had the truck to get it to go hotter then the normal. but it doesn't. and to JWC 3. im pretty sure it come from number 6. I was standing at the side of the truck when I turned it over after taking the plugs out for the first time after it locked on me and pretty sure got spashed in the face from the number 6 cylinder. was looking right at it when it happened. lol!
I just went out and pulled both the 5 and 6 plugs and turned it over and nothing came out. put plugs back in checked to make sure all connecting plug wires are secure. and started it up. now it is smooth as a new ride. only still steam when it warms up. if this is the case. and it is a blown head gasket on the intake side of the port. how long can I run it like this and what else could happen? I mean it wont go long like this, but I do have to make a 8 hr drive to get home. but soon after that I will be pulling the heads off and doing a thorough inspection. but my main concern is do I have to baby it for the long trip or what should I pay close attention to?

 

and one more question. I have been reading and there are some that say I can use engine sealant or some kind of stop leak if the blown head gasket is not that bad, would this help for me to make it home?

 

There are some good products out there . It is for you to decide if you want to try one . I have seen mixed results .. Best of luck !

 

thank you JWC 3, Hopefully some positive results come from using the products, any suggestions on what to use?

 

I am not recommending any product , but , I have seen good results from Blue Devil and Barrs Leaks . I have used both . Side note .. Barrsleaks was standard issue for any Caddy coolant service for many years , I have used Gallons of it over the years . ( I can actually get it in a 55 gallon drum ) Works good for external leaks and cooling system pressure internal leaks . Compression leaks into the cooling system are harder to patch . I have used Blue Devil and Liquid Glass with mixed results on those type leaks . Best of Luck !

 

thanks and fully understood!

 

is there a way for me to tell if I have a blown headgasket or a blown intake gasket?

 

ok, I went out and started up today. now it is running very smooth. no issues other then steam coming out exhaust and smelling like coolant. could this be intake manifold gasket?

 

ok, I just got back from a short drive, ran smooth, no smell of coolant or steam in exhaust, checked the oil and it looks fine, added fresh coolant yesterday and checked it when I got back and it is still at same level. I think I have fully recovered from the coolant hydrolock with no serious internal damage, still not sure as to why it happened in the first place. but I will be replacing intake manifold gaskets soon. in order to prevent this from ever happening again I would really like some input from those very experienced ford mechanics out there, so please any input would be very much appreciated.

 

Glad it has cleaned up for you glemons
I really can't see how an intake gasket could effect #6 cylinder
I could be wrong though
maybe someone else will chime in
Keep us posted