Hey all,

I just bought a non-running 2004 f150 FX4 for $500. The guy who had it, was driving down the highway and it quit. Motor locked up. Transmission was just replaced with a new one, has less than 5000 miles on t.

I've looked underneath it and through the hood, and I dont see any external damage. I've asked a mechanic about it, and he said if it threw a rod it would be obvious.

He also said the best place to start would be dropping the oil pan and check out the bearings. How hard is that to do and to replace? If anyone has done it before, some instructions would be great. From what Ive read, Drop/move tranny?, drop oil pan, drop crank shaft, and then do that in reverse. (Overly simplified, I am sure)

Also, if I need to replace the motor. The eighth digit of the vin is 5. I use car-part.com to look for parts, but this vin # appears to have the most expensive 5.4 motor. Are the 5.4's not interchangeable?

Thanks Everyone for the help, any input greatly appreciated. My wife has seen the truck, and now she wants it, so I guess it will be a keeper.

Devin

 

Does it have oil in it? Does the oil look normal - no white/tan water/coolant contamination? Pull oil filter and look for metal particles. Check the coolant - does it look normal? Will the starter motor turn it over at all?

 

It did not have oil in it, it ran out. I cant belive I didn't put that in the description, oops.

I haven't checked the coolant yet.

When a motot runs out of oil, is it possible to save it?

 

Not really possible without a complete rebuild. The cams ride directly in the head so when they run dry it damages the head. The bearing clearances are very tight too so when they run dry it usually spins the bearing seconds after, especially if the engine is under load going down the road. You can get the pan off without removing the trans. You need to loosen the steering gear, lower the front diff, and lower the front sway bar. If the engine is locked up you may be able to remove some rod caps to get it to turn so you can get to the torque converter nuts. If you can't get the nuts then the converter has to come out with the engine. Either way, $500 is a pretty good price for a 04 fx4 with a new transmission.

 

Wow. She's toast! But, like said above, the truck is certainly worth the price!Plenty of used engines around.
And BTW, everybody, check yer oil!

 

I appreciate the replys.
70F100longbed
Question: "Not really possible without a complete rebuild". That is referring to my question on "Is it possible to save it?" correct?

Also, you gave me instructions for removing the pan. Was the instructions for replacing the bearings, or pulling the motor? I've never dropped a oil pan to pull a motor, but this is my first Ford so I don't know how much is different haha. If the instructions are for replacing the bearings, Is there a point doing this if it isnt possible without a full rebuild?

Also, If I remove the heads, is it obvious if they are damaged?

What would be some good first steps for me to folllow?

 

#1 Engines don't just lock up going down the road for no reason.


#2 $500 bucks sounds like a heck of a deal for the truck you describe.


#3 I would pull the engine and look at it, but be prepared to buy another from a junkyard.


The Haynes manuals for the last few decades seem to leave a lot of stuff out, but they can give you a general idea of what to do and what not to do.


Good Luck,


Robert

 

Yes I was referring to your question about saving it. Pulling the oil pan will allow you to check the bearings and possibly remove a rod cap or two to unlock the engine so you can turn it over to get to all of the torque converter nuts. I don't recommend replacing the bearings in the truck. If you have access to a lift the easiest way to pull the engine is to first lift up the cab. It will come out the top but removing the intake is a PITA and the cowl panels have to come off.

 

She ran out of oil, she burned a little oil before the guy bought it, and he never changed it.

 

I have access to a sturdy shed, and I've gotten a little creative with come-alongs in the past.

 

I know what you mean about being easier to lift the cab , but I was surprised you said it is a PITA to pull the intake manifold .


I had problems with the temperature sensor , and knock sensors in the past on my 2004 150, the first time I removed it , was a little sketchy , but now I can literally shut it off , and even with draining the coolant , can have the manifold on the bench in under 20 minutes .

 

Yikes. Poor truck. You "could" do the backyard/redneck thing and spray wd40 down every plug hole, pull all the cam and rod and main caps and oil them up good and let it sit overnight to see if you can get it to turn over. If it does, slam everything back together and drive the smoke show til she goes kapow. 3v's are sensitive motors to oil pressure (runs vct) and losing all of it is a great way of condemning one. Also, if you can manage to get the motor to free up and run decent, find out why it lost all its oil. I've run 302's and 351w's out of oil for miles with no intsense damage, but mod motors are built to much tighter tolerances.

Not gonna lie, though. Chances are she's dead. Only mod motor that i ran out of oil was a 4.6 2v with 309k miles. Motor still runs great, but 309k miles of slop in the motor helped it survive.

 

The truck has over 200,000 miles, and has been dogged in the mud since she was bought. She's seen more mud than a animal that lives in it. I know it burned about a quart every oil change when it was first sold. The guy that bought it, drove without changing the oil. Maybe, if lucky, it has enough slop it survived :P or maybe not lol.

 

Ok, just want to do a final verification before I procede on:

Based off what I have read, it is more than just bearings, for sure.

Is it very possible the motor can be rebuilt? Or do I need to go buy a rebuilt one, or a junkyard one with low miles?

If its possible to rebuild, is it easy enough to see what is damaged during the rebuild? I have a buddy that said he would help me with it?

I'm on a tight budget, but I want to beable to do it right. I'd like this to be a reliable trck for my wife eventually.

Thanks everyone for your help so far!

 

With 200k on the clock, you may be able to save the heads. Sounds like a spanked little engine. Start with dropping out the front axle housing and pan (afternoon job) and start pulling caps and oiling until the engine breaks loose. If you can get er running and holding oil pressure, run er til shes dead. Could be tomorrow, could be 20 years from now. Tight budgets suck man. Thats why im running an $800 99 f150 that loses 3 quarts between changes at only 128k miles. I just have no time to fix it, nor can i afford to have it down to get it fixed, so i keep dumping more oil in it.