Hey guys, sorry this is so long. My wife's '03 Expedition is sitting at the mechanics right now with an issue that I don't feel qualified to make a decision on.
Last spring, my wife called me and said the temp gauge pegged hot so she pulled over and let it cool off. Two minutes later it was perfectly normal and she drove home. The overflow bottle had burped a bunch of coolant and it was all over the shock area and running board (driver side). We topped off the coolant and monitored it for the next few months. Never had another problem but always had coolant moisture around the bottle since.
Since then, we have flushed and filled the coolant, new overflow bottle cap, and new thermostat. We have also had to top off coolant several times.
As the temps dropped, the truck would have trouble producing hot air in the cab. I feared heater core but not fogging of the windows, no moisture on floorboards, etc. The heat would take forever to work, and would come on in a split second, then wain off. Finally we took it to a mechanic and he said that we were low on coolant but also that he believed the head gasket is bad. We took it to the dealer to have a few tests run and they said it failed a hydrocarbon(?) test where exhaust is in the coolant suggesting head gasket, crack in head/block, etc. While driving it to the dealer, it pegged the temp gauge and puked more coolant. They quoted for a whole new long block. I towed it to a third mechanic who verified the hydrocarbon problem and agreed that it could be multiple things, but the only sure fire way to know would cost nearly as much as a whole new engine and the new engine would have a warranty. Long story short(or long), we are at a cross roads. Only 110,000 miles on the engine and we love the truck but don't want to dump $6k into a new engine. Last mechanic suggested a blue "sealant" that could be run through the system to seal up any cracks but said it may or may not work. My concern is that if not done correctly, the blue gunk can plug up areas and cause problems of its own. We are honestly at a loss for what to do. Is anyone familiar with this process that could say "yes, go for it", or "No! Run away!"?

What is your opinion of where to go from here. I would love to say we are weather enough to just cut out losses and sell it as is, but we would lose our shorts that way. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks for reading all the way through my book of a post!

 

Look for a mechanic on Craigslist that will change the head gaskets for you. It will cost you $500 instead of $6K. If you want to attempt a cheap self fix for about $110 (32 oz.) you can get a bottle of Steel Seal head gasket repair here: https://www.steelseal.com/

 

I'm surprised that it costs as much as a new engine to pull the heads to inspect, and replace gasket if that's the only thing that is bad... But I guess the hourly price at a dealer is way up there.. hehe.. It shouldn't be a problem to get it done by someone else though, maybe you live near one of the known youtube mechanics...

 

Modular engines are a dime a dozen from a U-pull it. Hit up www.car-part.com and see what a good 5.4L 2V truck motor costs and see how much a mechanic will charge to just swap them. It could also be a good time to change out the torque converter while its all apart as it will literally be no extra labor for that. No way this will cost $6k. You can probably get a motor for $500 and then whatever the labor is. Although at 110k there is 0 reason this should be happening with proper maintenance, these motors are pretty bulletproof.

 

And if the labor and miscellaneous items, engine delivery, fluids, filters, taxes, etc. come to $5,500?

 

I really don't think it's a block issue. These motors are tanks. My uncle is at 360k miles on his 5.4 2v and hasn't done any repairs. Just pulleys, plugs and oil. And an alternatorZ

 

Then find another mechanic?

 

Seriously, I'd have someone help me pull the heads off to inspect the gasket and block/heads. It doesn't take many hours to take those off, we're talking about 3-4 hours of labour to get those off if you know what you're doing. Less if you have good tools and air tools. If it's just a simple gasket issue, the gasket kit and new head bolts wont cost much in order to put it back together, get a good torque wrench and find the torque specs online and you're good to go. It's not THAT complicated.... I'd at least try that before even considering to buy a new engine

 

Exactly! An you will save a ton and gain much more knowledge about your vehicle as you do it. Knowledge is a great thing to have.

And I personally consider these moments as a good bonding opportunity with my vehicle

 

I'm with you 100% on that repair path. These places they say change the entire engine, to me are just looking for the easy way out.