Folks please put down your pitchforks, torches, hot tar, and feathers. Allow me to explain myself before you ban and delete my account.

I was raised to be a Chevy man. Like literally chastised as a child if I expressed any interest in Ford/Dodge. I drive a 1990 Chevy Silverado 1500 2wd that I inherited from my grandfather. I was barely taller than the hood when he brought that truck home. I have a polaroid photo from that day of me standing in front of it. I never intended on driving or purchasing another truck. I just always figured I'd keep it on the road. I'm a sentimental being what can I say.

I've always said I would never spend money on a Ford. If someone gave me one, sure, I'd drive it. But I wouldn't spend my own hard earned money on one. LONG story short. I own a 1999 Ford F250 4x4 with the 6.8L Triton 2v V10 and it didn't cost me a dime. Good thing as I don't have many dimes to spare. This vehicle came to me at a time when I was unemployed and doing basically any side job I could get my hands on. Through that work I met a man that owned a junkyard that had been in operation since the 1940's. He was retiring having spent his entire life working that yard which he had inherited from his father. The job was simple. Scrap everything but the house on the property and split the earning from said scrap with him. The thing about it was, this junkyard was in a pretty remote area. It was a long drive and had many mountains and valleys between My house and the junkyard. I felt the ol' F250 was finally going to earn it's keep.

Earn it's keep it did. With flying colors! I hauled so much scrap metal in 3 months that I didn't need to work any other job (nor did I have the time). That truck hauled my 16' flat bed trailer piled as high as I safely could with scrap, engine blocks, 100's of rims, you name it, with absolutely zero problems. Cruise control, a/c full blast (I live in the desert), and radio blaring with not a care in the world. This truck single handedly changed my entire opinion on Ford that I ever actually held and certainly disproved every stereotype I've ever heard. Plus it looks good, rides nice, and is actually even more comfortable than my good ol' Chevy (Shh don't tell G-pa he'd be spinning in his grave).

That is, until one day I started hearing what I thought to be an exhaust leak. I thought, "AHA! There's that F.O.R.D. rearing it's ugly head". Well, the scrap job was almost done and I had already spent most the money I earned on fuel and my mortgage. So I thought, "Just get me through this job and you can $#*! the bed if you want to." No longer did I make it out there and load up, climbing a very long hill known as "9 mile hill", something gave with a loud POP-pop-pop-pop-pop... "Couldn't have waited til AFTER I got paid?"

Reading around here before posting this, I can say with 90% certainty that you all know exactly what happened. You guessed it, I popped a spark plug right out of the head. I didn't know this at that time but, yeah these motors are notorious for just that.

Being a man of modest means. I couldn't really pay a tow truck to haul me home. Getting towed to a shop would have also been useless as if I couldn't afford the tow, I sure couldn't afford to pay to have it repaired. So I called the man that owned the junkyard and he came down and got me going again. He explained to me what a heli coil is and I watched him do it so if ever I needed to I might be able to do it myself. That day eventually came. I duplicated the repair and was good to go. Then it happened again. 3 dif cylinders each the same issue. The 4th time it happened, it was one of the cylinders that had already been "repaired".Being as heli coils are fairly inexpensive, I tried to re heli coil that cylinder and that's when everything REALLY went to @#$%.

I DROPPED the damned heli coil into the cylinder... And so the truck has been sitting ever since. 3 years has passed. My old chevy truck isn't getting any younger. My wifes van is on it's last leg and is just not worth the $ it needs put into it. I can work on the chevy, but not while I'm driving it. We need another operational vehicle. That ford is in great condition other than....

I start thinking about possibly spending money, on a Ford. Problem is according to my local mechanic the truck is worth about as much as he would charge me to replace the heads. I can't afford that and at that price I could damn near just buy another one with all 10 spark plugs where they belong. I'm not familiar with Fords at all and I'm not confident I could buy heads and do the work myself. I did however find a fix for the spark plug issue right here on this forum. (https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...th-photos.html)

That's great and all, I'm sure It'd work for the other cylinders, but there is still the issue of this damned heli coil in there.

I watched a video on you tube of the process. It seems quite a bit of material is removed before tapping. There is even another kit refereed to on the Time Sert website to be used if the cylinder has already been "repaired" that is over sized and removes even more material (I'm assuming). I can afford this kit. I can't afford a new car or to pay a shop to replace the head's/motor.

Aaaaaaall this to arrive at this point and to ask this question;

If I bought this kit would I be able to get the damned heli coil out and save my truck which I had come to appreciate and which could potentially get me out of yet another hard spot? Probably difficult to answer. Have any of you had this happen? If so, how did you fix it? If you were in my situation (limited options due to monetary reasons) what would you do?

Thanks in advance for reading my wall of text and for providing any advice, insight, and resources. I can't say that I will ever denounce Chevy and become a Ford guy. BUT, if I could just get this absolutely acceptable vehicle going again within my meager means, I promise I will never talk smack about Fords again (except on race days).

 

One thing to keep in mind too, a truck sitting for 3 years can start to cultivate some new problems. Where is it parked? Outside, or garaged? Behind the barn?

Critters and vermin will set up shop in the exhaust or intake, mud daubers block off the differential vent breather, stuff like that. Brake (and parking brake) stuff starts siezing. Basically stuff that supposed to move won't. Tires baking in the sun, parked on mud...

Gasoline starts to oxidize, turning back into varnish and tar. If you decide to do the repairs, first thing pull a quart fuel sample from the tank and take a look at it in a clear glass container, take a whiff. Better still drain every bit of it. Old stale fuel will cause a whole set of new problem$. Don't try to dilute it with new gasoline.

 

Hey Max, welcome here. Try posting your question here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum49/
This section is specific to your engine. Best of luck!

 

I love a good backstory . . . and Chevys are okay enough.

Yes the V10 is a great engine save the spark plug thing. If it were mine, I'd try fishing the helicoil out with a magnet, and probably after drilling out the hole for the insert kit.

I'm guessing in NM you won't have too much trouble with critters living in it, but you should check all the usual places for them before starting it up.

And yes, definitely post in "Modular V10 (6.8l)" as 00Dave said above.

Welcome aboard!

 

I agree with CathedralCub! I would drill it for the new coil and start magnet patrol after bringing the piston to near TDC. Good luck!

 

I wouldn't move the engine at all. If the magnet works, it will work from an extra inch or two away.