I have a '94 Ford F150 with a 5.0L EFI engine with 107,000 miles on it. It has never burned a drop of oil, and it has run like it did the day it was new. I've always changed or had its oil and oil filter changed every 3,000 miles.

I was driving it the other day, and I noticed a sound coming from under the hood that was accompanied with the slight smell of oil. Three days later when I went to drive it again, the noise was louder. I started to drive it, but went no more than 1/8 mile when I realized something serious could be wrong, so I parked it. I chedked the oil level, and for the first time EVER, it was low, not even on the stick. Someone got some oil for me, and I put about 2 quarts in it. I then started the motor again and the sound persisted. A man then saw me and came to help. He crawled under the truck to listen while I pressed the accelerator slightly, and he said the sound was definitely coming from inside the oil pan! Not wanting to damage anything, I had it towed to a Ford shop, and today they called to say that my thrust bearings were bad, and that I needed a new engine.

The mechanic said he'd never seen so much "movement" when measuring whatever has to do with the thrust bearings. He also mentioned seeing oil on the side of the engine telling him something else was wrong, but I told him that was from me spilling so much, trying to get it in the engine with a long-spouted can that someone loaned to me.

Should I trust this guy? I paid nearly $150 to have it towed. They're asking $3700 to install a reman. engine. They say that although they wouldn't want to with all the miles it has, they can repair it for about $1800. Should I go with that and trust it because it's never burned any oil in the past? How could it have been low on oil now with this problem since it's never burned it? Isn't it more likely that Jiffy Lube, who did my last oil change, didn't fill it properly?

My truck is in excellent condition. I've always taken extremely good care of it. I just don't know what to do since it's value is only $4,000 to $5,000. Since I have another car with a remaned engine that I've been trying to sell, I know that a remaned engine adds virtually no value to the car in resale value. With that in mind, I told the shop that I may just junk it thinking that since everything else is in excellent condition, it may be more valuable in parts. When their mechanic heard that, he about crapped because it's in such good shape. He then offered me $600 for it. I talked to him at length later, and he said it was in such good shape that if it were him, he'd go with the remaned engine.

Does anyone else have any input?

 

that is a load of crap. 3700 dollars i could buy another car or truck.
do you check the oil often or never at all.

 

The reman engine that they are gonna put into your truck runs between $900-1100 thats if you bought it for yourself, there is a good possibility they would rebuild yours, and sell it back to you, anyway unless you know them, just a thought. Do you have any interest in removing or installing the motor yourself? YOu could save youself a bunch of $$$$$ if you did. Good luck, I would get another opinion, later

 

#1: That's not very many miles for a 5.0
#2: You can often buy a good running used 5.0 for under $1000, sometimes even with a transmission.
#3: I wouldn't be too surprised if a rings and bearings plus hone rebuild would work fine based on your earlier description of the situation. The parts for this kind of a rebuild are only a few hundred dollars, and the machine work would also be minimal.

My advice is to call around to a few engine shops in your area and get some quotes on a rebuild or a servicable used engine.

Good luck.

-Matthew

 

Yeah, I checked the oil every 3,000 miles before and after oil changes, and it was always full. However, after the last oil change, when I had someone else do it for me, I didn't check it. The oil pressure was in the good range even when the noise occured.

 

No, if I get it from them, it would be a reman, not a rebuild.

No, I can't do it myself. I've been slightly involved with rebuilds many years ago in high school, but now I can't as I don't have the time or means whatsoever to do it. Someone absolutely has to do it for me.

FWIW, I just spoke to my cousin who used to sell rebuilds for ATK, and he said they used to get a lot of calls for these engines. He also recommended I call someone he knows with NECO tomorrow, so I'll do that.

Thanks

 

I don't think it's many miles either in today's terms, especially with the good care I've taken of it. Some have said I only needed to change the oil every 5,000 miles, but I've done it every 3,000, and changed the oil filter every time too as I've always believed clean oil was the key to long engine life. I swear, even the last day I drove it, it ran like a champ (I have to drive it on the highway to get to work). This is totally shocking to me.

Thanks for the advice.

 

Well good luck

 

Thanks. My cousin also recommended that for warranty purposes, it's best to pay the extra money and have the one who sells it install it so that if their is a problem later, the seller can't deny the claim saying the problem was due to improper installation.

 

Well your cousin is right. I just hate to see someone lose all that money to have someone else do it. All they are gonna do is swap existing parts over to the new enigine. Thats life, keep us updated on your progress and let us know how it runs when your done. Oh yeah, call the better business bureau, as well, make sure there are no complaints with this company (engine) and the mechanic your dealing with. Later

 

Now that I think about it, I believe the diagnosis to be correct because the mechanic told me the noise I was hearing was because the crank-shaft had shifted back, causing something (can't remember what he said) to brush against the flywheel on the trans, and I just remembered something else. A few times lately before I knew I had a problem, when I first started up the motor in the mornings and it was cold, I could hear kind of a light constant harmonical, sound. It's hard to describe, but it sounded like what you would hear if you took the tip of a pencil and drew circles around the circumference of a cymbol (the musical instrument). Can anyone confirm that that's what you'd hear for this problem? It makes sense to me. Kind of.

 

Thanks. I already checked on the one that has it now, and they're good. I'll do the same should I have NECO do it, but because my cousin used to deal with them and he recommended them, they've already got a plus in their column.

 

I've seen guys with 5.0 Mustangs with 200,000 miles, running forced induction or nitrous, making close to double the stock power numbers, and having no problems. If maintained right, these engines will last a long time, take a ton of abuse, and can be rebuilt a couple of times before they are junk. Your's has has a pretty pedestrian life by comparison and should be salvagable.

As an aside, I noticed your post about the oil pressure. The factory gauge is basically junk and will only really tell you if the oil pressure is more than 7 psi. Try hooking the sender up to an air compressor with a regulator. You'll notice that the gauge reads 0 up to about 7 psi, then jumps up to the normal range and barely moves between 7 and 100 psi. Unfortunately, the fact that it is a "gauge" gives conscientious drivers a false sense that the oil pressure is stable when it may in fact be dropping off substantially. The truth is, you have no idea what the oil pressure is based on the stock gauge, so it is useless as a diagnostic tool and as an indicator that preventative measures may be required.

As a final aside, at least 302 Ford's have a good oiling system. I've seen well worn 302s making 30 psi at 3000 rpm and 10 psi at idle run happily for years. Still, it'd be nice if the stock gauge gave you some indication of dropping oil pressure which might help to avoid a catastrophe with your engine.

-Matthew

 

Thanks. You guys have given me a lot to think about. Maybe repairing/rebuilding necessary components isn't such a bad option after all. I've never really trusted rebuilds because a buddy of mine in high school had his rebuilt and it didn't last long, and then I had one rebuilt on my VW Bug and it didn't last long because somehow a shroud in the engine compartment wasn't mounted properly and it came loose and blocked the air-intake (air-cooled engine), causing it to overheat and fry. I've got to admit, however, that this Cadi has nearly 30,000 on it, and although it runs well, it scares me. It burns oil and leaks oil, and goes through about a quart every 3,000 miles. One mechanic told me it was the rear main seal, and another told me it's just an oil gasket leak.

This bites because I paid nearly $800 to have the rear main seal changed on this truck just 3 years ago. Now, a waste.

 

i got an whole 84 truck for parts for 100 dollars the truck looked good but had no title. the tranny and the motor worked fine.