Hi I'm new here. My aunt has a 98 Expedition with the 5.4L V8. Well she was driving on the highway and it threw a rod through the block. The problem is I know someone who will swap a new engine in but he will only do it if we get a short block. I can't find one. I called a local dealership and they wanted $2700 for a brand new long block. It was reman'ed directly from Ford. If anyone can help me out with finding a short block I will appreciate it. Thanks

 

Amazing that you threw a rod on a OHC motor....

 

um... connecting rod?

 

I guess. What other kind of rod is there?

Yeah well, it had 160K on it. That's over 20k a year, mostly highway. I rode it in like 3 days before it happened and there was a wierd noise coming from the engine. I bet it was the rod bearing. Sounded like it.

 

Did your mechanic confrim it was a rod. A lot of these engines will blow out spark plugs and destroy the cop. Just a thought.

 

I think what they are saying is that its hard to throw a rod if you don't have any.

Clint

 

I believe with any reciprocating engine with a crankshaft, in this case a V-8, there would be 8 (connecting) rods but Im not sure...I never drilled a hole into my oil pan to look.

 

I assumed push rod... woops. Yeah, connecting rods would probably be mandatory!

 

But not easy to throw.

I do not understand why the mechanic would only do the job with a short block. That's ridiculous!

Find a new mechanic and get the troubles accurately diagnosed.

 

I'm not sure I guess it will be easier for him to put it in. More room to work with. He's not a mechanic, he's my friend's dad. It was diagnosed at the Ford dealership, it was a connecting rod and after they quoted my aunt $4500 altogether for a new engine I told her f that my friend's dad can do it we'll find a motor way cheaper. Also I think she did have the spark plugs blow up a year or two ago.

 

not a funny topic, but funny replies! i've never heard of a engine throwing a pushrod. monsta had great advice... get a second opinion and don't take that first schlub's opinion as law if he put those specific parameters on the repair.

you can tell if your really 'threw a rod.' crawl under the vehicle and look up at the engine block and see if there's a jagged hole in it. shouldn't be too hard to miss. if you see that, you'll obviously need a new motor. if i had to buy a short block, i'd pull the heads off the old motor first to check the condition of the cylinder heads, valves, cams and other stuff before i sunk dollar one into a new mill.

what's the condition of the rest of the vehicle and transmission like? is it worth putting this expense into a vehicle if the trans is shot? just a thought.

 

Trans is fairly new. She got a quote from a local shop for $2500 total parts and labor. The shop said they found a used engine and can get it for around $1700. Then about 800 to put it in. That's not too expensive for an expedtion is it?

 

Man, sucks you threw a rod in a 5.4. I would go the way of a long block with a warranty. Several things lead me in this dirrection. With a used engine you have no idea what you are getting. The oil may look good now but you just don't know the history. It might have run dry in it's life. I hate to say it but that is about the only way you can throw a rod in these motors. The 5.4 is a very rev happy motor with a shallow deck angle. Heck the mustang guys twist these things to 6,500 at 400+ horsepower on stock short blocks. Our engines lead an easy life. Next the dreaded oil leak issue. This shows up around 40-90k miles and there is no cheap fix for the head to block mating surface issues (search for more info). Lastly the blown spark plug issue, this shows up around 60-200k? Again no easy fix when you factor in labor costs if this is past your mechanic ability. I know these things are always money issues but the long block really makes sense in the long run. Also take into consideration when doing a short block that you will need a full gasket set, new timing chain and alot of extras that nickle and dime a few hundred more out of you. Oh one more last thing. I have heard alot of people say that have friend that will change an engine for them but with this vehicle make sure they know that the only way to do it is to remove the front end (extremely hard way) ot to remove the body (not hard honestly but you need a 24/7 access to a lift while the work is done. Good luck and let us know where this ends up.

Dave

 

Well she is most likely getting it done at the shop for $2500. I'm sure they'll compression test the engine and what not to see if its still good.

 

I just checked and there is a used '99 5.4L engine on EBay with only 5,400 miles on it for $1,699. I replaced a 5.4L in my '99 EXPY about 2 years ago with a brand new '01 5.4L I found on EBay. By the way, I didn't have to remove the front end to remove and/or replace it either. With the radiator out, I just needed an engine lift that I rented from my local rental shop. Once when I took the engine out and once to install the new one. I found that you do have to remove the intake manifold to remove and install the engine; however, because that is the only way to get to the upper transmission bolts. Good luck, I now have over 40k miles on my replacement engine.