Remanufactured engine troubles
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Remanufactured engine troubles
The engine on my 1999 F150 seized on me a couple of weeks ago. The shop could not even crank the engine by hand. A remanufactured engine was placed in the vehicle. I drove away from the stealership, the check engine light comes on. Seems they forgot to hook something up, even though they said they road tested the vehicle. The check engine light came on two days ago, they claimed a bad 02 sensor. Replaced sensor. My problem now is when the vehicle sits for several hours, I turn the key halfway to fill the fuel pump. I then go to start the engine and I hear a horrific sound so I stop the engine starting process. I now start fresh and the vehicle fires right up. The horrific sound I cannot really describe, other than the engine struggling to start. I also have a great amount of blue exhaust smoke coming from the exhaust. The blue exhaust smoke has a sweet smell to it. Any ideas?
Hotshot
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 11,931
Likes: 180
check the radiator, you may have a antifreeze leak into the combustion area (cracked head or bad head gasket). when the motor set it leaks a cup of water into one piston area. when you come up on compression you gent the bad noise as liquids are not compresssible. once started, the antifreeze starts to burn off and smells like flowers.--- see if the antifreeze is low, then go back to the dealer and complain. antifreeze dont do the O2 sensor any good either.
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,332
Likes: 4
From: Baltimore
It shouldn't smoke and the exhaust shouldn't smell sweet. Either way there is a problem. Sounds like a bad motor. Turning the key half way shouldn't make a difference unless there is a leaking injector.
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Thanks for the replies, they help very much. The truck continues to be very hard to start, in fact last night it would not start at all. I came back out 10 minutes later and it started up. This morning I checked the antifreeze level, and it is really low, considerably low from what I remember when picking the vehicle up last week. The vehicle seems to run fine when it gets going, it just continues to spew out the white/blue sweet smelling exhaust.
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,332
Likes: 4
From: Baltimore
Sounds like it's eating coolant. Is the engine a Ford reman or aftermarket? Some dealers will install either, depending on how much the customer wants to spend. The Ford engines are more expensive, but I think the quality is better. JMO
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
I was told that the dealership gets the engine from its source which is Ford approved. The remanufactured engine has a reman ford symbol on the side of the engine that is in clear view. The truck is going back to the dealership tomorrow. I certainly hope that they give me a vehicle to drive, because I cannot be without a vehicle like I was last week. It is the least they can do, don't you think?
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 159
Likes: 0
Just a note on rebuilts: I put a rebuilt in an F150 a friend gave me last summer. I researched endlessly to find the best source for the rebuilt, which included talking with most of the dealerchips within 100 miles of my house. From what I could find out the rebuilts the dealers get are not rebuilt by Ford per se but are rebuilt by an authorized rebuilder. Unfortunately the rebuilders don't or can't advertise they are authorized (from what I could gather). Went with a rebuilder that had the best warranty.
Thread Starter
|
Freshman User
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
You are correct about about the reman being built by an authorized rebuilder. I cannot remember the place this specific dealership has the rebuilts come in from. I took the truck back to the dealership today. I walked around the service counter, the service manager saw me and said "Uh-oh". This was the third time I had been in the dealership since I started driving the remaned engine. I explained the symptoms to the service manager, he replied it might be a bad engine. I did look at my coolant level yesterday morning, it was very low in the coolant resevoir. They did give me a vehicle to use, no questions asked.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 166
Likes: 0
From: Hurricane Alley
Since it is your third time back, I would suggest that you insist in a new engine and insist that they do not fix the one they installed, period. Third time is a charm when it comes to automotive repairs!!!!!
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 159
Likes: 0
I agree with Johns, you want a "new" rebuilt not a repaired rebuilt. The motor could have been bad but from what you described it could've just as easily been a poor install. As you may or may not know when they put a rebuilt (or a "new") in it's just what is called a long block motor. This means it's a block with heads, pistons,valves, timing chain and the rest of the internal goodies. Everything else comes off your old motor ie the intake manifold, header pipes and all the other externals. From your description of the problem could have been an error with the install of the intake gasket. If they put in a short block there could have been a problem with the install of the head gaskets. No matter where the error occurred you probably got water in the oil and that is never a good thing for the internals. On the upside, the rebuilt you should be getting a warranty on the the new motor (at least 2yr/24k) and depending on the milage on the old one you should see a power improvement. I got a 3yr/36k, transferable on mine (installed myself) and it's run great for the meager 8k I've put on it so far. Good luck.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 303
Likes: 0
From: "Garden State"
Last time I was "hanging" around the Ford service department bays a Jasper truck pulls in and unloads several Ford engines. I asked the driver if this was a "one" off or does he bring engines to this Ford dealer often. He said he brings them on a regular basis. An independent shop in town also sells Jasper reman's with the same 3yr/36,000 mile warranty as the Ford dealer.
So maybe you should check the prices of the Ford dealer and an independent Jasper dealer and what's actually included in their warranty coverage. I'm in northern NJ.
Whimsey
So maybe you should check the prices of the Ford dealer and an independent Jasper dealer and what's actually included in their warranty coverage. I'm in northern NJ.
Whimsey