I have a 1993 5.8 bronco. It has been smoking out of the crankcase ventilation hose for a while now. It used to fill up my air filter box with oil until i redirected the hose else where. I figured i would run it till it dies, so i have driven it around 4,000 miles since then and now it is smoking really badly to the point where smoke is just everywhere. I have searched the forum and found what engines people are recomending, but i was wondering if i should have it checked just to make sure it still could be fixed by replacing the head gasket or the piston oil seal rings. Also if it does need replacing, with my budget of about 2,000 to 2,500 (i have headers), i was wondering if there was a cheaper engine out there that performs and holds up well. Also i was wondering if it is worth replacing the engine myself or having a shop do it. (I have above average mechanic experience and tools)

 

If you are willing to do it yourself, go for it. I will tell you that the excess oil in the airbox and the smoke you are getting is a result of dying valve seals and rings. Loss of oil control is what causes these symptoms. And don't attempt to fix problems with the top of the engine without doing an overhaul on the bottom end too. All you will get is regained compression and oil control up top and it will weaken the problem areas down below even faster. (I've tried it... valve job and replaced head gaskets and within a month the rings were blown out because they couldn't handle the compression that had been regained in the heads). Ended up having to do the same work twice. High mileage 5.0's and 5.8's are prone to these symptoms and the re-routing of the crankcase vent hose may have saved you a few dollars in replacement air filters and breather filters but the problem remains the same. With the budget you are talking about, it should be a fairly simple task. Last time I replaced a motor I got a Ford remann'ed long block and ran with it myself. My brother and a buddy and I had the project finished in about a week but we were only working AFTER we had all finished our day jobs. Could be accomplished in a weekend if you get everything together ahead of time.

If you are looking for prices, check with a Ford Heavy Truck/ Sterling Truck dealer. I have found that the prices are better on truck parts through these dealers than the "car" dealers.

 

I think i would be able to switch out the engines, my only concern is if there is any reseting of the computer or if i need to do anything electrical with the computer.

 

As long as you disconnect the battery before you get started and remove it so nothing inadvertently gets shorted you shouldn't need to do anything special to the computer or electrical system. While you have the engine out, seriously consider replacing sensors and things that have been chugging along with the old engine for all this time. If the engine is going, chances are the sensors are not far behind and nothing is more frustrating than to get everything bolted back together and have some silly little sensor keep you from getting her back on the road. You are dealing with a 5.8 so there is no knock sensor (they are a PITA to get to on the 5.0 when its in the truck). But it helps to have clean new sensors in a clean new engine. Once you have everything back together, make sure ALL of the electrical connections that were disconnected for the engine swap are reconnected BEFORE you reconnect the battery. Again, its a precautionary step to make sure nothing gets shorted or grounded out. The nice thing about the wiring harness for the engine is that its ONE harness that snakes around the valley between the heads and the intake manifold then the end drops down to catch oll of the things out on the front of the engine so if you work from the front to the back as you remove electrical connections the entire harness will come free of the engine and be able to be laid back out of the way. Make sure to LABEL ALL of the connectors. You may have a photographic memory but there will ALWAYS be one or two that will just completely stump you when its time to put it all back together. Once you have it all back together and fired up, let her run for a while till she's at operating temp. From there you can double check base timing before you drive away. Once thats been checked and its set right, go out and drive it for about a half hour so the computer can "relearn" the operating parameters of all the new sensors and the new engine.

 

thanks so much for all the info man, would you recomend any kind of book to read or to have by my side while doing the project?

 

Has any one considered this route with the 5.8l? I was planning to replace my 4.6 in GT with one from them, but I ddn't actually blow the engine, just a bunch of intercooler hoses !
http://www.rhinoengines.com/ford58engines.htm

 

A Haynes manual, "How to Tune & Modify Ford Fuel Injection" By Ben Watson (Motorbooks Powertech Series), www.fordfuelinjection.com, oh and https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/f...splay.php?f=44 (Big Bronco Forum link)

If course these are just suggestions but certainly the Haynes manual and FTE. Not sure of any more valuable resouces for dealing with a Ford truck.