Alright, as I mentioned before, I have a 1997 Ford F-150 XLT 4.6L 2WD that I inherited from my father when he passed away.

Mechanically, there are several things I'm noticing that I don't like.

1) Oil in the coolant, yet the block is clean.
2) Smell of gas in the oil
3) Lack of power
4) Squealing under the hood (I think that is the alternator pulley bearings, but I'm not sure yet)
5) Going uphill, the truck will slip out of gear and struggle unless I'm pushing 2000RPM or higher.

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Unfortunately, my dad was never really able to take real good care of this truck... I'm trying my best, but I'm a little lost as to where to begin. I've had it for two years now, and it's been a good truck for me, but I want it to get back to showroom condition.

The tranny is fully brand new -- the only remand part is the torque converter.

Given the problems, would it just be easier to drop in a new crate engine? If so, what is the best place to look for one to fit the 97 f-150? Or would it be cheaper just to rebuild the top of the engine (New headers/exhaust, heads, valve covers, intake manifold, fuel injection & throttle body, new radiator and coils and a new degas bottle and probably some other stuff I'm missing).

I don't pretend to know everything about cars or trucks, I'm still learning. Any advice about anything would be extremely helpful.

 

Quoted:
Mechanically, there are several things I'm noticing that I don't like.

1) Oil in the coolant, yet the block is clean.
2) Smell of gas in the oil
3) Lack of power
4) Squealing under the hood (I think that is the alternator pulley bearings, but I'm not sure yet)
5) Going uphill, the truck will slip out of gear and struggle unless I'm pushing 2000RPM or higher.


First things first. Do not jump to the conclusion you need a new motor till you know what is wrong with you old setup.
Diagnosing your problems are akin to trying to eating an elephant. The only way to do it successfully is one bite at a time.

Your items 2 and 3 may be related. Gasoline smell in the oil is not narmal and on the surface indicates a leaking fuel pressure regulator. Locate the regulator (circular item in the fuel rail lines, driver side of the engine), remove the vacuum line, and check for the presence of liquid gasoline. If there, replace the regulator.

Your items 1 and 5 may also be related. If you are sure oil is in the radiator fluid, check to make sure you also do not have water in the tranny fluid. A cracked/leaking tranny cooling chamber in the radiator end cap may be the source for both.

Your item 4 you seem to have a handle on, so continue to locate the source of the problem. Check all moving parts the belt rides on for smooth operation and that the belt is properly installed on all grooved pulleys. One groove off anywhere and it may make a heck of a racket.

Some more information such as the mileage on the engine would be helpful.

 

Sure. It's got 108,000 miles. The tranny was replaced at 106,000 with aftermarket upgrades for the 4R70W Tranny.

Mostly everything is factory original. Including the drivebelt. (It's a 97 Windsor engine, built in Jan 96.) I'm not entirely sure what else would be helpful, so please feel free to ask.

 

Also, you talked about the fuel pressure regulator... It's on the driver's side, near the back behind the p/s reservoir, right?

I checked the vacuum line (at least that's what I think it was... connects to the regulator on top and has a little red wire looking thing attached to it), and it looked dry. Any idea?

 

My Dad just gave up his '98, he just wasn't using it anymore, not really sure I want the gas guzzling 4X4, but am up for giving it a chance & will enjoy feeding it's lust for gas for awhile. However, it is so completely different than my '92 E-150 I'm so familiar with, I acquired an F-150 repair manual to study even before accepting my Dad's 'old' pickup. Amazingly he hasn't even put 7,500 miles on it!

I strongly recommend that you either buy or borrow a Chilton and/or Haynes manual at the very least. You would not be posting "at least that's what I think it was" & have a good map before you when trying to solve problems, ask questions & try to make heads or tails out of responses.

We need to guess: Do you have an automatic & can you tell tranny fluid from motor oil? Be specific, it will only help you get better answers. Tranny fluid in the antifreeze is no doubt a leaking radiator tank cooler. Motor oil in antifreeze may also mean water in the oil, the causes often 'cost' more to fix.

An automatic that will "slip out of gear" would cause me to instantly check fluid level & condition, especially when a "tranny is fully brand new". Yet, you make no mention of this most basic & critical check.

"Smell of gas in the oil" is most likely the fuel pressure regulator, but could also be from leak down through injectors. Positively ID & check the vacuum line on the regulator for any gas that might have been sucked through a leaky diaphram. Do a fuel pressure test to see if it holds 'rest' pressure. Sometimes sticky injectors respond to simple treatments like Chevron's Techron additives.

 

First, I do agree -- that is amazing.

Second, I already have the Haynes manual -- although from all the notes I've put in it and from the external notes I have, you can hardly tell what it is, heh.

Third, the Haynes manual is of no use diagnosing problems, it only tells you how to fix it. The diagnosis section of the Haynes manual is very, very limited.

Yes, it is an automatic, and yes, I can tell the difference. Smell, color and texture are 3 big factors.

And there is no water in the oil -- I've already had it tested.

No, it is not tranny fluid in the degas bottle, it is oil. As far as being the condition and level of the tranny fluid, I wouldn't be here if it was something that simple. The lack of a reference to it in the original post should have told you that a) I'd already checked it and b) it checked out fine, not that I'm an ignoramus. Besides, after the tranny got dropped in, I took it back to the guys that did it for a re-check (standard operating procedure), and I've had the new transmission independently examined and confirmed NOT to be the source of the problem.

(And at the moment, I'm doing this without the benefit of my Haynes manual -- buddy of mine borrowed it because a friend of his asked him to rebuild the rear suspension on his 99 Expedition. He's never worked on a full-size SUV before, so he borrowed my manual to read up on it. I should have it back tomorrow.)

It's not the fuel injectors being clogged -- I regularly treat the EFI system every 1500 miles. At 100k, I replaced them anyway.

And to be perfectly honest, I think #5 has nothing to do with the front of the car. I think -- although I haven't yet had time to check -- that my differential in the rear is about gone. Is it possible to rebuild one? Or is it easier / faster just to drop in a new rear axle?

Here's a separate question. If I drop in a new rear axle, can I put disc brakes in the back? I know the SUV models (Expedition and Navigator) that are similar to the F-150 have disc brakes in the back, but I don't know if there is a safety reason that trucks use drum brakes in the back. I know to do it, I'll need to upgrade my brake lines, master cylinder and fluid reservoir, but is it even possible to do? Or should I just leave the drums in back?

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And no, I didn't do the EFI system rebuild myself. Professionally done and independently evaluated. I don't trust myself with work like that... At least not yet.

Now, one other thing. I've noticed that you, Club Wagon, have a tendency to be abrasive and rude. First, there is no need for that here -- as someone else said before, we're all truck enthusiasts here, there is no need to be condescending. Second, I've already admitted I'm still learning, but that by no means indicates I am a complete novice. As such, please try and treat me -- and other posters here -- with respect. I'm trying to be respectful as I can because I know you are 100000000x more experienced with cars and trucks than I am, but that experience should not lead to a condescending attitude towards people who are still learning. You're 57 and you've been doing this since the 1960's -- I'm 19 and I've been interested in cars for a little over two years now, and it's only been in the last few months I've really started to gain any real knowledge. I'm asking for help, not to have my inexperience rammed down my throat like a 14" pecker.

Now, please, any advice you could give would be much appreciated.

 

Perhaps you have a cracked oil filter adapter on the block. It passes both oil and coolant thru it.

 

Yes, you can rebuild the axle for much cheaper than a new one (not counting labor charges). You might want to check it soon, because it may just need bearings. If you let it go too long, it can take a toll on the ring and pinion. You can get a Ring & Pinion and a master installation kit for around $250 depending on what kind of deals you can find (Ebay, site sponsors, etc...). However, rebuilding a differential is not for the backyard mechanic. If you have never done one (or several) before, leave it to the professionals! If the R&P is not shimmed right and/or you get a bad wear pattern while testing...you can toast the R&P in as little as 5 miles.

Yes, you can put disc brakes in the rear. They are preferred for their much better braking performance, ease of repair/pad replacement, and to save weight. The 2000 (I think) and up F150's got rear disc's standard.

If you need the extra braking power, or want to do the swap for any other reason, then find a '00?-'03 F150 at a junkyard or salvage yard and take the rear axle, master cylinder, and maybe brake lines. The axle should bolt right up to your origional leaf springs.

 

Another question -- does anyone know where I can find a complete parts diagram for the f-150? I've seen a couple, but they're pretty shotty and most of the pictures I've found suck.

Any ideas?

And thank you, ATC -- I'll be doing that.

 

loony,
Would you like me to reciprocate & post which tendencies of yours I've noticed just from this thread? I went out of my way to "respect" you by volunteering to read, consider & respond to your Q's. Forgive me for upsetting your delicate disposition & not having a crystal ball when giving you advice, you make it difficult not to appear condescending. For instance, I recommended Haynes/Chilton b/c after you'd been given the key fuel regulator diagnostic tips here & you still seemed unsure you'd correctly IDed the component. I knew there are photos.

Does a comment like that fly on FTE? You have a novel way of "trying to be respectful"! I'll suffer your scolding for my "tendency to be abrasive and rude". You can stick with relating to free advice, you openly asked for, as if it was "rammed down (your) throat ! Experience like that's bound to earn you somebody's respect.

This ain't the place that says you can; Have It Your Way. When you ask on a forum you get what is volunteered, just the way its served up, like it or not. Should I email you where to get "complete parts diagram" so others don't "notice" the disparity in experience? Or post the common reasons these motors leak oil into the water jacket, now that enough teeth have been pulled to eliminate tranny fluid? I can more easily just ignore your Q's so you won't need to worry about choking. That respectful enough for you?

 

And what would those be? That I actually think people who have enough guts to ask a question when they need/want help ought to be respected for having the ***** to do so? I didn't think that was a bad thing.

Heh, define "going out of your way." You come to a forum, you expect to read other people's post's and respond to them. Mine is no different from anybody else's -- you're hardly going out of your way to do something when you are doing exactly what you came to this website to do.

Hardly. I'm sitting here laughing my **** off. This whole situation with you just serves to entertain me.

I believe I made it clear that I wasn't sure exactly what information you guys wanted / needed, and that you were more than free to ask what questions you needed to know, and I would be more than happy to provide the answer.

So do many of the other posters on this forum, apparently. Oops. Either way, all you have to do is ask a simple question by forming it like this: Ask yourself what information do I need to answer this guy's question? I need x y and z information. So, all you have to do is say "I need x, y and z information before I can properly answer your question." Not hard.

Which I already told you I already own the Haynes manual, and it is heavily marked with notes and ideas and explanations of key phrases, etc... I actually just got it back about an hour ago.

Which I appreciate.

You knew there are? And actually, yes, there are, but no, there aren't. They are in there, but none of the pictures are of good enough quality (or without obstruction) so I could be sure that I had ID'd the right component.


Considering it's the truth, then yes.

As do you, it seems.

Good, at least we agree on something.

Syntactically, this statement doesn't make any sense. Maybe if you spoke english, I would be able to understand you.

Maybe if your statement above were actually written following proper rules of English, this statement would make sense to me. But it doesn't, and I'm pretty sure it doesn't make sense to anybody else.

Can I have a double whopper with cheese and a large fry please? Oh? This isn't BK? Well, crap.

Agreed. But there is this little thing called a code of conduct which, I hate to break it to you, does not co-incide with your attitude in the short time I've been on this forum.

If you would like. Either way, it doesn't really matter to me.

Umm.... in case you missed it:

I think people already, um, did.

Please do.

Come on, you can say it. You got schooled, and you don't want to admit it.

If you want to. You fail to realize that you are just another name on another truck forum -- the knowledge that you undoubtedly have over me is not available solely from you. I can ask any number of other people on this forum -- let alone the thousands of other forums that are out there -- and get the same information. You, yourself, are not special.

No, it just seemed totally immature. Have a good day.

 

im subscribing to this post just to see what club wagon says next!!

 

lol.

Is that good?

 

I am sure other people have noticed that too. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

Now...back to the question...

-Matt

 

bla1879 -

I don't care who you are - that thar is funny!!!!