Alright, I am new to the forums! My name is Joel, I live outside of Kansas City, Mo, and have a '98 F-150 4x4 ORP. I use the truck for my construction business, and it has been a dream... until now. I have a problem I would like some opinions on.

So I am coming home from work on 435 and as I get on the on ramp, I notice I am behind a nasty *** smoking car. As I punch the gas, I roll over to the far left lane when I hear a small thud from under my hood. Now the smoking car has managed to get in front of me, so I think the coolant smell I have in the cab is from the car in front... I disregard the thud and think hey, I'll check things out when I get home. I am checking my temp gauge, everything is fine. Make it almost home, and then as I look down, my temp gauge was evidently sticking... then PEGS. So I pull over immediately and pop the hood. Coolant is ALL over the engine. I have it towed home.

At home I find there is a huge hole in one of my heater hoses. I fix the hose, fill it up with coolant, change the thermostat, and think the problem is fixed. Wrong... after I start it up again, there is coolant leaking from the back of the block (or that area), and belching out my exhaust pipe. I shut her down, and she has sat like that for a coupe months now.

Now, I am pretty sure I anhilated my headgaskets. This would cause the coolant leak from behind the engine, as well as in the exhaust. As for the massive blow in the coolant hose... I am at a loss for how that happened. The truck has a little less than 150k on it if I remember correctly. Does this sound like the right diagnosis?

Now if this is the case, what is my best plan of action? Should I replace the entire engine, since it was driven very hot, and is high mileage? OR, would it be a decent idea to just have the head gasket job done, and keep the bottom end stock.

If I replace the engine, I would like to go with a newer, low mileage PI unit. I'm sure this swap has been talked about it detail somewhere, but don't have much time to search. Does anyone have experience with the price of this swap? Also, any experience with the price of the headgasket job?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'd like to get the ball rolling to get this fixed asap, so I can drive it in the snow this winter.

-Joel
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Welcome to the forum Joel!

It will be cheaper to replace the head gasket of course. You could fix it and drive it for a while and then get a newer vehicle.

It probably blew the heater hose when the coolant level went down and steam pressure built up in the hose.

 

Alright, how much do you think it would cost to have the head gaskets replaced by a shop?

I do plan on selling it eventually, and getting a newer truck, this one was just to beat on and get my business off the ground. I don't drive it often, as I have taken a hiatus from building till the market picks up, it's just nice to have it around. When I go back to building, I plan on an 04 f150. As for right now I am driving my '95 Thunderbird daily to work, and saving for a new car.

Where abouts in Kansas are you? Thanks for the welcome!

-Joel

 

Shop rates are all over the board. It just depends on the shop you use.

I'm north of Manhattan and there are a lot of members in the Kansas chapter. Checkout the link in my sig below. The Missouri chapter is also a good one and one or both can provide you with a local shop that can do the job for a reasonable price.

 

It would probably cost about the same to put a good used long block in it from a reputable salvage yard. The heads are not easy to get off in the truck and the labor probably wouldn't be much more just to swap the engine.

 

The truck is a Tax Deductable tool.
Your repairs are Deductable too.
You cannot afford to take time from your business to work on your truck.
Tow it to a shop, get an estimate, consult your Tax prep person about which quarter to have the work done, and have it done.

 

Thudpucker, very good advice, if I was building it would be fixed right now. I posted before about how I have taken a hiatus from building, until the market improves. Right now I am working for an engineering firm in KC.

So how much are we talking for the repairs? Someone throw out some numbers here...

-Joel

 

You said that there is coolant running out of the back of the block. To me, that sounds like you may want o check your water pump hose underneath the intake manifold. I'd pull your intake manifold and double check that your water pump hose isn't the source problem. You're gonna have to to pull the intake off anyway to get at the heads, so wouldn't hurt anything.

 

Well, that wouldnt explain why it is coming out the exhaust??? I wil check that though, I think I'll pull the top end off this weekend.

-Joel

 

If this is the same set up as the 4.6 used in Lincoln Townies in the 90's, that hose will break down from the constant hi heat cycling and pressurization. Its tight in there to get to the hose, but maybe yer haed gaskets aren't done for.

 

If that hose was broken though, that would explain the block leak, but not the coolant in the exhaust.

The problem has to be something that will allow coolant into the exhaust as well.

-Joel

 

True true. Guess I shoulda read the whole thread. If you can fill the parking lot with white smoke and never even squeal the tires, guess its the head gaskets!!

 

Joel, if your gonna keep messing with this thing, and the Coolant in the Exhaust is still a question, do this.....
I have a compression tester that screws into the spark plug hole, and an adptor that will accept an Air Hose so I can pressurize the Cylinder through the spark plug hole.

Do a compression test first. See if you have one or more very weak cylinders. Keep in mind this ugly thought. If you got water in those cylinders, you may have a bent rod.
That cylinder will show a poor compression test.

Put the air to the adaptor and see which cylinder is leaking back into the water jacket.
When you put the air to the cylinder, the piston will try to go down.
Block that crank so you can keep the piston up at the top with both valves closed.

Your are talking money?
A mechanic will charge as much as $80/hr. If he's just R n' R,ing you can count on Three hours.
If he's doing his own looking and trouble shooting you may have as much as Four hours into the job, without parts or re-assembly included.
If you do have a bent rod or cracked head you may have other damages down in the Crank/Rod bearings as well.

In short, nobody can tell you how much! Not even a guess of any value.