I am making a new thread so my new problem can be better read. As you know from my previous post I am getting headers installed. I get a call this morning from the header shop saying that they have taken my right side manifold off no problems, but said there’s a huge piece of head that is chipped off where the bolt goes thru and said they would need to replace that head in order to actually fix the leak. Now here’s where the ordeal really comes into play. Last March of 2006, I brought my 1995 F350 to a Ford dealership to get a coolant leak taken care of; they said it was my lower intake needed to get replaced. So I wait 1 week for a phone call back saying that when they took the manifold off to get to the intake the EGR tube snapped of and that they would need to replace it. So I said okay just do it, well anyway after three weeks of them having my truck, I go to pick it up. When I started it up, I noticed a major exhaust leak that wasn’t there before, but thought maybe that noise was coming from the EGR tube seeing it was brand new. Anyway a few months went by and this leak is still very persistent, so I brought it back to them, and they said that it was my manifold, and that it needed to be re-planed so it is flush against the head. They want $500 to do the job. I said F that, and said if I am going to spend $500 to replace a manifold leak, I may as well install headers. So that’s exactly what I did, but now it all makes sense to me. These guys broke my head when they were taking my manifolds off, and have been trying to hide it for almost a year now. First they take 3 weeks to do the original coolant leak job, and then they say they want to plain a manifold down to fix the leak. So I went down the dealer today and hit the head on with the new problem. I said guys I have my truck down getting the headers installed and there saying that the head is chipped and that the bolts are brand new, and that there’s no way they hadn’t just recently been replaced. This makes sense now why the dealer had my truck for 3 weeks. They messed my head up and were probably running around like chickens with there heads chopped off trying to figure out what they were going to do. Now 11 months later, I am back in the dealers shop hitting right on. After 45 minutes of back and forth arguing, the guy said he wanted to see the truck and wanted to have a meeting with all the technicians that day and get there side of the story. So this should be interesting, I am meeting with them at 3:30. I am getting the truck towed there right now. I know and they know they messed up big time, and now there going to have to put a new head on...

 

That really sucks.

I would take pictures so you can reference them later if need be. I have no faith in dealers, they seem to get worse and worse every year.

The shop/ ford dealer we used to use was closed down. My family and I have been using them for over 20 years and could trust the techs, my grandfather knew the owner of the dealership. Since they closed though we are SOL.

Not much advice I can give other than get your ducks in a row. (Photos, past receipts and etc.)

Remember the dealership is a business, they carry insurance to cover there own screwups.

I hope everything works out well for you.

 

Thank you DFK, yeah we are getting everything together right now the best we can. I am finding the check we wrote them to the job. He said I paid $838, which is false, that was the quote for the coolant leak, not what else they charged me. I remember spending $1,200 on all of that, after it had gone up to $1,500, and they said they were going to reduce the price because they had it for 3 weeks. So now it all makes sense, they were trying to do everything they possibly could to avoid replacing the head, and avoid me figuring out what was wrong. On another note what is ironic, is just 3 days ago I called that exact dealership and asked them if they would be willing to install these headers, and this same guy went on a rampage about how heads can crack and how bolts are rusty which is funy because he knew they had just replaced those bolts and the reason why he was freaking out was because he knew i was relentless on my leak and that i dont give in. I figured these losers out.

 

How the hell do you lose a chunk of a cylinder head? Considering how long they had your truck, they should of had no problem replacing the head, even if they didn't tell you about. You might have wondered later why you had 1 clean head and 1 dirty head though. Good luck getting that fixed.

 

Its all very upsetting but i am just glad its getting addressed now or never

 

Do you have cast iron heads or cast aluminum heads on your 460?

The problem with cast iron or cast aluminum for that matter is it is very grainy thus brittle. I weld, repair and machine cast parts on a regular basis and they can be a real pain, especially if they are old dirty oily castings.

I know on the later Ford modular motors they have had problems with manifold studs breaking off.(My 04' 6.8l had a broken stud at only 27k when I got my headers on. Some of the broken studs break off flush with the head and have to be drilled out. If you go too deep when drilling the stud out you will punch a hole right into the coolant passage in the head or even the combustion chamber.

 

I am not sure which material head of I have. I have heard all the horror stories about Fords and there rust problems ect, but it still doesnt excuse them from not just being straight forward with me. They really hurt there chances of getting away with not having to replace this head because if they were just honest in the first place or had me sign some sort of disclaimer that the type of work they were bout to perform could damage the head ect then I should have been told this, but no they tried to hide there problem. For all know that driver side head is chipped too, because that is the side that has the leak...Not the passenger side, so now I really have to believe that side is proabably messed up as well, which also might explain why they might not want to tell me because they did it to both sides. I am going to have them remove the manifold while I am there to find out for sure.

 

No your right, there is no excuse for not being upfront with you, its just bad business. Mistakes happen, but you have be able to admit your mistakes and not try to hide them.

A while back I did a job for a customer and I messed up the bearing dust cover when I pressed it in. (Bore was within spec but seized fast) I got the new bearing next day aired to me and told the customer about it. I ate the $175 for the bearing but thats just part of doing business. You have to back up your work, its as simple as that.

 

And it makes you a better person at the end of the day. I bet you they have been wiggling in their chairs everytime i call them about that leak, and finally now it has come back around. I dont understand. Sadly this truck has been nothing but bad times for me, but its stuff like this that prevents smooth transactions.

 

SOMEBODY KILL ME! I just got back from the dealer and looked like an ***. They didnt even have the passenger side manifold off. So there scratched off the list. So then I call the place I bought the engine from 2 years ago and try to blame them. He was a real ********, and said he doesnt warranty the engines after 90 days and that he doesnt save records of engine installs. So now I am really screwed. I have to replace this head, or get it machined. The place that was putting the headers on said they would take the head off for 3-4 hours, send it out to there machine shop, because he thinks he can fix it, if not then I would have to buy a used head. then he said, while I was in there, I may as well replace the other headgasket on the other side, and then he said he would put the headers on that. Uhhhh, does anybody have $2000? Not me. If I have to replace a head if they cant fix it, should I replace both heads then? Should I buy performance heads? Or will that do nothing?

 

When it rains in pours. That sucks.

Where is the break in the head? Any pics?

I don't think there are a lot of aftermarket performance aluminum or cast iron heads made for your 95' 460. Looking around the heads I saw are for 460s from 68'-87' and are a little over a grand for a set with valves and springs.

 

I got no pictures unforunately. The chip is on the passenger side head. So If you were staring at the right side manifold from under the front tire, it would be the bolt that goes all the way into the left side of the manifold. where that thread is suppose to go, the whole lobe is cracked right off.

 

Wow man that really sucks hopefully everything turns out alright

 

Looks like your not the only one this has happened to.

Read this.
http://www.aws.org/cgi-bin/mwf/topic_show.pl?tid=11216


Good info from here on FTE
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/6...ortblocks.html

 

Thank you. Lol feels good someones on the same page as me. This whole situation sucks. I just replaced this engine 16 months ago because when I went to get a tune up when I first bought the truck, the spark plugs were breaking off in the head, and then when they tried to get them out he chipped the head because it was so thin and it started to leak coolant. I payed $2,000 for this engine I have now, 16 months ago, and since then have put $2,000 grand into between the coolant leak it had and the EGR tube, and the tune up. And now the head and gaskets, another $2,000. It will be nice when I get it back tho, having new gaskets and headers will be sick, but it will be to sapped to enjoy it.