Do I need new engine?
filed in 1990 Ford F150
Question: I have a 1990 Ford F150 XLT Lariat with the 6-cylinder engine. It has 98,500 miles and looks great but the engine is causing problems. I just bought it from my father-in-law and the Ford place he took it to told him it needs a new engine. It was missing badly and when you took off the oil filler cap there was a white/cream colored goo all around it. I took it to a repair place and they gave it an electrical tune-up, flushed the coolent system, did a coolent pressure test, flushed the oil system, and did a cylinder leak-down test. They also did a test to determine if water/ coolent was getting in oil or vise-versa. All tests came back with no problems!
I noticed two days after the oil system flushing that I was getting the same white/cream colored goo in my oil filler cap! Sporadically, the engine oil pressure gauge drops to low and then comes back to mid-range! The oil pressure drop really concerns me! Do I need a new:
oil pressure gauge oil pump engine
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
Answer: One of the causes of sludge (the technical term for the stuff you describe) is a blown head gasket. One of the causes of low oil pressure is worn bearings. As long as you like the truck, I think the relatively low cost of that engine would warrant spending a couple extra dollars. That way you start with a clean slate. In any case, I would think that it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to be able to get away with minor repairs on this one. I have a similar problem with my ‘85 Buick Skyhawk (1.8L OHC). It’s got major internal coolant leakage (when the mechanic cranked the engine with the spark plug removed from the cylinder in question, water came flying out in significant quantities). The coolant-in-oil condition has been present for perhaps 6 weeks, but it’s only been driven for 1-2 hours in that time.
Would this indicate it’s also too late to save my engine? The mechanic who looked at it suggested replacement, rather than trying to replace the head gasket and whatever else might have failed, and is looking into candidate engines now. I’m unsure as to which way to go, since it’s major surgery in either case and hard to do a cost/benefit workup given my limited knowledge.
I’d appreciate any (further) advice people might have; the responses last time were very helpful.
Providing the cylinder leakdown test was accurate and there was no leakage past the head gasket(s), the first thing you need to check is to see if the cooling system is getting to proper operating temperature. If not, this could cause condensation buildup. Also, Ford products are not unknown to have PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) problems which could affect sludge build-up. If the oil cap was clean when the other services were performed and then the “white goo” returned within two days, I would suspect an intake manifold leak into the crankcase. If the oil itself does not have coolant in it yet, (which would show up as droplets on the dipstick or also white sludgy stuff), then it may not be too late to save the engine. If there has been any appreciable amount of water/coolant in the oil for any length of time, then it can definitely harm the bearings. This may be why the dealer condemned the engine. I suggest you have your local shop do a pressure test of the cooling system and see if there is any loss in pressure. If there is a drop but no sign of external leakage, it probably is the intake manifold gasket.
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