Soon2BXFordman

Hi, as you can tell by my new username I'm not real happy with my beautiful black and gold 2004 supercrew lariat right now. I might remain a Ford loyalist once I calm down, I don't know. Right now I'm not happy with this truck that had an original sticker price of $42,000, or with Ford.

I started this lovely day by pulling my 6x10 open trailer this morning across town. I was minding my own business when a tire and hub came flying off my trailer and passed me. I had to drag the trailer...sparks flying...about a half mile to where I could pul over. I spent the morning installing a new hub and rim, then brought the trailer back to my home and dropped it off.

I left a while later driving my SuperCrew down the road when I lost power real bad and sputtered into a Sparks auto center that was fortuitously right up the road in front of me. They took a look at it this afternoon, hooked it up to diagnostics and told me something is seriously wrong and I have compression problems big time. And of course, I'm slightly out of Ford's miserly warranty period.

The owner of the shop suggested I might consider going the route of a used or reconditioned engine instead of bringing it somewhere that would have my checkbook wide open while they tried to figure out how to fix it, and then maybe not doing such a great job once they figured out what was wrong. This owner said I'd be smarter to get an engine that would come with a warranty and be done with it.

What do you all think? Should I take this advice? ...or should I bring it to a shop to have this engine fixed and possibly save some money?

whitecrystal1

Spitting and sputtering could be from a bad fuel injector. They are a known problem on our trucks. What do they think has happened inside the engine? I would pay a few extra dollars to try to see what happened before I would want to go with the big expense of a new engine.

jkhobson

unfortunately fuel injectors won't cause a compression loss. I had to replace an entire head assembly at the tune of $3000. fortunately the dealer worked something out with ford CS and I only had to pay half. mine is an 04 also out of warranty. I would suggest talking to your local dealer and calling ford motor co. CS and see if you can get some help. otherwise I can point you in the direction of a used 05 or 06 engine for about $2700 shipped. I was considering that until they agreed to help me. good luck.

whitecrystal1

I understand that. If one or more injector stuck opened it could have hydro locked the engine and messed it up. When they stick open the engine runs like ****. Seems to be a common problem with the 04 and early 05 models. I would think the garage that he was at could have had a better clue as to what happened in the first place. Going to the dealer isn't a bad idea as they know what's problematic on their trucks. I had the A/C go out 1K miles out of warranty on my 02 and the dealer fixed it under warranty for $125 deductible. I had no warranty but they fixed it as if I did have one. I was a very happy camper that day. They replaced the compressor, clutch and recharged it for me. Saved me a few hundred dollars.

Soon2BXFordman

I called today to get a better idea what might be wrong and asked to speak directly to the mechanic. He said after 30 years of working on cars, he knows what an engine sounds like when there is a compression problem, so for me to please believe him when he tells me I have a serious problem with a loss of compression. They only do tuneups there, so that is as far as I can go with them as far as diagnostics.

I did find a place here south of Chicago (large and pretty respected used parts lot) that has a used 5.4 3V engine from a 2004 F-150 with 81,000 miles. They will install it completely done for $2300 and that is with a one year parts and labor warranty.
I am wondering if it is really worth the $ having another shop tear my engine apart to see what is wrong with my engine, or to just go ahead with something like this where I have a definite set cost beforehand and no surprises.

Also, do you guys think a newer engine from a 2005 or 2006 would give me significantly more value considering the extra $ it would cost me?
My truck is not that far off from this engine on mileage.

whitecrystal1

I would at the very least get a second opinion before I spend 2,300 on a replacement engine. As far as giving your truck more value for replacing it with a 05 or a 06 engine. I would have to say if anything it will lower the value.

1st, it's a used engine not a brand new one.
2nd, If I was buying a used car and I knew it had the engine replaced (new or used) I would wounder how well it was really taken care of, your fault or not. It's not that usual that a car with those miles needs the engine replaced.

You could have low compression from a bad valve. Did he give you the compression readings of all the cylinders? There are so many things and there might be a cheaper option then to replace the engine. I would get a second opinion if it was my money. Good luck with it.

Fordaholic

I just had my engine replaced on my 04 f150, for a different reason. You should take it to a ford house and call or email ford cs personally. Ford cs was very helpful. Be sure to tell them how dissatisfied with their product you are and that you are not planning to buy another ford. This perks their interest.

Soon2BXFordman

Well, I changed my mind on installing the previously mentioned used motor.

I found a Ford dealer that will install a surplus motor from Ford for $3105.
I figured having a trained dealership mechanic installing a surplus motor is a better decision than having a mechanic at a junkyard install a used one with 81,000 miles for $2300.
I bought it yesterday (friday), it will be delivered to the dealership on Monday, and will be ready for pickup on tuesday the 6th of March.

whitecrystal1

Sounds good. Did they say what happened that caused the low compression?

Ty

I bet you could also sell the old motor for parts, or find out what is wrong with it, fix it, and them built it up....Yep, that is what you should do, forget selling it.