adam_elnser

My 2012 F150 Ecoboost with 165,000 miles is experiencing low oil pressure issues that two shops have attributed to sludge build up. Previous efforts were made to change out the oil pressure sensor (sensor and connector) but that did not solve the problem. Both shops are recommending a new motor. However, material and labor put my cost around $10,000 for a truck that is worth less than that running. I have thought about parting out the truck however I have nowhere to keep it while doing so. Have thought about scrapping it but I dont want to let the whole truck go for $1000 which is what I was quoted. I am fairly handy and have thought about buying a used motor and doing the swap myself. What would y'all recommend for someone in my situation.

Barry_Vee

Having 200k on an 11 been wondering the same. Why not send heads, block, crank and rods to a machine shop and rebuild it yourself?
Or don’t we do that anymore?

2011 XLT Screw 4x4 3.5l 3:55LS

maco

Car-Part.com check prices maybe swap out an engine...It will be a battle to find something reasonable but worth @ least checking .... I deal with LKQ (3 months warranty) & I have bought many motors from them with good results (but on 5-0 not an Eco) mileage will deternine prices......$10,000.00 for a running truck is not that bad if you can get 2-5 more years.... Good :Luck !!

MPETE

iTrader: (1)

Drive it til it fails.You might be surprised how long it lasts. At this point what's it gonna hurt? Maybe try doing some sort of engine flushes, although with the turbos that may cause more problems than what it would help. In the meantime, buy a used engine, and have new timing components installed and get it re-gasketed in preparation for installing it. If you can afford it, buy new turbos as well.

David Hineline

So obviously you did 10,000 mile oil changes as Ford insists is adequate.

Laminar

That would be tough because you'd have to take the car-part price and add the cost of doing a complete timing job. It would be silly not to do timing on a used 3.5 when it's out of the truck, because odds are you'd end up doing it in a year or two anyway.

maco

I agree I did a motor search in the USA after I posted "WOWSER" I couldn't believe the prices they wanted for high mileage 3.5 motors (ridiculously high prices & nothing with lower mileages)

BlkNBlu

I got lucky.. I got a spare block and transmission for my 5.4 3v for 4500 Canadian.. with the exchange rates, maybe look up here in Canada for another block..

My 2010 only has 157k miles on it.

mikeru

I don't know, I think you're undervaluing your truck. In my area, your truck (with a good running engine) would be worth anywhere from $15k to $20k, depending on trim level. It could be worth paying for a new engine if the rest of the truck is in good condition. How much more would it cost to replace the truck, and likely have a monthly payment for years?

My situation is a little different than yours. I'm having an intermittent low oil pressure warning on my 2014 EB I bought last December. It's happened three times in two weeks. Once was when backing into my garage and the other two times happened when I was driving about 30 mph. Oil level is full and engine temps are normal when it happens. So far it's only happened well after the engine has warmed up. I suspect it's a bad oil pressure switch, which I'll be changing out as soon as it warms up a little. I'm kind of hoping it's an engine issue though because I purchased a 3 year extended power train warranty when I bought the truck. I wouldn't mind having a new engine in my 10 year old truck. The truck is otherwise in excellent shape.

dguzzi

Are those engines prone to sludging? I didn't think they were...maybe its as simple (?) as replacing or cleaning the oil pickup or the oil pump (or both).
Not sure how labor intensive that is...