Hey guys, I have a blown head gasket (or warped head) in my 2002 f150 XLT 2x4. I've got 180k on the clock and I've only found one mechanic out of 5 that will even do a head job on it -- most say the odds are too high that fixing the head/gasket will inevitably trash the bottom end anyway, so it's not worth it as I'd have to pull that and rebuild.

Considering that a head job will cost me ~$1,400 easily, I'd rather pay another ~1g or so and be (more) certain it will last for a while, so I'm looking for an engine ASAP.

I am not mechanically inclined, I do not have any tools necessary for this job (I don't even a garage), and I have no free time to mess with this, so there is 0% chance I will do this myself, which means I'm sure I'll be paying someone $800-1200 in labor, and hopefully won't need more parts, but I have some questions before I get going:

First, is there anything I should consider when looking for a used engine other than mileage and warranty? Would it make more sense to go with used or rebuilt?

I found this site, which seems to have engines for decent prices (roughly what I was looking at paying for doing the head job alone): http://www.autopartsfair.com/ford-us...d15a&seq_num=1 - Anyone have experience with this site?

Second, how many hours of labor should I be looking at for this job and what would be a reasonable price?

Finally, are there any other considerations that must be made when doing a swap? Any pitfalls that an unscrupulous mechanic might not warn me about? Any other parts to change or swap "while they're in there"? Any other parts that are needed for the swap that wouldn't come with just the engine purchase by itself? (e.g. gaskets, bolts, cables).

At this point, if I could get back up and running by middle of next week for $2,500 or less, I'd be pretty happy. My thoughts are that right now my car is basically worthless, but putting in a used or rebuilt engine will probably bring the resale value to a couple grand -- most of what it'll cost me to fix it. If my tranny goes in the next 1-2 years, I'd be comfortable putting another 2k into the car for a rebuilt tranny and squeezing a couple more years out of the truck. All of that is still cheaper than dropping 5k on a craigslist car that might have all these same issues the week after I buy it.

 

Personally, unless a used engine is the only option, I would go with a remanufactured engine and not used. You know nothing of the engine, other than what the speedometer says. I think I would check around first for the cost of a reman. Napa has them, Roadrunner, Jasper, and many more are available. If you had to pay 2000 for a reman, versus 1300 for a used, unless the 700 would break you, you'd go for the reman. JMO of course, but NAPA for example has a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty. What does the used place give you for a warranty? Just things to consider.

Another thing. What is a 2002, 2wd. 4.2 powered truck worth? Is it worth putting that amount of money into now, or would it be better to buy something else and fix the truck in your spare time? Just questions that you need to answer to yourself. Good luck with what ever you decide to do. Keep us posted.

 

That is true, but keep in mind that they offer a 1 year warranty. We really only *need* the truck to last about a year, but if we can squeeze a couple years out of it, that would be great.

What about this remanufactured engine? http://www.autopartsfair.com/ford-ca...2-catalog.html

As for value, the car is worth practically nothing with a blown engine. On craigslist when they are in decent running condition, they are going for 2-3 grand. Again, I have no tools or even garage (we have street parking), so working on this truck myself just isn't an option. I had first considering bailing on the truck and buying another vehicle for 4-5k on craigslist, but there's no guarantee with that vehicle that the same exact troubles don't pop up in 6 months. So I'm guessing it would be much cheaper (or at least less risky) to put a few grand into the truck.

 

I think you answered it yourself. 1300 for an engine with unknown miles and useage, vs a reman'd for 1750. No brainer. Even if your used engine came with a 1 year warranty, that would mean just another used engine. If the reman'd engine goes t/u, then they would cover that warranty and depending on their written side of the warranty, could cover labor. In other words, for 450 difference, go with the reman.