So I have a 2001 F150 4.6 with roughly 222K miles on it. Past few weeks I have been having overheating issues. One morning I was on my way to work and I noticed a big cloud of smoke behind me. Moments later my truck was overheating. I put roughly 1.5 gallons of water in it while at work and did not have any issues for about a week. That was the start. Now it is getting a ton of pressure built up inside the coolant system and blows coolant out of the reservoir cap, or just starts to overheat. If I crack the reservoir cap to let the air escape I can watch it bubble. Once all the pressure is released the water starts to circulate and the truck cools down instantly. I have replaced the thermostat and I am now considering which steps to take. I also smell antifreeze when I turn the heat on.

It does not always need extra water when it overheats but occasionally does. It is not leaking water into the oil I have checked that as well.

Tips, tricks, insight are all welcome.

 

Tip: Time for a new engine. Nothing that $6000 wont fix.

Or, can have head gaskets replaced for $2500.....on a 222K engine. A questionable thing to do.

Sounds like heater core may be bad too. So replace that too.

If you dont really like truck, and want to invest in it, drive it 4 more years..instead of a new truck.....then its scrap.

Its time to fix everything thats wrong with it.....or throw it away. Its going to cost way more than truck is worth to continue driving it.......you can only get repair $ out of it by driving it several more years.

Step 1.....drop transmission pan and assess tranny condition. If that's been neglected too, and the pan is full of metal just drive it to the scrap yard and ask him how much they'll give you for it

in short, the overall condition of the rest of the truck affect whether or not it's worth spending money on.. while you can recoup engine cost by driving it a couple years, it's a bit harder to recoup engine cost plus transmission plus AC , plus......

I replaced engine and bunch of other stuff 4.5 yrs ago, spent $8000. No problems for next 90k. just replaced my intake manifold, now I need to do brakes again too, and honestly I'd like to paint the truck... But I like my truck , only thing Id change about it is gas mileage. Just got back from a thousand Mile round trip this weekend driving it. Its approaching 290K.

 

Labor is the killer on head gasket jobs, and heater core jobs. If you can do the work yourself as I did, you can do both jobs for under $600, if not, you're looking at over $3,000.

 

Yup. Labors the killer.

And its actually easier to put in another engine than change head gaskets. Used engines are a choice, but hard to find under 150k nowdays. Lot of money for high mileage engines.

 

This does in fact sound like a bad head gasket. I trust that you have checked out toe obvious cooling system problems like Thermostat, water pump, cooling system flush and no blockage in the system. If you have the tools and a garage available, you might consider a used engine. You can usually pick one up for around $1200. If you find one from a pretty good truck that might have been in an accident and totaled, it could be a good choice. If I were doing this, before dropping in the new engine, I would change the intake manifold gasket, change the plugs while you have it pulled apart, If the plug wires look bad, replace them also. Also, check the flywheel and replace if it shows missing or damaged teeth. A new starter is cheap and easy to change with the engine out of the truck. Also, the injectors are relatively inexpensive and easy to change while you are changing the intake manifold gasket. Also put in a new water pump. The intake manifold gasket on the ford is almost guaranteed to be bad on an engine that's 20 years old and it is very hard to do when the engine is in the truck. If it\s leaking air, you engine will run but run like an old engine. It can also start leaking water either externally or internal into the engine and you will have to change it. A new gasket is only about $40 and well worth the money for a good running engine and avoiding future problems. Almost forgot, put in new motor mounts with the engine. They are cheap also and make sure your engine is solidly attached to the frame. You can do all of that for less than $2000 and you could end up with a great truck that you can drive for many more years.

I have seen a lot of nice looking trucks at the salvage yard that appear to be will taken care of by the owner but they were crashed and totaled. I would think that an engine from one of these would be a good choice.