Ruggi2fast

I have a 1997 XLT RWD with a 4.6l Windsor that's got about 180k miles (not 100% sure cuz the odometer is broken.. of course) and magically both head gaskets blew at the exact same time on 1/1/18... She lasted 21 years anyways, the motor has never been opened since the factory and has been good to me so I'm rebuilding the hunk of junk and replacing just about everything. The block had a good amount of rust and grime in the cooling system and the thermostat was shot and the radiator also cracked... I've kept up with oil changes but the water pump wasn't in good shape. Odd because my truck has never had overheating issues like everyone else i know here in Florida where its hot as ***** everyday. My guess is the pump finally failed but i don't really know or care at this point. I sent in the heads and the block. The block wasn't too bad besides being dirty and a few of the sleeves were a little rough. I'm going to be replacing all the piston heads anyway so if the sleeves can't be honed I will probably just bore .020 over. Does anyone have experience with this, I don't know of many people personally who have bored this block besides the mustang guys. Is it worth boring? What is good set of pistons I can use that aren't to pricey? And if I bore what other mods should I pick up for the motor that will help it perform better? Should I get a bigger crank or stroke it? (the heads and the crank are in great shape so I don't plan on replacing the crank or building the heads because I am on a budget but if it is well worth it ill see what I can do.) I did pick up an over sized radiator and plan on getting a high flow performance water pump to make sure the motor stays cool. I'm not trying to turn this thing into a race truck or anything just trying to get back on the road and figured I might as well throw in some upgrades while I'm at it cuz I'm committed to keeping the truck at this point any advice helps let me know thanks.

Jbrew

Yea, what does these things in is bad oil changes or maintenance or the coolant changes. The most common is not changing the coolant and flushing the block. That's an early grave for sure. It SHOULD be done every 3 years max. But man, when you keep both oil and coolant clean in these engines, you can get over 300,000 miles. I'm at 346,000 and thought for sure this cold **** winter would do it in. Nope, still running great when I can use it or if the doors aren't frozen shut.

Looks like your set on rebuilding. Not common because of time an expense. A good used engine is the way to go with these...IF you know how to evaluate the health before or shortly after purchasing (within the warranty limits). You must really enjoy working on engines, good luck.

Ruggi2fast

Yes these motors run if you keep up with them, i will definitely pay closer attention to the cooling system in the future! Thanks man!

jprevat

iTrader: (1)

Look into some pi heads and intake from a 2000-2003 4.6 if you want a bit more power out of it. Look at ModMaxRacing.com for pistons and engine parts. If you dont use it to tow much then stick with the stock dish and the pi heads will bring up your CR. Get it tuned after this and you should be pleasantly surprised with additional get up and go.

Ruggi2fast

Thought about grabbing a newer intake as well. and Thanks for the reference I've never heard of modmaxracing, They've got some good stuff on their site more than likely gonna get pistons from them! I have Been wanting to tune my truck but never got around to it, now that i'm rebuilding i'm gonna look more into it. I've used Edge tuners and what not and seen what they can do but i assume you mean a Dyno tune or something, What type of tune do you recommend and what does it cost typically to throw it on a dyno? I'm not to familiar with this topic either, again any advice helps. Thanks Man!

mjille

Exactly what I was thinking. Good luck!

jprevat

iTrader: (1)

No problem man. As far as tuning goes on these tenth gens go with SCT tuners. You wont need a dyno tune for the higher compression ratio, but I would suggest going with MPT or 5-Star for your tuning needs.

You will need the newer heads if you are going with the newer intake or the ports wont line up. Its kind of a package deal.

Feel free to post up any other questions and I will try and help out.

Ruggi2fast

Ok sounds good I've never used a SCT but they seem legit gonna look into getting one when i'm done with the rebuild. And if you got any recommendations for a water pump holler! I would like to get a high performance or high flow to keep it cool but i haven't had much luck finding any besides OEM and cheaper aftermarkets, Even Summit has a pretty poor selection. If you know of any good high performance ones point me that way. Thanks again

jprevat

iTrader: (1)

No problem. I would go with an oem water pump and pick up a dual core oem radiator. That will keep you sitting nice and cool.