Recently my 97 4.6 Triton has been having some issues. I had orange foam in the coolant overflow, it was thick foam. After driving it for a while this foam was spraying out of the overflow cap. So I took the truck to Valvoline insatnt oil change and had them do a radiator flush, he said he flushed like 8 gallons through it and it was still coming out orange(rusty). After I did that it was still having the same problem. Also I was having intermitten heat. So I figured maybe my water pump was wasted, so I took it in this Saturday and the mechanic said I had a ton of air in the system, and that he got it all out and everything was working properly thermosat, heat etc. But after driving home from the mechanic (less than 1 mile), the damn overflow is spewing coolant out. The truck recently started to misfire and throwing code p0304 misfire cylinder four., and the CEL starts flashing. Could I have a blocked coolant port from all the orange sludge or is it a head gasket? I have had the truck since new it has about 140,000 miles on it. I don't use it very often, but I absolutely love this truck and will never sell it. Sorry for the long post Please help.

 

my waterpump went out at about 160k, i wouldnt rule it out for giving you trouble and i'd honestly replace it for peace of mind.

pull plug 4 and tell us what it looks like. and smells like but dont go huffin

 

The best thing for you to do is take it to the mechanic and have him do a leak down test on it. It sounds like your headgasket is blown. Reason being is the pressure and the air you keep getting in the coolant system. But if you want to do it yourself take the spark plugs out and see if the smell like antifreeze or have that green tint to them. That is a sure fire sign of a blown headgasket.

 

Open the cap to the coolant reservoir and smell it. If you smell a gas or exhaust like smell it might be your head gasket. I had this happen to me not too long ago. I was not having the overflow problem you are having, but the coolant level in the tank would have tons of bubbles/air get into it as the truck warmed up. Also when i checked the oil, there was water in it. I was also getting a misfire on the cylinder that happened to be leaking at the gasket. This was verified during the gasket replacement.

 

I pulled the plug last night and it looked old and out of gap, it had some oil on it but no antifreeze smell. Could it be taht I have a leak in the cooling system, and the misfire is something unrelated. The pkugs were autolites and I heard on hear that they suck. Also the coil packs are original, so maybe this is part of the problem. One more thing, when I pulled the plug I put in a bosch platinum that was brand new, and I took it for a quick spin, once I sat idle for a couple minutes the CEL started flashing, took it home and parked it.
I don't want to throw parts and money at it untill I know for sure whats wrong. I think I'm just going to take it to a dealership and get an estimate. If it is head gaskets, would I be better off puting in a new Jasper engine, as It has a 75,000 mile warranty, plus it's NEW! Please help!! Anyone else replace head gaskets? how much?

 

A Jasper reman would probably be a little more than a head gasket job....only because the motor would cost you more in parts, less in labor for the install. The last head gasket job I did was real close in price, including having the heads sent out and checked. I think it's a little over 20 hours labor ( at whatever labor rate your area has we are around $65hr here) including diag for a F150 head gasket job acording to Mitchell. Most dealerships will only warranty a head job 12months/12,000, something to definitely keep in mind....

As for your issues, you could purchase a block checker kit from NAPA to check for combustion gasses in the coolant, or take it somewhere to have it done...that would either rule out or point the finger at the head gaskets.....

 

Not sure about Autolite plugs sucking. For Ford motors its best to stick with Motorcraft, Autolite (exact same plug as Motorcraft) or Denso Iridiums. Most Bosch plugs suck in the ford motors. I put in a new set of Bosch once and they made the truck run so rough I thought it was gonna shake apart. Just my 2 cents, put whatever plug you want in there as long as it aint Bosch.

 

I beg to differ - they are both made by Honeywell but only Motorcrafts are made to Ford specs. We have several members here who have had very poor results with Autolite plugs in both the V6 and the modular V8's. They definitely are not the exact same plugs.

OEM Motorcraft Platinum or Denso Iridium for me, please.

 

A plug that's been subjected to coolant would pretty much get a good steam cleaning. I've never heard of them being green in the case of a head or intake mani gasket leak...

I believe early 4.6L's had issue with both of the above springing leaks. Actually, all three factory offered engines were at least somewhat prone to such issues.

 

If the plugs had oil on them it sounds like the coolant isnt being lost there. What you need to do is fill the coolant up to capacity and make sure you remove all the air out, warm the truck up and then see if the hoses get tight, as in when you squeeze them they dont collapse. If they DO colapse then you have a leak somewhere in the coolant system. As far as the missfire you needto check out your coils, they are a huge prob on those trucks. When you replace your plugs make sure you get the motorcarft plugs, they are the only ones i would run in that truck.

 

i had bosch in my truck for 6,000 miles and all 8 were soild white when i pulled them out bc of a mis-fire that didnt cause a CEL. Then i put autolites in and within 2,000 miles one of the plugs blew out so i got fed up and got duralast coil packs motorcraft wires and motorcraft plat. plugs and my truck runs like brand new. get those plugs outta there and get some motorcrafts in there!!!

 

I think the OP needs to figure out the coolant issues before thinking about a plug change.

 

I am taking the truck to a mechanic on saturday to check for blown head gasket, and pressure test the cooling system. After furhter inspection of the #4 plug it looks like it has rust on the tip. That would mean moisture has gotten in there somehow, like a bad head gasket. Oh well, I'll find out saturday, I guess. If it is a head gasket I will probobly get a new engine. The local dealership said about 2000 to 2200 dollars total to do head gaskets.
A new Rhino engine is 2600, seems like a no brainer. Does anyone know how much it would cost in labor to do the change? I live in southeast Michigan, if that matters (FORD COUNTRY). The truck is an early 97 4x4 Lariat 4.6 stock.
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