2000 F150 5.4 4x4 with 195K miles. Burns and leaks oil and, due to a recent spark plug change, misfires. When I bought the truck it threw a plug on the way home. Put the same plug back in and it lasted for years until I changed them over christmas. My dad helped and he can be more stubborn than I am, so he would have nothing to do with a timesert and instead went to advanced auto to get something like it. It forces itself in and houses a smaller plug. Now, when driving, i get a "psh" kind of sound when under strain in low rpm (such as going up a long hill before it downshifts). Would like to fix it and replace the head (the leak is between the head on that side anyway) but, an engine with that mileage will need more work done, just a matter of when. So either I fix the head and deal with whatever comes, or I do an engine swap. But, low mileage junkyard swap, new crate, or, dare i even think it, lightning swap haha (actually possible though, have a way to get help on that engine). Rebuild on current engine isnt a possibility, but a swap can work, i need the truck running for as much as possible. Many options and I don't even know where to begin. I guess my question is, what is the smartest and simplest option? And then, what would you actually do, because they aren't always the same answer.

Thanks for reading and any help along the way.

 

Smartest and simplest is do the insert correctly with a Timesert.

 

With head on engine, I'm assuming?

 

Yep. There are You Tube videos on how to do it.

 

Well see, that's not a problem, it's the fact that the same head is leaking oil. And I don't imagine pulling a head is the most enjoyable thing haha

 

Pulling the head is something that a lot of guys do all the time. If you pull the head and fix the head gasket problem and do a timesert while you are at it, the oil consumption may not be so bad.

 

I guess I'll have to look more into the whole thing then. I'm just about to the point where I say screw it and swap out with something sort of built. Not effective, but pretty dang sweet, all the same