I'm looking at buying an 01 screw with a 4.6, 4x4. Doesn't have but 100k or so on the odo. It had spit out a plug and sometime after he had it "fixed" it started smoking horribly. One would assume rings are shot. I haven't messed with these motors at all, so what's the permanent fix for the heads other than the helicoil so it doesn't happen again? Would I be better off to rebuild or find a junkyard motor? Better to upgrade to 5.4?

 

Helicoils are not a good fix. Needs a Timesert. If the plugs are torqued to 28 ft lbs, they don't blow out. Don't know about the smoking, I would be concerned about that.

 

the heilicoil broke apart and damaged something.

 

In 1972, I bought a 59 Chevy Impala 4drhdtp for $100 mainly for something to work on. It smoked like a coal burning train. Seems the PO had run non-detergent oil in it for 50k miles or so and then switched to detergent oil. The valve cover leaked so I took one off and oil poured out. Crud built up so bad using non-detergent oil that when he started using detergent oil the crud started breaking up and it had plugged the oil drain holes in the head. With the oil level in the valve covers above the valve guides, oil was running down the valve stems and burning. I cleaned the crud off the heads and under the intake manifold (about a bucket of crud) and afterwards, it didn't smoke any more. Drove it for 6 months and sold it for $150. If the POs of that truck didn't bother to change the oil a similar thing could happen or it could have wiped out the engine. More likely jethat is correct.

 

This ^^^^^^^

Yes, you need a Timesert. The install kit was $450 last I checked. I have one. A member here called Galaxy will rent you one.

I bought an Expedition that spit a plug and ate the helicoil fix. It smoked a little because the valves had stretched, wouldn't fully close and had no compression, so lots of raw fuel being burned.

 

If it already has been helicoiled, you probably need a BigSert. Member projectSHO89 also rents the Timesert kit, but I don't know if either one of them have the BigSerts.

If it's smoking that bad, I wouldn't buy it unless you have another engine available.

 

I agree, if it's badly smoking, plan on a complete engine then you can be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't need one. If you don't have experience with the modulars, they can be a little intimidating.

 

There's no such thing as an individual "BigSert" for the modular engines, the "standard" 16.8 mm insert is already a "BigSert".

Most repairs require the 5553 kit with the 51459 insert, or, for severe cases, the "last chance, triple oversized" insert and tool set. If you must use the triple-oversized kit, you ALSO need the "regular" 5553 kit with the 51459 insert.

http://www.timesert.com/html/sparkplugford.html

http://www.timesert.com/html/bigsert...plug.html#5600 (scroll down)

 

Thanks for the responses. I figured it would be a motor change. Just a direct replacement gave me 5 options just for the 4.6 for that truck. Not to mention the junk yards around here are wanting 1000+ for them. 5.4s are a little cheaper. I haven't definitively decided to buy the truck yet, waiting for input on here. I do have a 99 with a 4.6 readily available but unsure on compatibility with the 01. Either way, no matter what motor, do the timesert for all 8 before dropping it in?

 

I would not. I would put in new plugs and torque them to 28 ft lbs. That should eliminate the blow out.

 

IF you have the option to do the timesert for all 8 cylinders it might save a headache in the future especially if you ever have a blow out on any of the rear 4 cylinders.

I rented the kit from Galaxy last year and it was a total breeze, after I got past the initial what am I doing to my head part, I kind of didnt lower the piston far enough and bottomed out with the reamer "it was my fault", lowered it more and the job got done faster. I made an attachment to go down in the cylinder to suck up any shavings and crud that might have fell in, not a big deal wasnt scared to fire it up after I let it cure.

If/when I have my engine out I will do all the other cylinders for the future.

 

I would only Timesert the blown out hole. As Bluejay said, torque the rest to 28 ft/lb and you won't have any problem. Use Motorcraft plugs and do not use antiseize.

The 2001 engine is PI, the 99 isn't. The most direct swap would be 01-03 out of a truck. There's a good writeup on a 5.4 swap in the Articles forum.

 

What does PI mean??

 

"Performance Improved"