Hi, I'm deciding to revive my 2000 F150 4x4.

It runs and I still drive it every few months, but the 4.6L engine is on its last legs. 180k on the odometer, and as far as I know it's spent its entire life pushing 33" tires through 3.31 gears, so it is very tired and starting to complain about it.

I've gone to about half a dozen shops here (in southern CA) and called even more. I can't find any reputable shop that will rebuild this engine--they all want to sell me a Jasper engine. The lowest bid was about $5k. And they won't let me upgrade to the 2001 engine with the PI heads

Before I make any decisions, does anyone have any other suggestions I should consider? I don't think I want to roll the dice on a junkyard motor (or at least, not one with >100k miles which is all I can find), and I don't think I have the time, equipment, or skills to rebuild it myself. Is a Jasper engine my best option?

 

How much longer are you going to keep the ole girl? If it is only a occasional drive here and there. I probably would take my time and find a good solid PI engine in a salvage yard that might have been replaced or rebuilt prior to its demise. Even if has 100-140k on it out of a wreck....odds are good that it will last for some time before it'll need attention again.

Now if your going to get all the body work done and get back to "new" status with long term ownership plans ... then I probably go with a crate engine.

Also, the transmission is probably just as tired as the engine if it been rolling oversized tires and low gear ratio

 

With labor costs these days and questionable expertise, a remanufactured engine is a better option than rebuilding your existing engine. Whether you want to spend that much money on your truck is another question.

 

Yes, I'd go re-manufactured with an included warranty.

 

Thanks guys. I'm surprised to learn that rebuilding is less of an option these days.

This is a tough call for an 18-year old truck. And yes, the transmission is probably on its last legs too, so I'd opt to rebuild or swap that with the engine as well. I think I'd like another 50k miles or 10 years out of her.

But with the way 4x4 trucks hold their value, at least here where cars don't rust, dumping $8k into an 18-year old truck seems to be cheaper than getting a newer used truck with <100k miles.

I'm going to keep an eye out for used trucks and junkyard engines for a while before I pull the trigger.

 

What are the symptoms that make you think your engine needs replacing? Burning oil? Knocking?

 

All of the above. It burns oil, low compression on two cylinders, valve and/or chain noise all the time, a slight water leak at the intake gasket, and drips a bit of oil (or ATF?) from near the bell housing after each drive. Starting to ping even on premium, and to miss a few times at each shift. But still just passed CA smog!

 

Yeah, you convinced me that you need another engine. I was talking to a handyman carpenter in my neighborhood. He was driving a 97-03 vintage F150. Trying to keep his costs down he had replaced the engine with used engines 3 times. Used engines for these vehicles are getting very old with most having high mileage. A reman seems to be the right choice if you plan to keep the truck. I'm not sure what I'd do if the engine in my 02 crapped out. I don't want to spend the big money for a new truck. Maybe I won't have to make that decision for a while......

 

The way I look at it, replacing an engine and transmission is cheaper than buying a new truck.

 

Yep, I got tempted recently and came close to buying a 2017 Scab 4x4 5.0 XLT that stickered for $46k plus for an out the door price of $36,500. But, just couldn't quite make myself turn loose that much money.

 

OK, I think I'm getting closer to a solution. I'm going to try to get a 2001 reman engine installed (which will at least give me the PI heads).

So, I need to find a 2001-2003 intake manifold. I can find the upper manifold on eBay. Does anyone know if I can use the lower plenum thing from my 2000 engine with the 2001 upper intake manifold?