i thought i post in this forum thinking you guys would know

my friend has a blown head gasket it leaks oil down the back of block left side on a 99/5.4/4X4
he has been driving like that for over a yr
he wants to fix it now
dealer said $2000. for the one
but a local shop said $1200. and the local will do both heads because they want to send them out to get shaved
so they said it will be better to do both lol
the heads haven't been off yet
so now one knows if the head is cracked
while i guess $1200 is good for both seeing he cant find anyone else that will do it
and he is scared to do it himself saying he is afraid that he might mess up the timing when he puts them back on

what do you guys think should he pay $1200?
or will it be easier then he thinks to do the job himself?
he can work on vehicles he is not stupid just not sure about these type of heads
but he may have never done heads at all lol

but also he wants to get more power
so he is about to buy a complete exhaust LT's and all
so should he take that $1200. and drop it on PI heads and intake? i mean if they have to come off to replace the gaskets then thats half the work
he wants more power for sure
he is racing all the time and no he isn't going to buy a lightning

even modified 99 spec heads i think that will be a waste
if any one has a link to PI heads intake prices please post

so what do you all think? other then my lack of punctuation lol!
he is going to get the truck fixed next wend.
thanks

 

Punctuation and an attempt at proper spelling would help us to not have a headache.

$1200 is not too bad of a price to have it done IMO. But at that price I'd expect for the heads to be rebuilt. Hopefully that price is not just to replace the head gaskets?

Rich

 

lol i had just downloaded a program called ispell before i saw your reply lol
i will edit that post
is there a program to correct punctuation?


that price is just to replace the head gaskets and send the heads out to have them shaved just encase
is that recommended for these heads after a gasket failure?
shaving them?

notice dealer said $2000 for one lol!
i asked my local shop about it and he said $1200 sounds real good
but he wont touch blown head gaskets either
this is why I'm asking you guys
if he is going to have to pay that much why not throw a few more bucks at them for better heads maybe intake also

and we want to know how much of a pain it would be to do it ourselves
thanks

 

The tricky part is in dealing with the cams and timing chains.

You can do it yourself.. just make sure you fully understand how to time the cams or else you'll bend the valves on the first roll over.

Rich

 

anybody suggestions?

 

HI!... Sounds like your buddy has the famous head gasket oil leak on the "99" 5.4. Back in early "99" FORD's let a huge amount of "99" 5.4 blocks go out with screwed up deck surfaces. They were not perfectly square and actually has some poris sections on them. My original 5.4 in my truck was a "99". You can change head gasket after head gasket, install surface ground heads or new heads it will keep leaking. I went through this for 4 years untill I finally yanked the engine and built of a "98' 5.4 block I had laying around. I had the "99' block checked for squarness and it was WAY off. In some spots it was as much as 0.20 off. I hace several buddies that work at the WINDSOR plant here in WINDSOR and you wouldn't believe the nightmare stories I hear that goes on in there.

 

The motor is generally pulled for this job, so decking the heads and replacing $200 worth of gaskets and decking two heads is a bargain. Since the truck is a 99, it already has PI heads. If he wants to upgrade performance with a set of Patriot heads and cams he could put the cost of decking the heads toward purchase of the Patriots.

If I had the motor out, I would be sure to check the block decks for flatness. Numerous blocks and heads have been replaced in the past and Ford developed a new head gasket design as well, all to address this problem. If the decks are not square, you are looking at a complete rebuild. Drop in a cheap set of Eagle or Scat rods if he has to rebuild.

At $1200, many small, less experienced shops will decide they under-bid the job and either jack you up for more money or not finish the job. Seen it done to friends, so make sure they have done the job before and thus know how to do it quickly.

 

wow! thanks guys!

i will tell him about this deck problem today
i don't know if the shop thats going to work on it knows this
and even if they say they do
you may be right they could be scamming him into a complete rebuild!
is there any links and more info on this 99 deck problem
i will search
thanks! allot

 

well,well lol!
know i understand the early 4.6's using oil lol!
ford said a Quart about every 900 miles
i've been wondering about that since 2000
what ford was covering up?
now in 2006 i know lol
im goin to put the link here even though you allready know its for others that search and my buddy is going to check this thread
thanks

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...9+deck+problem

HI!... I have buddies that work at the WINDSOR engine plant here in WINDSOR. As you know almost all 5.4's are built here, even the LIGHTNING 5.4's. The decks on these blocks are off square due to FORD's does not use TQ plates when they bore/hone. Also it is not done slow and steady. Due to production requirments the blocks are machined as fast as possible. A few of my buddies that work there have told me about all kinds of machining errors that get through. I've been through the plant and have seen how it's done. Then there was the famous "99" year 5.4's. A ton of them got out the plant with massive deck surface problems. I got one of them. In 6 years I have had the heads and head gaskets replaced on my "99" 5.4. FORD doesn't understand. IT'S NOT THE DAM GASKETS OR THE HEADS!!!!!!!!!!!!!IT'S THE FRICKIN DECK SURFACE!!!!!!! It's been proven over and over again. But of coarse it's cheaper for them to replace head gaskets than complete engines....................
Neal
Senior Member





UPDATE ON THE MACHINING

I just picked up Robs motor and discussed what info the engine builder found that I previously mentioned....

Basically what it was, was that the left deck of the block, was not flat. When he did the first light pass on the deck, it only touched on one small spot on the back, then on one of the oil return holes (interesting considering the external oil leakage problems) and then it hit the whole area around the two front cylinders. It required a 3 thousands mill to clean it up fully.

Now on the right deck, it was also out of whack. BUT, it was also not even with the left deck! The deck height on the right side was 4 thousands taller, so to make both decks even, it required a 7 thousands mill on the right side.

What my engine builder found interesting, was that the measured deck height on this block, was UNDER what the Ford spec was in the motorsport book.

As for that 4.6 block, I was mistaken, it was also a used block. However it had all the exact same issues. The deck heights were NOT even, and they were both undersized as per the Ford motorsport spec.

So that's the scoop on what he found.
Sal Mennella
Power Surge Performance
Custom EECV Tuning Specialists - ALL Ford Vehicles