I have noticed a shimmy in my 93 f-150 truck the last 2500 miles or so. But here within the last 500 I have noticed that the shimmy has grown into what I believe is a miss. The RPMs aren't steady and from time to time I hear a caugh out the tail pipe. I'm sure it's due for an overhaul after 181,000 miles on this poor old I-6. But will it break the bank? Any ideas?

__________________
Noble
1993 2x4 f-150
Reg Cab, Long Box
I-6 300 Auto
180K and climbing
__________________

 

Lots of places to look for a reman. ATK has an engine that comes complete with tin ready to install. I have found over the years it seems better to get a complete reman. in a crate with a warranty than it is to take your old engine apart, have all the machine work done and then put it back together agian. I get the crate engine, put it on an engine stand, pull the old engine and put it next to the new one. Swap out all of the parts( intake man. exhaust if it will fit, ) put on new wp and drop it in. I have done several this way and can usally finish in 1 day, 1 and 1/2 max. have purchased 302's for @ $800. shop around, prices really vary. Found a Chev 350 form a dealer in Texas once cheaper than a reman and the engine was new w/ warranty. Good luck and have fun

 

A miss doesn't neccisarily mean you need an overhaul. Are you seeing other symptoms of a worn out engine?
1 excessive oil consumption
2 substantial loss of power
3 excessive smoke from the exhaust
4 knocking
5 low oil pressure above idle
6 low compression
Properly maintained, its not unheard of for a 300cid to go over 200k.

Assuming you do need an overhaul, you're looking at $900-$1000 if you do it yourself, and $2000-$2500 if you have it done.

In my experience, using a short block, long block, or delivering your block to a machine shop and assembling it yourself all come out about the same cost by the time you pay for gaskets, fluids, parts, etc. As Pestco1 said, the big advantage to remanufactured engines is the time they save (no waiting on machine work) and the warranty. The advantage to doing it yourself is knowing what you have in it (especially if there are no reputable rebuilders in your area) and the fun of doing it yourself.

Rebuilders really know where to cut corners, so do your research before choosing one if you go that route. Most of them around here will last about 20K before they start burning oil.

 

Thats the funny thing about it. I still have plenty of power, not leaking oil, not burning oil, still have good oil presure. Coolent level is good.... so what do you think the problem is? Bad plugs and wires? dirty fuel injectors? any ideas?


__________________
Noble
1993 2x4 f-150
Reg Cab, Long Box
I-6 300 Auto
180K and climbing

 

A good tune-up is certainly a good place to start (plugs, wires, rotor, fuel filter, etc.)

A compression test would be the next step. If you don't have one, they are relatively inexpensive at most part stores, and the procedure can be found in almost any repair manual. (Chiltons, Haynes, etc) They should all be reasonably close to each other.

A power balance test is also a good way to narrow down any problem cylinders. With the engine running at idle, pull each plug wire one at a time and listen for a significant RPM drop. If any cylinders do not change the RPM at all or not as much as the others, then you have a problem with that cylinder. Don't leave the plug wire off too long or you can damage your ignition system.
I've never tried it, but I would imagine you could do the same thing with the injectors by unplugging each injector.

If a tune-up and both of these checks don't turn up anything, then look toward your engine control system. A bad sensor (such as the O2 sensor) can cause an engine to run bad. Too troubleshoot the engine control system, you'll need special tools, books, and skills, so it may be worthwhile to take it to a professional.