Hi:

- 1989 F250
- C6 AT
- 5.8L 351 Windsor motor
- 282,000 miles.

This is a simple, non-beautiful work truck; no a/c, simple interior, you get the picture. I bought it last winter for $1,000. I plan to keep it for a while, but don't want to dump money into it. I won't be putting high miles on it either ... maybe 6-10k per year.

The motor is showing some signs of blow-by (some oil in the air box), and the compression test was around 100-110 in all cylinders.

I'm thinking of doing a simple rebuild ... new mains, rod bearings, cam bearings, rings, oil pump, and re-lap the valves. And of course new gaskets and seals. I'd prefer to not get into any machine-shop work.

What do you think? I already know this won't be as good as a thorough rebuild with all the sweet machining, but I'm hoping it should allow the motor to go at least another 100k or so.

My Questions:

1. - Do you think replacing those parts without doing machine work might actually do *damage* to the motor?

2. - If you were going to do this kind of rebuild, would you use standard-sized bearings, or 10 over sized to fill in the wear from 282,000 miles?

3. - What else would you recommend for a guy in my situation?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

I would look into getting a new or re-manned short block (with heads too). I'll bet it won't cost much more than a re-build, and will be way better.

 

Anytime you rebuild a motor you want to have everything cleared by a machine shop. There is no such thing as a "quick and simple" engine rebuild. Anytime you take the trouble of rebuilding, its almost a must for machine work.