Just bought a 1998 f150 4x4 supercab auto with a floor shifting transfer case. The owner said the engine started making noises so he pulled over ,and when he went to restart it ,it would not turn over. So i bought a clean looking truck with what seems to be some type of engine damage. We both feel it needs a new engine.Any advise on seeing what the real problem might be? It seems my choices are ,1 a new crate motor, 2 rebuild what iv'e got , 3 get a used one. My question is ,if the engine is bad and i decide to get a new or used engine what is the easiest and best use of my money to get this truck back on the road. I own a 1998 5.4 Expedition ,so that is one reason i bought this truck so things could be swapped if any thing ever got wrecked on either car or truck.I paid $2,700 for truck and plan to keep it awhile.I've heard a 1999 5.4 is a better engine maybe other years would work? Its hard to find a low mileage 1998 out of a wreck. Thanks to all for any ideas

 

Have you tried to restart it? Does the starter ingage or does the engine turn and doesn't fire? Have you tried to turn the crank?

 

I have not checked it out my self yet, owner said starter would not turn engine. I'm presuming the crank bearing are seizied. I cant tow it to my shop for a week so im just going by owners description.

 

If the truck is in nice shape otherwise and you want to be in it for the long haul, I'd get a new crate engine.

 

Find a used engine. Try http://car-parts.com Any model year, 1999+ has Pi heads, will work but use the 1998 engine harness and adapt it as needed.

JMC

 

You might want to check the cable to the starter. May have the corroded lug that so many have. Does the starter engege, and just not turn the motor? Are you sure the motor is seized?

 

I thought of that but reread the first post and it mentions that the engine started making noise. Once you get the truck to your shop start by trying to start it again. Then put a breaker bar to the crank pulley bolt and try to turn the engine over by hand. While you are under there you might as well check the starter too.

JMC

 

Thanks JMC and others. It seems as though I will have to haul it home . Since I was going thru Reno with truck ,and a crate motor was an option ,I thought I might just drop it off at a shop there.But that seems expensive now,and maybe I might get lucky and find it was making noises for some simple reason, then I got a real good deal.It only has 130,000 miles so you never Know. Back to what engine is a compatible swap,all the wreckers tell me that I need to stay with the 97 or 98 engine. Is this only because I need to adjust computer, or are there other issues.Also Are F150s and expeditions the same 5.4 engine.If the engine ends up being bad a low mileage expedition engine would seem to have less abuse put on it than a truck.The wreckers seem to charge about the same price for an engine regardless of year and mileage,$200, difference maybe.It would be nice to put in a low mileage 2001 engine if its a straight swap with a computer adjustment. Thanks to all for any thoughts!

 

There are a few subtle differences between the years. The 99+ engines were Power improved. They had 260 hp vs your 235. If you stick with an Expi odds are likely that it was better treated than an F-150. If you use the 98 PCM and engine harness you can make it work. You will have to tap the crossover pipe and add a bung for the coolant temperature sensor (s). The knock sensor connectors may be different so you may have to use the old one. Other than that the engines are basically the same. It is always easier to use the original PCM and its applicable harnesses as you do not have to contend with PATS. PATS was standard on 99+ models and the wiring associated with it adds to the confusion of running an engine that has the same displacement and a few less sensors. In 1999 Ford did away with the coolant sensors and the engine coolant temps was calculated using the Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor. The PCM sends a signal to the instrument cluster to run the coolant temp gauge. if I think of something else I will post.

JMC

 

Hey jmc and others. I got my truck home ,charged battery and it turned over pretty easy for a couple of seconds than it seemed to get stuck and turned over hard but it still moved a little. My nephew said his boss had a 5.4 and the cam broke ,than the valves ruined the pistons. How hard should I try to start this engine, or is damage already done any way. Its hard to trust previous owner because he said it would not turn over and I got it too real easy. I plan on taking off the valve covers and checking cams for damage.I hope this is a one hour job ? Any feed back will be great, thanks