Hi all,

On my 2004 F-150 (5.4l v8), the dealer service shop told me i need to replace engine... no compression... they suspect oil sludge caused failure - quoted me $7500 to replace. Is it fair price? Or anyone know another qualified shop in STL, MO that I should check with?

I learned i made a mistake since changed my oil every ~7000miles, but used conventional oil.

Thanks for any tips!

 

I am in no way an expert- not even close- but here is my opinion and my experience that I am going through now. I have a 98 f150 (with 375 000 KMS that as far as I know only ever had conventional oil in it- my new one will run synthetic though (going a tad more then stock)) that I WANT to replace my engine in the future.

First off- what where your symptoms before you took it to the dealer?

Secondly- No compression is really vague- in all cylinders? I am not saying sludge couldn't have caused this but I would try to get more info out of the dealer. IMO something doesn't sound right...

Third- 7000mi is a bit long, and I don't know the mileage of the engine, but that's not too bad- heard of worse. If its low mileage like under 100 000 or something then it shouldn't have been a problem this early. I am not advocating going this long as my oil NEVER gets that old in my vehicle. Regular oil is fine- that's what dealerships put in and that's what came in it from the factory.

Base prices for my build- in my area- estimates.

Complete engine from wreckers: $400-$1600 (depending on kms, condition, etc)

Install (about 10-18 hrs @ $100/hr +/-) $1000-$2000 (depending what I do myself)

Miscellaneous (what might as well be replaced) $0-$2000 (torque converter, Lines, rad, what ever)

So I am looking at about $5600 CDN. Now of course I am not going to a dealership as the foreman I talked to didn't really care about the work I want done. I plan to build my engine in my garage (some machine work, new gaskets, etc) before I hire someone to rip out my old engine and install my new one (I don't have the facilities to do it myself, but do plan to install the intake and up myself)

I would call around and get different prices, also find out the engine they will put in for that price... Crate? Reman? wreckers special? Miles? ETC...

Take what i say with a grain of salt. Just trying to give you some ideas as to what to look for, etc.

As a side note- both labor and parts up here are usually a lot more then stateside... My prices don't include tax either....

Hope I have been of some help and good luck, keep us up to date. and welcome to the forum

 

It has ~100k miles on it. I took it in for simple recall fix, and they changed oil. Next day, went to start it, and engine sounded horrible, with metal clinging noises... RPMs all over place, truck was vibrating heavily, giving bit more power almost stalled. Oil pressure/level was ok. Check engine light came on. When I went to drive it in, could not even start anymore. Towed it. They said engine is toast. They scoped inside engine, and saw a lot of oil sludge. After more testing, said compression lost in one of the sides.

I looked up and Ford uses synthetic motorcraft oil. Is that accurate?

I owned truck its whole life, first 2 years I think i went to dealer on schedule. Then switched and started going to one of the local 'fast lube' places... I checked with them, and they used conventional oil. Could it be the sudden change to synthetic caused some reaction, causing sludge to free up and lead to the sudden engine damage? Anyway, that seems to be the dealer's theory. I'm really curious if it makes sense, and the fault was on my poor maintenance...

They said it's Ford rebuilt engine, which costs $5k.

Thanks!!

 

That's about right. I've seen the receipt for an 06 Expy about a year ago. That was a 5.4L as well. It was $7000. Ford reman engine.

 

Regardless if that is a the going rate, it's unjustifiable if you ask me. I would buy the engine, used.. yourself for around 1200-1500 and have someone do the swap for around another 1200.



Who in their right mind would pay that on a truck that is barely worth that.

 

That may be what came in your '98 F-150, but that's not what came in his '04 F-150. Calls for MC Semi-Synthetic and that's what came in it from the factory.

 

Crazy isn't it ? I guess someone whom trusted the dealership only. Someone without options. Someone that doesn't know different, someone with deep pockets who loves they're truck.

You or I have options, we COULD save quite a bit, doing it ourselves. We know what to do.... - I think ? Find a good used one and have at it. While no one is looking.

The 06 Expy I mentioned was a victim of injector/hydo lock and was done under with the understanding that Ford or the insurance company would cough it up. Both argued with one another, then both baulked.
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I've heard that Ford will install another re-man for you. You can purchase one separately and ship it to Ford. Go with a reputable company tho, Ford installs "Jasper" engines as well. So you could purchase a Jasper and have it shipped to them. Not sure what Jasper's cost.

If you go with a used engine, - I'm not sure Ford would swap it out ? They might, but no warranty.

 

I bought a Jasper reman for my 97 F150 4.6. The engine cost me $3350 incl.tax. I did the swap myself, and extra parts I replaced brought the total cost to ~$3700. Jasper delivered the engine straight to my home garage and picked up the core at the same time.

The old engine had 260k on it and was running fine before the swap except with some lifter clatter under load while pulling my popup.

I have always used conventional 10w-30 in my truck changing somewhere between 3 to 4k. I love my old truck and am not ready to part with it just yet. That said, if someone t-bones you at an intersection, there is no way to get that investment back. If that were to happen to me, the truck would get towed to my home and I would part it out.

Locally, here in Western Ky., local shops would charge about $1500 to do the swap, plus extra for parts. That's really not a bad deal if you do the up front legwork - like buying the engine and parts yourself and having them delivered to your selected shop. Just takes a bit of time and research on your part.

My Jasper reman only has 2100 miles on it so far, and I am enjoying the heck out of my truck's new found life, and cosmetically, the truck still looks great. No matter what you decide, its still cheaper than new.

 

Don't forget, you don't know what filter was used either..was it one of those white un-branded cardboard ones ??

 

An engine doesn't go bad overnight. Id have it towed somewhere else and get a second opinion.

 

Yea. Just sickening to see those numbers for a stock replacement on an 8 year old truck. What do those jasper long blocks run anyway? 2500-3k? So where is the other 4500 ?

 

Anyone else see that they changed the oil and suddenly she pukes out the next day? I smell dealer fraud here.... Its possible but then again I never win the lottery . Take it to another shop(someone you can trust)and explain exactly what the ford dealer did.
Where are you located at? Replacing a motor is pretty easy and if you want to save money just get a used one on craigslist. I just got a 99 from a crown vic for 425 with transmission and aluminum driveshaft.

 

Yea, I'm not sure what a Jasper costs to get to the dealership. It's the "FOMOCO" Ford reman that cost so much, - around 5 grand.

I know Ford will install a Jasper. Quintin installs Jaspers where he's at. Quintin's a tech at Ford.

Yea, it should be around 2 grand in labor.. -Max.

 

Quintin has put two Jasper's in the same vehicle in the past. Only when the first one doesn't take...

 

You are right- didn't take that into account- however I was trying to make a point off- as long as you used original type of oil you are fine. Not everyone needs the added cost of a real synthetic. Also I know people who should run a semi that don't and they have been fine SO FAR. (key word- so far). But it also matters in how you treat the truck and what work it does.

Agree with Jeff and Worm. get a second opinion.