Blown head gasket

MWEDGE9036

MEMBER
2002 FORD F-150
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
93,000 MILES

Truck has driven perfectly for 93000 miles. Started the truck one morning and drove approximately 3/4 of a mile and it died. No overheating, no smoke, no inidications of any kind. Wouldn't start. Tried multiple times while waiting for a tow truck. Towed to dealer. After 1 1/2 weeks dealer said it was a blown head basket and that there was extensive rust in the cylinders. Wanted to replace the engine which was more costly than the truck was worth. When I went to the dealer to view the damage I saw the rust in the cyclinders. Heads had all kinds of dirt and build up on them. Asked them to clean the heads, machine them if need be and clean the cyclinders. They told me the truck would run so rough that the only soluton was a new engine. Anyone had this problem of a blown gasket with NO indications?

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,747 POSTS

If you want my 30 years of experience's opinion, remove the truck and take it to another shop. Yes, cylenders will start to rust when they sit open for that many days with coolant in them and no oil. However, they can be cleaned / honed. As far as the heads, have them cleaned, and checked to make sure nothing warped. I doubt they did because the engine never overheated. Have everything cleaned and put back together. If the engine ran good before, believe me, it will run good again. That major of damage doesn't happen that fast.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Joe