the other kevin in san diego

Talked to the mech today.. Right side of the engine is done already.
They're gonna do the left side tomorrow and think they'll be done late
afternoon.. Thay haven't had to remove the head(s) so I may be back
in biz for less than $500 total... Much nicer than the $2500 I was
quoted on the phone Saturday for the same screwed up head design.

Still gonna hit up Ford for the fix...

matt macchiarolo

Kevin,

What is the mileage on your truck, and build date if known?

the other kevin in san diego

Just a tick over 71k. It was built mid-late summer of '01. I special
ordered it and took delivery 11/19/01

Got it back this afternoon and had the shop go ahead and do the 70k
service. $678... Not bad considering the dealer's alternative. Of
course, my ears were perked for any "odd" noises as I drove it home.

putt

Really? Back in 'the day' when I was riding MCs and VWs, I used
heli-coils to fixed stripped spark plug holes. I always had to remove
the heads, because the holes had to be tapped which would put metal
shavings into the cylinder. Are these new kits different from the old
heli-coils I use to use? Just have a great curiosity about
this....thanks

Dave S(Texas)

the other kevin in san diego

Evidently the tap used with a helicoil pushes the cut material ahead
of the tap. The tap (fluted?) used with these Time Serts doesn't do
that. I asked my mech about shavings. He said they fill the hole
with grease to catch any shavings then use a shopvac with a tiny hose
to stick into the cylinder and **** out anything that may have fallen
in.

Pretty cool fix if you ask me..

matt macchiarolo

Yikes, I am at 63.4K. Purchased mine off the lot in November '01. Now you've
got me worried. Had you ever changed your plugs prior to this?

the other kevin in san diego

Nope. Did the maintenance at the appropriate time and put gas in it.

I did read on some forum where a slight ticking or exhaust leak like
sound may be indicative of a potential problem and I did notice a
slight "ticking" sound that began earlier in the year. I thought it
was just the engine loosening up with the mileage or I'd perhaps had a
partial exhaust maniforld gasket failure. I drive the truck pretty
hard and it does haul large (2,000+ lbs) loads in the bed several
times/year.

I've also pulled my buddy's truck/toy hauler out of the sand with it a
few times when he's buried himself to the diffs...

Up until the plug blowout, it's been a damned reliable truck.

matt macchiarolo

I experienced such a sound this past summer, towing a trailer at freeway
speeds on a hot day, noticed it when I stopped to eat. Sounded like it was
coming fron th ebottom of the engine, though, not the spark plugs, and it
disappeared while I was under the truck trying to locate it...hasm't come
back since. You're getting me more and more worried. :-/

the other kevin in san diego

I think the head repair has enabled the "auto rough" feature in the
ECU. I swear I hear a new and odd noise each time I leave a
stoplight.. (Even though it's running as well as it ever has)

No real consolation, but if yours does blow, the inserts will do the
trick and not require head removal. - Well, they probably won't
require head removal.

matt macchiarolo

Yeah, hopefully if it does happen it won't be on the freeway between here
and nowhere. I do have a mechanic I can trust, don't rhink I would trust
myself to do it. Do you have a link to a URL describing the fix?