Ford F-150 - 1997-2003 :: 1998 4.6 Triton - Slow Coolant Leak - Head Gasket?
Jan 27, 2013
New truck to me. Truck was advertised with a slow coolant leak. Figured I would trace the leak down and get it repaired no issues. Anyway, working on it this evening I take a close look around the oil filler area and notice the dreaded milkshake color.
I drained the oil out of the truck and the oil actually came out nice and black. Is the headgasket the only area that would cause the oil/coolant mixture? Supposedly the truck has never been overheated.
At any rate, on to find articles on how to pull apart a 4.6L Triton head. I'll see if I'm up to this challenge.
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I have a 03 5.4 F150 SCrew... The intake was leaking on the passenger side (water outlet tube meets plastic).
Putting in the Dorman replacement and noticed that the front cylinder drivers side (#5) had a decent amount of coolant in it.. None of the others did. I've drained the coolant already and was wondering should I just put this back together and see?
The water outlet crossing has a hole right next to this cylinder and I can't see any cracks and not sure if the gaskets were leaking under it.
Seems like if the head gasket was blown I would see it in more cylinders? It never smoked or run bad before I got this leak... Drove it maybe 10 miles with it leaking out onto Cyl#1. Ran fine, never missed.
I just don't want to put this back together if the head gasket is blown but I don't know what to do.
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I have a quick question, I just replaced the head gaskets on my 4.6 with 301,000 miles on it and now my battery only charges when you punch it and when you lift off the gas pedal, in town it does fine, but on drives 25 miles on the highway the battery guage goes to the line on the bottom. What could be causing that?
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Recently bought a 2001. In the process of reading about this engine I discovered there is a some what regular breakdown of head gaskets causing water to leak into cylinders and oil pan, all of which is serious.
Given the vehicle is 12 years old and has 89K miles it appears it is in the age and range of where this leakage can occur. Any knowledgeable engine rebuilders that are familiar with this issue on the 4.2 have any comments???
1. Can this issue be avoided by replacing head gaskets now rather than waiting for future failure???
2. Are there new and improved head gaskets for this motor???
3. Does the problem occur on both heads gaskets?
4. Is that all that needs to be done or are there other seals that need replacement???
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I have a 2001 F-150 5.4 engine. There is a coolant leak where the coolant leaves the head. Looks like a new gasket is in order. The part that needs to come off crosses over to the driver's side and the thermostat mounts into it. To remove this part and replace the gasket, it appears that most of the top of the engine, throtle body, fuel rails, intake, etc., will have to come off. One of the four bolts holding the part on is installed with the bolt head facing down. The only way I see to get this out is to take everything apart.
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I have a 1998 f150 xlt, supercab, 4x4, 4.6 Romeo (truck production date is 12/97). And I have a oil leak.
Its on the drivers side of the engine. There is a nipple on the head, next to the firewall, directly above where the exhaust pipe and exhaust manifold meet. It looks to have some sort of bolt/flush stud inside the nipple. I have oil seeping by the bolt/stud and leaking onto my exhaust pipe. its a constant but slow drip.
What this is or how to fix it? Is this a common problem? I can take a pic but cant find my camera at the moment.
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I have 2012 R with 33,000.00 miles on it. During regular service they detected that I have a coolant leak. They replaced a flange and determined that there was actually a head gasket leak. This is very unusual for such a low mileage. The car is still under extended warranty and they are in the process of replacing the head gasket. They told me today that they have to machine the head since there was some residue due to the coolant leak. This is all done at a VW dealer service.
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I found during an oil change that there is coolant in my oil, I had suspicions of this because of having to add coolant more than I should of had to. There is probably either a crack in my block, head gasket or intake manifold, my question is how can I tell which. I figure that if I preform a compression check it will tell me that I have a cracked block and or a cracked head gasket, what will tell me if I breeched my intake manifold.
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Quick question, my 2007 Santa Fe with 3.3 has developed a small coolant leak. Every so often, I see a few drops on the garage floor and every 6 months or so I need to fill the reservoir with new coolant. So I took it in last Friday at a Hyundai dealership and he said that I need a new head gasket.
So my question is, is that correct? I did a search and most say that if you need a new head gasket, coolant would have leaked into the engine and oil.
When I changed the oil back in June, I don't recall seeing any foam or-or any indication that something is wrong with the oil. Even yesterday, I open up the oil cap and pull the dipstick, every looks normal. I assumed that not all head gasket problems lead to coolant in the oil?
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2007 Pilot leaks coolant but, mechanic can not find the leak anywhere including the head gasket. He was a certified Honda mechanic.
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I just bought my 2006 Toyota Prius about a year ago in 2009. It has been treating me LIKE GOLD !!! up to this point. About a month or two ago, the check engine light came on and stayed on along with a big red triangular warning light. I let it go for about a week hoping that it would just go away.
I brought the vehicle into my local Toyota dealership so they can diagnose it.They told me that they had 3 or 4 different "codes" coming from the machine when getting the signals from the check engine light. All the codes were related to the cooling system. They said that they felt that there was "debris" clogging the pathway for the coolant flow throughout the engine. They had recommended a "coolant flush" for the hybrid side as well as the mechanical side. So I took their advice and I had them perform the coolant flushes.
After leaving the dealership that 1st time, the check engine light came back on the next day. I called the same dealership and explained it to them. They asked me to bring it in again. SO I brought it to them a 2nd time. They diagnosed it again. They told me they came up with 2 of the SAME "codes" and 1 that was different, but ALL the codes were STILL related to the cooling system. They explained to me that something was preventing the clear flow of coolant throughout the engine. And since the thermostat was the only major obstacle, they recommended that I replace it. Well, I did. And after I left the dealership that 2nd time, I was praying that this was the last of my Prius issues! The check engine light came back on the next day.
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1998 F150 4x4 4.2 ... Small leak spraying out of a steel pipe onto the front of the motor. This isn't my truck so I'm not very familiar with it but looks like there is a pipe that come from the water pump threw a bracket and y's and one end has a hose going to heater core n the other part is where the leak is I think it has a hose connected to it that goes to the intake. Only leaks when thermostat open. I'm going to take it apart tonight n see what I find. Iv looked for a replacement part and found nothing so I am going to try n replace the steel pipe with hose.
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I have the 2.4l engine and the car has 177K on it. Bought it from a friend at 60K and never had a problem with it. I started getting the coolant puddle from the rear of the engine. We took the intake manifold off and saw that the head was leaking in the rear. Real small drop forming and then falling. No codes at the time either. Seems this car has problems with the Engine bolts and was wondering how many people out there had a blown head gasket and there was no bolt issue?
Also I know this is not the right thing to do but use Engine Block Sealant? This is the kind that you drain your antifreeze,flush twice and then run this stuff in it for little while and then replace with antifreeze.
I am upside down on the car because I put 50K a year on so don't think I will get anything for trade. I am hoping my brother in law and I can fix it but am wondering what the odds are there is a problem with the bolts.
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Radiator replaced 2 yrs. ago - required major rust cleanout; reservoir replaced shortly thereafter. Recently engine always hot, antifreeze disappearing, reservoir always looks rusty, nothing much coming out underneath, mechanic pressure tested and couldn't find a leak, told to watch for antifreeze in oil, none apparent. Now suddenly car ran hot, antifreeze came out of reservoir, cap replaced, still couldn't find leak. Today said head gasket blown. Repair head gasket, but can't guarantee wouldn't still have radiator problems. Suggested could try Blue Devil head gasket repair but may not work.
Is it worth :
(a) trying the Blue Devil;
(b) repairing the head gasket?
Or will I still have major repair needs with radiator etc.? I really can't afford even a cheap replacement car.
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Recently had a new water pump and radiator put in my car. Not so sure if they are "new" but anyway.
The car does not seem to use coolant it has only slowly flowed back into the reserve tank over time spilling over a little.
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My 97 f150 5.4 started missing on 5,6 it had antifreeze on top of the spark plugs but i cant figure out where its coming from my truck has been loosing coolant and it seems like the system is holding pressure because every time i take the cap off the radiator overfill i can hear it hissing then i see the antifreeze level plummet there's no visible leaks that i have seen when the truck is running an missing it steams out the exhaust but when its no missing it doesn't seem to be there's no milky oil or anything the thermostat doesn't seem to be leaking either the truck has over heated a couple times due to the antifreeze disappearing or the temp wont move at all then it shoots all the way to hot and cools down within seconds to normal i just put a new thermostat in. Also it sometimes misses on 4 and my exhaust smells like straight gas i put 4 gallons in it got 29 miles out of it .
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I just bought a used 5.4 for my 99' F150 4X4. My current engine has a blown head gasket. Anyway, I was able to hear the engine run before I bought it, and was able to check it out some. (oil, anti-freeze) I was told that this engine was bought from a salvage yard with 50K, and 50K more put on it before I bought it.
I was also told that the intake manifold is newer, from Autozone, and it has newer Accell coils. My question for you all, is ..... What do YOU think I should do otherwise before I install this engine. Oil pump? water pump? seals? ...
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My wife has a 2002 F-150 King Ranch 5.4l. Recently I noticed a oil smell and I had the mechanic take a look. He said the head gasket is leaking oil. Not a bad leak but it is leaking. The truck has 160k miles on it. I can't decide what to do...
What generally happens with a head oil leak? Will the engine crater or just keep leaking? My plan was to buy my wife a different truck and I would keep the truck, but I don't wont to keep it if the head leak is terminal for the engine...
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I own a 2003 Toyota Camry with 195,000 miles. We have owned the car for about 6 years. It is now leaking oil from the drivers side of the head gasket. The oil has been leaking down onto the exhaust and smoking, and it has been getting worse and worse. This is a second car and is not used much, only once a month for short trips. Is there any temporary fix for this that can maybe get me through a year? Also, I have heard mixed opinions on how hard replacing the head gasket is, does the engine really need to be removed?
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I have my 4.6L engine on a stand in the garage. I think I have a blown head gasket. I am ready to remove the heads.
My Haynes book says: "Caution:Use the required camshaft retaining fixtures to lock the camshafts and leave the tools in place."
A google search shows nothing. Why, what does it do?
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The problem is my new-to-me 97 Ford F150 5.4L SOHC engine, auto transmission, is overheating after driving it for a short while. Seems to be fine at idle. I have read previous posts with the exact same issue, but the consistency seems to be all over the map from burping the system, head gasket, thermostat, and possibly a plugged radiator.
Backstory:200,000+ miles.
Truck sat for 6 months after previous owner broke the shift cable.
Truck was in a front end collision. Frame looks bent underneath the engine.
Previous owner had overheating problem. He said he changed the heater core. Looks like brand new coolant in the system so story probably checks out. Desperately needs an oil change. Very black oil.
Previous owner thought the system needed a burping. So I'm largely assuming the problem started after the heater core change, or he misdiagnosed an overheating problem and thought the heater core could cause it. I have found a radiator cap and thermostat in the truck which seems to indicate he tried many things to fix the overheating and was unsuccessful. Engine looks pretty clean for the miles.
Symptoms/Backyard Tests :
Blows cold air with heat on highest level and on defrost.
Blender door fuse intact.
Doesn't overheat at idle.
Ran the truck for 15 mins with the coolant bottle fill cap off on level ground to try to burp it after draining some coolant and checking the thermostat orientation. Coolant level increased in the bottle. Large air bubbles came out. (Another session before this one, I ran it for 30 minutes with no coolant cap, and eventually coolant overflowed the fill bottle. Normal or no?)
Seems to overheat after the thermostat opens. After doing the 15 minute warm up/burp, I took it for a test drive. I drove it about 20 blocks with the temperature gauge on the dash reading the same as the warmed-up idle temperature. Got to the 20th block and the gauge immediately spiked to overheat with the oil pressure dash light coming on. I could be mistaken as the oil pressure light almost looks exactly like the overheat dash light. But I'm pretty sure the temperature icon was on the right side of the oil can icon and not the left.
After the above drive: Upper rad hose too hot to touch.
After the above drive: Lower rad hose medium warm. Could hold on to it if I felt like it.
After the above drive: Upper part of rad pretty hot. Not Insta-burn but hot. Tempature decreases to warm to cool as you go lower down the rad.
After the above drive: Both heater core hoses going to the cab luke warm.
Coolant looks brand new.
Radiator looks slightly bowed. Probably from the accident? Otherwise looks clean and minimal bent fins.
Drained some coolant and pulled the upper rad hose to see if the thermostat was upside down. Looks installed correctly.
No signs of weep hole leaks from the water pump.
Fan seems solid. Has maybe 1-2mm of play in the bearings.
Something that looked like steam from the muffler at startup, that disappeared after getting closer to a normal range warm engine.
I have driven crap cars for many years and I've never seen a plugged radiator which makes me skeptical of it being that. All the radiators I have changed were because they were eventually leaking from cracks in the radiator.
I would also be interested in doing an informal poll if you have read this far and have had this era of F150 that overheated. Have you ever repaired the head gasket? And/or have you ever changed the radiator?
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