Replacing an engine

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918evo

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I would pull the head on the side with the bad cylinder and either replace a valve or replace the piston if the cylinder wall isn't gouged. You would need to drop the oil pan if you replace the piston. I would definitely not replace the engine. I would guess the problem is in the head. $4000 is way too much to replace the engine. I would be willing to bet you could have your truck repaired under $2000 if you find an honest mechanic.
 

tyromeo55

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Many years ago my 08 f150 was 8k for a long block installed. I’m with Adam... lots of reasons a cylinder could have lost compression. My gut says that if it drove fine recently then I’d bet it is not cylinder related

did it over heat? Is the coolant level appear normal?

get the truck to another shop.
 

Gone_fishn

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I had a feeling that their cost should be less than 4000. The last time I pulled a head off of a vehicle, it was an 84 Chevy. I don't think I should mess with this.
 

dlbleak

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A guy at work just had the same issue on a 14 Chevy. Turned out to be the heads. There’s two head stamps,192 and 144? I’m probably way off on those numbers, anyway, he needed the harder to find head. Replaced and problem solved
 

Gone_fishn

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I would pull the head on the side with the bad cylinder and either replace a valve or replace the piston if the cylinder wall isn't gouged. You would need to drop the oil pan if you replace the piston. I would definitely not replace the engine. I would guess the problem is in the head. $4000 is way too much to replace the engine. I would be willing to bet you could have your truck repaired under $2000 if you find an honest mechanic.
Does anybody know an honest mechanic?
 

Gone_fishn

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A guy at work just had the same issue on a 14 Chevy. Turned out to be the heads. There’s two head stamps,192 and 144? I’m probably way off on those numbers, anyway, he needed the harder to find head. Replaced and problem solved
I've felt like it was a bad valve all along myself. I think he should take it to someone else but we thought maybe the dealership might help him out a little. I've traded with them 4 times in the last 6 years so I thought maybe that might mean something. However I do understand as is no warranty. And tried to explain that to my" way smarter 20 year old son than I am" before he bought it.
 

Glock 40

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Sad to say dealership could care less about what happens to a used vehicle once you own it. If you were able to pull the plug get yourself a cheap endoscope and have a look in that cylinder and one near it as a comparison. https://smile.amazon.com/Seesi-Endoscope-Waterproof-Inspection-Semi-Rigid/dp/B07PBF6DX5

You want to get that cylinder at the bottom of the stroke when you take peak inside. Or if you can get the valve cover off easy enough. You can see the valves from the top and manually turn the engine over to see if both valves are moving up and down as they should be. Or pull fuel pump relay or fuse and you can bump it over without it starting.
 

p238shooter

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I agree with the comments here. A local repair shop will do a much better job of taking the time to isolate the problem. compressed air into the spark plug hole will detect if the leak is in the intake or exhaust or by the piston rings. Could be as simple of a fix as removing a valve cover and replacing a valve keeper or broken spring, or bent or failed push rod..
 

dlbleak

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I've felt like it was a bad valve all along myself. I think he should take it to someone else but we thought maybe the dealership might help him out a little. I've traded with them 4 times in the last 6 years so I thought maybe that might mean something. However I do understand as is no warranty. And tried to explain that to my" way smarter 20 year old son than I am" before he bought it.
I’ll text him now and get those head numbers right. I’ll ask him where he got his.
 

dlbleak

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Welp, I was wrong. Ended up being a simple fix for him. He wrestled with this thing, pulled the heads off a couple times before he made the discovery. Here’s a copy of the text back.


‘I didnt end up having to swap heads. I pulled mine again and realized I have a valve not shutting all the way because of deposits. So I reworked my valves. Put em back and that took care of the rest of my issues.’
 

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