4.0 SOHC Overheated

[hrhoward]

Do these have a tendency to warp/crack the heads or block after overheating?
About a month ago I was driving down the interstate to folk's house. About a 45 mile trip. Exited highway, started hearing an intermittent ticking noise at 4 miles from exit. Temperature gauge normal. Thought it was an accessory making racket.
Two miles further on I pull into folk's subdivision entrance and truck dies and steam billows out from under hood. Open hood and coolant everywhere, top radiator hose popped off radiator. Temp gauge didn't move off normal. It always started low and moved up as expected.
Tow it to folk's house and let it sit for a couple hours. Put a little water in and crank, geysers out of radiator filler neck. Well, intercourse.

Trailered it back to my place and there it has sat. I haven't even bothered finding out which bank is blown.
This is the second engine in this truck. I pulled the original out back in 2013. It was sludged up and the timing cassettes came apart and a piece was sucked up into the oil pump and caused the shaft to snap. Found a used one at a recycle lot. Been fine for 9 years and about 20,000 miles (75k-ish total). Still have the timing tool kit.

Also still have the sludgey engine (115k-ish total).

 

[DILLARD000]

For the V6~4.0L~SOHC engine, got to be OCD about
Oil+Filter changes every 6mths\5kMiles, Coolant+TStat+RadCap changes every 3~4yrs\33kMiles,
OilPressurized TimingTensioners renewed at least every 10yrs\100kMiles, or seems it will take revenge upon you.
Can't let that oil system get sludged up. Or you just may have been dealt a bad hand of cards.
Gotten habit of just before an oil change, spraying CarbCleaner down the OilFill+DipTube; idle run engine for 5~10min, then change the oil.
Doubt this would be officially endorsed by Ford or experienced mechanics,
but I believe its helped keep oil passages clean still at 260kMiles on original engine; knock on wood.