new head gasket or maybe new head?

[miichael]

Hi all first of all im new to the site and just wanted to say hey and thanks for any help. I have a 1999 ford ranger with the 3.0 V6. It has 191,000 miles with a newly rebuilt tranny. He head gasket blowed on me and was leaking water into cylinder 6 cause my obd scanner said misfire cylinder 6. It wasnt bad or using alot of water so i kept driving to back to work adding water before i left. there was no water in oil at all. well about a week passed and i guess it sucked even more gasket out because it started steaming really bad on way to work out of tailpipe and was was coming out of the pipe quick and was running hot. when i got to work i noticed then there was water in my oil. i went to work 10 hours came back out and toped it off with water and drove it home but by time i got home she was really hot but not all way in the red. i havent drove it since but what i have done was drained all the oil and drained all the water and added old oil to it and ran it for a few minutes to get most all the milkshake looking stuff out. it sit in my yard now with no water in it at all to keep it from going into my oil. i still crank it up everyday for a few minutes to keep the cylinder from rusting up. it runs good without water in it but when it has water in it it runs like crap due to flooding the cylinder.

Now my questions. I know this engine has 191k miles on it but it ran great up to this point. if the head gasket is all thats wrong im going to just swap it out with new bolts/gaskets and give it a try. But if it is a cracked head due to overheating, would it be worth while to go ahead and buy a new set of heads for it? with 191k and it was ran with water in oil for probally 30-50 miles? the engine never has smoked a bit or knocked or anything. it still runs good and quiet just miss on number 6. Just want to see what you guys think about new heads on it with the miles and the water in oil.

My only options right now are
#1 replace head gaskets and drive it.
#2 replace head gaskets and new heads and drive it.
#3 find a used engine and just do a swap.

all used engines i can find are in the 150-180k range.

Thanks for any info or advice.

 

[ChrisR1S]

Well first thing to do, findout if you do indeed have a cracked or warped head. Pull it, take it to a machine shop and get that checked first.

 

[miichael]

but if it is cracked what should i do? buy a new set of heads for $190 shipped or try to find a used engine? i think the bottom end is still good but it had water in oil and was milkshake looking. just hope bearings isnt hurt.

 

[ChrisR1S]

If it were me and the head was cracked, id probably take my chances and try a used head from a WRECKED vehicle. much cheaper than $190 and you can most likely bet that the head isn't hurt if its a lower mileage vehicle. I don't really have much info or experience with the "milkshake" you had, but in my uneducated OPINION it should be ok if you werent hard on it then and promptly changed it as you said.

 

[Big Jim M]

I'd be looking for another engine that had fewer miles on it. Milkshake oil isn't a very good lubricant. 30 miles on a milkshake is more than I'd even think about trying to repair.
Shop around for a complete engine and just swap it in there.
Big JIm

 

[miichael]

the only one i can find local used has 188k and is $550 bucks. i cant see paying 550 bucks for a engine with right as many miles. if i was to do that id be better off rebuild it with new heads?

550 for a old used engine with 188K which is same mileage as mine?? am i missing something?? seems like its not the smart choice considering the mileage???

i read that these engine are good for 250k-300k miles??

 

[kimcrwbr1]

If you have the money go with a long block if you plan on keeping it and while you have it apart depending on the tranny put a new clutch in also. It is a crap shoot on a bone yard engine If there was a engine fire is about the only guarantee the engine was shut down before any damage to the berings and yea water in the oil is never good.

 

[miichael]

i just paid 1200 to have the auto tranny rebuilt last year.

 

[Big Jim M]

Michael

Oil floats on coolant/water.. So the pump pickup is at the bottom of the oil pan.. DOWN where the water is! So for 30 miles you drove that thing on mostly water.. WATER don't lubricate well. There is no way I'd spend money on that engine! You put new heads on it and about 50 miles from home the rods and mains will start complaining.. Then what?
If you intend to keep that vehicle, put another used engine in it or a long block and whatever heads it takes to get it running correctly..
Big JIm

 

[miichael]

talked to a few mechanics and they said that the water and oil mixes up when driving the only time it seperates is when the engine is off and not running. they said the bottom end is probally fine that they seen ppl drive with milkshake a long ways before actually even knowing they have water in there oil. i checked my oil daily because i knew it had a blown headgasket and they said just a little water can turn it milky looking that it dont take much. im going to go ahead and buy new heads if the heads are cracked and if i run into any problems later ill do a rebuild. i just dont see paying 550 for a engine with 188k !! whos to say that engine didnt have a blown headgasket at one point and same thing happen??? i dont like buying a pig in a poke!!! atleast i know iv owned this truck for the last 100k and its ben took care of.

 

[Bigschwerm]

If you do some more research online you can find 55,000 mile motors for $750 shipped to your door...i was doing some research last night since mine has 235k on it i am looking to replace it this summer when we move into our house.

 

[miichael]

now if i could find a deal like that it would be worth it!!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

i rebuilt mine from the crank up and it cost me around $1200 when i was all done. i used only name brand parts (melling, clevitte, silvo-lite, felpro, cloyes, etc) and had the machine work done locally. ive got 10,000 miles on it now and its running smooth as a top. when i tore it down i had over heating issues but luckily the heads werent cracked, just warped and my head gasket was leaking.