Hey guys, I have a 1999 F250 LD 4X4 w/ 5.4L and over 220,000 miles.

Problem, engine developed a pin-hole in the driver side cylinder head just under the thermostat housing of the intake manifold and was squirting water into the fan.

Quick fix, was to patch the outside with J.B. Weld Metal. About a year later I had to remove the intake manifold to replace a IM gasket (I also replace the water pump to heater pipe that run thru the "valley")... I then reinforced the "patch" from the inside since I could reach inside with the IM removed. I discovered the wall of the effected water channel was paper thin due to corrosion. This was about 4 years ago.

Just the other day I found coolant under the truck and the "valley" filled with coolant. I thought the water pump to heater pipe went bad again. But I soon found the leak was coming from another hole in the same cylinder head under the thermostat housing.

So my options as I see them are:

1. Replace cylinder head...my concern is the effect of 1 "tight" new head and 1 "loose" old head on the engine.

2. Replace both heads...my concern is if there is corrosion in 1 aluminum head, where else is there corrosion?

3. Crate motor replacement $$$

Any thoughts and/our advise will be greatly appreciated. Can the heads be changed relatively easy while engine is in truck?

 

You did the intake so you know things are tight in there. How long do you plan on keeping the truck?

I would say that one head wouldn't cause a problem but you don't know whether or not the other is corroded as well.

If it is longer term then a crate or rebuilt motor might be the answer since it would require the same if not less effort to swap out than the head. $$$ also comes into play here as well whether you do the work or not.

 

I'd go with option 4) Low Mileage Junkyard motor.

With 220k I'd be hard pressed to put new heads on. I'd rather spend the time and effort putting a low mileage used motor in.

 

I have the same year and type of truck you do, changing the back plugs and coils was a big enough hassle, if I where to do the heads I would pull the engine and if your pulling it for heads I would get a low mileage junk yard motor.

 

Thanks guys for the input. I did some research on rebuilt motors but don't know my engine ID. Can anyone tell me where to find the engine ID?

 

VIN Decoder - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

The Ford Truck 17-Digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Decoder

It's the 8th digit of the Vin number. The first link will decode the whole Vin for you, or you can look it up on the second link.