1) rough idle, white smoke from exhaust pipe, failure of both catalytic converters, unexplained loss of engine coolant. 2) hydro-locked engine, un-repairable engine damage. 3) quoted $3500 for rebuilt engine, no action yet taken.
1998 Ford F-150 engine complaints
Page 4 of 7: complaints 71 to 100 of 187, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have a 1998 ford f150 with a 4.2 v6 I parked it two days. Later I went to crank it (it was lockup) I had my mechanic look at it and he said it was a big problem with the head gaskets on this model engine and ford new about it but would do nothing about it. Its so bad my local junk yards will not even carry the 4.2 v6 used engine because of the leaking head gasket I am on a fix income and can't afford to fix my truck that I though would last several years.
1998 ford f-150 4.2l hydrolock issue. Antifreeze in the #1 cylinder. Manufacturing defect not covered by ford. Engine useless until repaired due to manufacturing defect at the factory. Need to repair engine.
On a 1998 ford f-150 2wd pickup with a 4.2l engine........ Initial overheating due to low engine coolant. Refilled coolant and kept level at appropriate working level. From a cold start one morning heard loud knocking sound from engine. Brought it in to get it checked by local mechanic, which advised me that I needed a new engine. Purchased a re-manufactured engine at approx 125,000 miles on old engine.
My truck had a defective manifold gasket, the same problem that so many '97 - '98 f-150 owners have had. (see website: http://forums.treemedia.com/fb/showthread.php?t=224) coolant leaked into my engine due to ford's faulty gasket and ruined the entire system, forcing me to spend $3400 on a new engine. The website mentioned above has had over 45,000 hits, which clearly shows that this is a major problem. Please look into this problem. Ford is fleecing its customers.
1998, ford, f150, 4.2 liter v6. @ approx. 92,000 miles. Intake manifold gasket failed. Gasket failure LED to coolant in number 4 cylinder which caused the number 4 piston connecting rod to break, also damaging the piston. The defective gasket, bent rod and piston had to be replaced, multiple thousands of dollar repair. No notice from ford indicating potential problem or that any preventative maintenance (I.e. Gasket replacement) may have avoided costly engine failure repair -or- replacement. A product and highway safety concern in the context that had the failure occurred at highway speeds, may have caused loss of control and accident.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle caught fire and burned. The vehicle was parked for 2 hours prior to the fire. The fire department stated in a written report the fire started in the engine compartment in the driver's side. Extensive property damage was sustained to the contact's house and personal property inside the vehicle. The insurance company investigated and deemed the vehicle a total loss. Additionally, a private fire investigator was hired to investigate the incident and came to the same conclusion as the insurance company. The contact received a recall the federal safety agency #05v388000 concerning the cruise control switch prior to the fire. Several dealerships were contacted to perform the recall remedy. The dealer's asked the contact not bring the vehicle in for service until the end of february when recall parts would be available. The cruise control switch was not disconnected in the vehicle and was in working order. The engine was replaced by the dealership approximately 2 years ago for unrelated problems. Updated 3/9/2006 -
My 4.2 v-6 in my 1998 ford f-150 failed hydro locked after it had ran just fine, looking online I found my self to not be alone, there are numerous amounts of people that have had the same problem and some quite costly repairs, I for one am not in the position to replace a motor that shouldn't have failed in the first place.
1998, ford, f150, 4.2 liter v6. Lower intake manifold side gasket failed. Gasket failure LED to coolant in number 1 cylinder. Coolant in number 1 cylinder caused the number 1 piston connecting rod to bend. The defective gasket and bent rod are cleaned and available for review. A total engine rebuild was needed to correct the problem.
Faulty ford f150 4.2 6 cyl eng lower manifold gasket.
(1) car would not start one morning like a dead battery. I jumped the car and heard a loud clattering sound from engine. (2) leaking front cover and intake manifold gaskets in a 4.2 l v-6 engines caused the engine to seize. (3) currently replacing engine.
Ford f150 1998 4wd 4.2l engine 102,0000 miles - when starting truck engine it would run rough then smooth out. Today I heard a loud pop sound. Now it doesn't start at all. After checking several web sites I realized my trouble is not unique. Looked around the internet but never found a recall notice from ford relating to this issue. Further research seems to imply a major defect that ford knew about from close to the beginning of manufacturing which they never have done anything about. According to a couple of web forum sites, ford put out two technical bulletins to their service people but not to the end users/buyers (tsb #99-20-7) (follow up tsb #99b209) that pretty much admitted there was a fault with a gasket and could result in engine failure, as mine seems to have done. The resolution is for the engine to be replaced. Ford should be made to stand behind their faulty manufacturing & fix their errors.
I am one of many owners of the ford f-150 4.2 engine trucks (ours is a 1998) that has encountered engine failure resulting the replacement of the engine due to leaking head gasket. It appears from information gathered from numerous websites and from speaking to others that this is a very obvious and common issue that ford has chosen to ignore. We are asking that your agency take action to help initiate a class-action suit or some how force ford to pay for these repairs.
I have a 1998 ford f-150 4.2 v6 4x4 truck, which has been brought to my attention by my local ford dealership mechanic how notorious this motor is for the problem that has erupted with my vehicle, but ford refuses to take any financial responsibility or action. The truck started making a loud- knocking sound one morning immediately after I started the truck for work. The mechanic explained to me that ford had a bad intake manifold gasket, which allowed coolant(anti-freeze) to leak into the oil and spark-plugs causing this loud-knocking noise which is a spun rod bearing. I keep regular check-ups on all aspects(oil level,coolant,etc.) if it were a problem that I caused, I would accept full responsibility. It is not my lack of maintenance , but a known issue among the 4.2 v6 ford motor. Ford motor co. Has made my life pure hell. I do not have $4,$5 thousand dollars to replace their mistake. I now struggle to keep a job and make payment on a vehicle that doesn't run. Also,my wife and kid who depend on daddy are ready to leave home because he is a failure( no vehicle+no money=divorce) ( no truck=no job) !!!! Enough of my problems, but I'm now ready to start losing what means more than anything in life to me and that is my family. I have researched this problem by speaking with ford mechanics ,reviewing websites, and the general public. Ford has failed and now this internal damage is leading to my personal life. I'm going to lose everything. I hope you will help me and the other thousands of 4.2 v6 owners who desperately need assistance, please! Thank you!! Ps. I hope one day the owner of ford,can sleep knowing my little girl/wife will not enjoy christmas as a family due to his greed to fix this error on his behalf. Ever spend christmas morning by your(lonesome)self mr. Ford? Merry christmas.
On monday dec 19 2005 while driving with my wife and granddaughter, an explosion occurred under the hood of my 1998 ford f150 VIN: [xxx]. Smoke came out the hood and through the air vents into the cab. The ford dealer said the plastic plenum in the intake manifold cracked allowing raw gasoline to enter where it should not have and exploded. They replaced the manifold assembly with the new style aluminum manifold and plenum. This cost almost $1,100.00. I have since found that ford settled a lawsuit 12/16/2005 in which the plastic plenums cracked. But this only covers a small number of ford cars and not trucks. The dealer service mgr told me that ford has developed a new aluminum plenum that replaces the old plastic one and I should have no more trouble. My question is why I cannot be reimbursed for a plastic plenum that cracked, they obviously know they are bad, and we could have been seriously hurt. *nm updated 07/17/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
About two weeks ago, I noticed that my 1998 ford f-150 had steamy white exhaust upon start and it would last until sufficient warm-up. At that point, I did not think about it much. At any rate, I went out of town for two weeks and upon my return from my trip, I got in my truck and tried to start it and the engine would not turn over. Initially, I thought it was the battery so, I tried to jump start it to no avail. Next, I tried push starting it and initially the wheels locked up but eventually it started. From that point it was fine however, it wasn't until friday that I tried to start it and again it was hard to start. When it did it started rattling indicating a possible bent push rod. Upon calling an engine mechanic, he informed me that there had been a rise in 4.2 liter v-6 engine failures because of a known defect. It was at that time that I started doing internet research and came across tsb 99-20-7 and onp 99b29. At this point, my truck is in the shop being diagnosed and I'm sure the mechanic is going to tell me I need a new engine.
Consumer turned ford f150 on and vehicle hesitated then cranked and began rattling. Head gasket lead water into the cylinder. *ts refer to recall campaign# dp05005.
Dt: contact owns a 1998 ford f150 pickup. Whiile driving on the interstate the spark plug blew out. No warning at all. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and had the vehicle towed 650 miles back to the contact's home.
I changed my spark plugs at the recommended mileage and since that time they do not stay tight in the cylinders. They loosen up and I have to re-tighten them everyday so that they do not blow out of my cylinder head.
To whom it may concern: I am the owner of a 1998 ford f-150 4.2l xlt. A few weeks ago I noticed a slight hesitation upon starting my engine. Once the engine started, it struggled a little and then smoothed out once I began to drive. The truck continued to run fine, once started, but continued with the slight hesitation when starting the engine for about a week. On september 1, 2005, I attempted to start my truck and found that it would not turn over right away. I let the truck rest a moment then again attempted to start the engine. The truck started up, then I heard the slight hesitation and all of sudden I heard a loud bang followed by a loud noise coming from the engine. I had the truck towed to my mechanic whereupon I was informed that it was a rod knock, which shot down through the oil pan. He found coolant on the plugs and water intrusion through the intake manifold into the block. He informed me that my engine had hydro-locked. Through research I was able to determine that this is an apparently widespread problem. I found that ford motor company issued a recall on the intake manifold gasket in 1999. I never received such notification, although I have, in fact received information for other recalls. I was never sent anything in the mail and had no idea of this problem. In addition, I am informed that ford motor company is not doing anything to rectify this matter with customers. I currently have 117,000 miles on my truck and had to pay over $4,000.00 to replace the long block. I had to pay to repair a problem that ford obviously knew existed. Since ford was aware of the potential danger of damaging the engine and did little, if nothing, to inform its customers of this potential danger, I feel that ford motor company should be held, at least in part, liable for the damage incurred to my truck and to many of those, like myself, who have had the same problem. I would greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter.
98 ford f-150 with 4.2l with coolant leaking into engine. This is happening to almost all of these engines and ford is doing nothing about it.
On my way home from work, I noticed my temp gauge in the red and my oil pressure gauge at zero. The "check oil" light was lit as well. The truck at the time was running fine, no noises from the engine and no smoke from the tailpipe. I pulled off to the shoulder of the highway and had the truck towed to the nearest shop which happens to be a ford dealer; diablo ford in pittsburgh, ca. On 09/12/05, the first day the service dept was able to get to it, I received a call from the dealer telling me that both head gaskets were blown. The engine needs to be pulled and disassembled to check engine bearings, connecting rods, valves and pistons to see if there is more damage than just blown head gaskets. So far the quote with internal engine parts not damaged is $3200. That quote could rise very easily if internal damage is found. Since this happened, I was on the fightback.com website and have found literally hundreds of people with 1997 to 1999 f150 ford trucks with 4.2 liter engines. Apparently, ford has changed the design of the head gaskets in mid 1999, due to consumer complaints for these particular engines. My understanding is ford refuses to acknowledge the problem, and hundreds if not thousands of people are shelling out $3000+ to repair their trucks. In some cases, entire engines were replaced for thousands of dollars more. I believe ford should recall and cover the costs on the engines. If I'm not mistaking, the 3.8 liter v6 shares the same block and heads as the 4.2. The 3.8 is found in a lot of ford windstars and taurus'. Somebody needs to accept responsibility for making faulty engines.
Dt: 1998 ford f150. Coolant in the oil, and serious engine noise. The are white vapors from the exhaust system. Has not taken vehicle to a service station yet. Unable to drive automobile.
Consumer's request assistance in getting ford to reimburse them for repairs for faulty gasket on their 1998 ford f150 pickup truck.*mr water leaked into the oil because of a faulty gasket which then caused the engine to blow. The consumer did some research and found out that the gasket was recall in 1999. The consumer indicated that he never received and notice of a gasket recall. The consumer request that ford reimburse him for the faulty engine.
Head gasket/ head bolt failure at 66,000 miles. Mechanic reported it during routine service. Said 3 things cause this failure. 1. Lack of coolant (overheating), 2. Defective gasket or 3. Factory defect during the milling the head. Mechanic reported this as a known problem with this model of ford truck. Since the coolant level has always been maintained, that leaves the other two possibilities. Since this vehicle is regularly serviced, problem was caught right away. No indication of problem before hand. No tsb issued for this vehicle but some for other ford vehicles in same manufacturing year. Searching the internet found similar problems with other ford 150s' with premature blown head gaskets. Repairs at ford dealer were $2300 with little choice to go elsewhere. Problems with dealer in getting repair done correctly, but that is a different complaint. I have seen other recalls for defective head gaskets over the years, this engine should be considered.
Ford f150 head gasket leaked water into the cylinder causing bent rods.***no answer required***. *mr
My98 ford f150 4-2l motor thew a rod found coolent on the plugs just like the huhdreds of otheres but no one wants to admit to the problom with this motor now its 3k to 4k to fix it I dont know when that will happen but it make a great lawn ornment I hope some one is looking into this thank you for you time
Like many others, my lower intake manifold gasket failed at 132,000 miles, resulting in coolant leaking into the #4 cylinder and causing a hydrolock condition. I replaced the motor. Prior to the hydrolock, I had noticed coolant levels dropping for a year or so prior but thought nothing of it and just periodically topped off the coolant. At the time of failure, I noticed lots of white smoke coming from the exhaust.
Dt: consumer said that spark plug blew out of the cylinder head. Consumer was traveling in vehicle at about 30 MPH up hill. This happened in the day time. Consumer saidthat his vehicle was in garage to be repaired. Consumer did not know which cylinder. Consumer did report this to ford.
Coolant leaked into the engine due to a faulty deisgn of the front cover gasket causing a bent rod due to uncompressible coolant in the cylinders.
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