lound knocking/rapping on 2003 xlt

[csbinSC]

Hi,

I have been told by a local garage that my 2003 xlt needs a new engine. Before I drop 6K into a rebuild, I was hoping to get some opinions/advice from this group. This truck has been very well maintained and I am a little horrified that a new engine is required after only 103K miles. This truck is used as a commuter vehicle and has never towed anything.

I had recently brought the truck in for an oil change and brake fluid flush. About 50 miles later, and a block from my house, I started noticing a clicking coming from the engine. Soft at first, but within 100 ft or so it became louder and then became very load. The I managed to get the truck to the driveway (300 ft), but it was bucking pretty good at the end. It still starts, but the loud knocking persists.

The garage said they ruled out valve related issues and at this point, without going into much greater expense, recommended a new engine.

I think my next step is to get it to a dealership to see if they can do a better job isolating the problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[csbinSC]

Well, the truck is at the dealer and they are telling me it looks like it needs a new engine. Having changed the oil every 3K miles and done all of the scheduled maintenance, I am really shocked. Is this in any way typical of the ford product? This is my first ford truck and, given this episode, my last.

Anyone have a similar experience as this? How many miles should one expect these engines to last? Did I just get a "lemon" (I use that term loosely as the truck does have 103K on it)? I wasn't expecting 500K, but was at least expecting 200K.

 

[John_Rock]

I'm shocked too. Who did the oil change? Did the oil leak out causing the engine to fail? Did Ford say why it failed?

 

[csbinSC]

The dealership had one of the more experienced mechanics look at it and, after starting it, he said the engine was gone. They are going to hook it up to the diagnostic computer to see if they can get more detail, but they are not holding out much hope.

I asked what might have caused the engine to go bad, but until they are done with the diagnostics, they don't really want to get into that conversation.

The oil change was done at a local Firestone. I checked the oil after the engine started acting up, and the level seemed fine. A little over the full line, but not much (maybe a quarter of an inch) and the fluid itself looked clean (not milky or gritty or anything out of the ordinary).

I'm waiting for the dealer to call back with the results of the diagnostics.

 

[csbinSC]

Well, the dealership says the #2 piston is not rising or falling at all and the best thing is to replace the entire engine. He said the most likely cause is some water getting in through the air intake. They said they see a couple of these a week in our area due to to the fact that the streets are flood prone and people drive through water deeper than they should. The water gets into the air mixture and basically cracks the piston.

I did not drive through any water deeper than a few inches, but I do lend my truck out to relatives, so it is not outside the realm of possiblility that this occurred. From some of the pictures I see on this website, I think these trucks have seen their share of deeper water. Besides avoiding puddles on the streets, what can I do to prevent this type of thing from happening in the future?

Anyway, $6K and a week from now I should have the truck back.

 

[chiswells]

Ok i have the same problem right now in my 2003 xlt sport trac... i hit a racoon friday night then everything went to poop, i got a ton of oil in my breather, filters soaked. I followed hoses back to engine and cleaned all the parts. I'm not sure if its a piston or valves though.

anyone know where there is a servbice manual online for this engine?