My 93k mile/7 yr-old Explorer needs a new motor....

[mysilverbullet]

Hello, I'm new on here. I have some questions...likely a lot of questions. I have a 2005 Ford Explorer with 93k miles. In April 2012, I was driving on the highway and something popped and my check gage light came on. After this happened, as I accelerated, large gusts of white smoke came from my exhaust. I pulled off the road and have my car towed. I was later told that it was the hose for my thermostat that blew apart and they replaced it.

About a month ago, my check gage flashed on. I did some research and found that I should check my coolant reservoir. When I did, I found it nearly empty. I took it to a local shop and they filled it with 2 gallons. I was also told that the place that did the thermostat work should look at it again becuase there was air in the system and it was preventing the coolant from getting through where it needs to go.

I called the place that did the work in April and asked them about it and they said if my truck started to overheat, to bring it back and they would take a look at it. Last week the gauge for the coolant started to move, sort of fluctuating and then on Friday, it shot all the way to the H and my air conditioner started blowing warm air. I took the truck immediately to the shop and an hour later was informed that my motor was ruined. I was stunned.

So what I need to know is if all this is connected? Could the thermostat unit have been installed wrong, causing me to never be notified that the truck was over heating? Is this the only thing that would cause white smoke to come from the exhaust? And if not, could everything have shown up on a diagnostics test in April? If they billed me for a thermostat unit, but pointed out that they only replaced my thermostat hose, is that the same thing or did I get charged for something that wasn't done, thus leading to my motor being ruined?

I whole-heartedly believe that they caused this. My truck has been well maintained; oil changes, tune-ups, brakes, tires, etc., so I do not believe that an engine just goes bad. Its just not rational. Not a Ford Truck.

Anyhow, any advice and feedback would be greatly appreciated

 

[shadowless127]

white smoke from exhaust = head gasket.

Head and block are probably shot at this point.

 

[Turdle]

I think the "damage" was done when the thermostat blew the first time and you kept accelerating.

The shop replaced the thermostat, and coolant was being burned since.

Maybe they should have caught the head gasket being blown when they did the thermostat job, maybe not. If they had left air in your system I doubt it would have taken this long for the problem to appear. MY guess is the head gasket was slowly getting worse and you have been burning coolant ever since. You would have seen this had you checked your coolant level once in a while.

 

[mysilverbullet]

white smoke from exhaust = head gasket.

Head and block are probably shot at this point.

Yeah, that's what my uncle said. He thinks that this was what should have been addressed rather than just the thermostat issue. But I am also learning that they didn't do a diagnostics on it since they immediately saw the issue when they noticed the hose loose. They say that's the only repair they did, yet I was charged $430 for a thermostat unit. But not doing a diagnostics test makes no sense to me.

 

[mysilverbullet]

I think the "damage" was done when the thermostat blew the first time and you kept accelerating.

The shop replaced the thermostat, and coolant was being burned since.

Maybe they should have caught the head gasket being blown when they did the thermostat job, maybe not. If they had left air in your system I doubt it would have taken this long for the problem to appear. MY guess is the head gasket was slowly getting worse and you have been burning coolant ever since. You would have seen this had you checked your coolant level once in a while.

I agree that this is probably where things went wrong. My issue is that it went undiagnosed and unrepaired. According to my paperwork, coolant level was checked with everything else at the time of my regular oil changes. So I never saw a need to check anything myself. I suppose I thought things were all on the up and up since I have never had a service issue with my truck in the 7 years I have owned it. I have fully relied on servicing it regularly and addressing issues that might have arisen from my annual emissions testing.

 

[mysilverbullet]

How far could I drive my truck without coolant or could I drive it at all? I spoke with a few different techs and I am getting mixed reviews. One says that my truck would barely make it a mile or so before dying without coolant and another says I could drive it miles and miles depending on the temp outside.

Also, does the temperature gauge not work if there isn't any coolant in the truck? and if I wanted to verify whether or not the thermostat housing was properly installed, does that mean having someone take it apart and is that even something that they could assess or is that a lost cause?

I am searching for answers because it is extremely costly to keep having my truck towed from place to place and paying people for things that aren't telling me anything new to help with possibly having the cost of repairs covered.

 

[Wills05xlt4x4]

I had a 94 s10 2.2l I drove for months with no coolant(drank two gallons per day) it did fine until the timing chain snapped... Every motor is different though and I would never suggest running it low..
The temp gauge is next to the thermostat, it Will always work regardless if there's coolant though I've noticed my gauge won't move until I'm 225+and then it'll jump from normal to high(gauge is electronic)