Serious Problems?/Death!?!

[4cornersfarm]

Ok. I have a 2007 Merc Mountaineer Premier. Has run like a top. No extra maintenance for its whole life. Not even regular oil changes. Awesome. So I let the guys at the farm do an overdue oil change (only overdue by 20,000). No problem amzoil 5w-30 they said 5 quarts. Apparently it was making a noise I. The engine after and they kept running it and went on an errand to drop of a tractor starter. On the way back Merc stopped moving. They say it just stopped. There was oil in it but very little antifreeze although no dash light on? They flatbedded my Merc home and I would like to kill them. Really? Driving with a noise? I am worried now reading posts. Merc can't be dead. I have no money presently so I will be doing the work myself. Is there any hope of resurrection?? Oh btw they used a Fram high mileage filter with time released additives. Agggg. Help? Anyone? Where should I start? I am not able to see links in other posts, it just dumps me on Facebook.

 

[Explorer_PL]

What motor ? Does it turn ?
Can you check the oil color, smell ?
Oil change overdue by 20,000 ???????
Maybe they drained the oil but there was only sludge and it clogged oil passages and starved it ?

 

[4cornersfarm]

What motor ? Does it turn ?
Can you check the oil color, smell ?
Oil change overdue by 20,000 ???????
Maybe they drained the oil but there was only sludge and it clogged oil passages and starved it ?

Sorry, It has a 4l v6. The oil is clear. I didn't notice a smell. When they drained the oil there was some sludge but not a huge amount they said. If there was more sludge than they thought and they did starve it what should I do now?? They said it seemed as if there is no compression now.

 

[Explorer_PL]

That's a tough one to diagnose remotely. Do you have the car now ?
If no compression then either there is an issue with the valves or rings. Can you crank it ? Check the compresion yourself on each cylinder if it turns.

Next step would be to drop the pan which is not that easy on those motors, maybe the oil pump sucked the sludge and the engine was working dry. Remove the valve covers and crank it and see if the oil is coming up, it should.

 

[rewind1]

In the interest of being thorough, I'd forget about the oil change for a moment and start diagnosing again.

If there's no compression... did the timing chains let go? Unfortunately, not so uncommon.

 

[Tech By Trade]

Noise? 4.0l SOHC? Pop the valve covers and start searching for a drop in. Bet the timing set imploded.

 

[Explorer_PL]

Not sure why I thought it was 4.6 v8. Now I see it's the v6, start calling junk yards.

 

[4cornersfarm]

Ok. I have the oil pan off. Yup its sludgy. It smells normal. But there is a bunch of plastic pieces in it. I have pics but I can't figure out how to include them. Now valve covers...

 

[Explorer_PL]

the plastic pieces are from chain guides. You lost your timing gear. You will need to pull the motor out either way I am afraid.

To fix the the timing or drop a "new" one in.

 

[4cornersfarm]

Well, I looked around the pan a bit more and checked by the screen and also found some thin metal pieces. It has been busy so I haven't explored further but I have a horrible feeling. Is it even worth it?

 

[Tech By Trade]

Save yourself the time. The timing chains are gone. Start shopping for an engine unless you have a lot of time and attention to detail and tools or tool budget in order to redo the timing chains yourself. Metal is probably the springs from the tensioner on the balance shaft and the tensioner on the jackshaft to crank guide.

 

[StevenGene]

Yup, what everyone else is saying. Its the timing components. I had an 01 exp with the same engine. I let someone borrow it for a couple months. They didnt keep up with the oil. Ended up just dying on them. When i got it towed home i dropped the oil pan and pieces of plastic and metal everywhere. Remove your valve covers and check and see if the chains are loose. With this engine you really need to be picky when changing the oil. I now have an 06 Explorer with that same engine. I change that oil every 3000 miles. Question though, why would you wait that long to change your oil?? not to be rude or anything, thats kind of ridiculous. in any case a decent replacement/rebuilt engine is going to cost you a pretty penny. Those engines arent cheap. i was looking at replacing the one in in my 01 but the cheapest i could find was like 3500.