Suddenly Overheating and No Oil Pressure?

[JRLCrist]

Okay, here's the scoop. I have two issues that just came up after driving from coast to coast (moved from PA to AZ). First, here's what's happening. My truck will start and the temp gauge will read cold. After about 30 seconds of being on the road, it'll race all the way up to near redline in about 5 seconds flat. The second problem is my oil pressure gauge. I have a feeling a sensor is buggy because it'll read normally, but after a few minutes if I stop at a light or start to go into the lower RPMs, it reads 0 pressure. Here's what I know from poking around. I popped the hood and saw that the fans were running, which to my knowledge is good. Before the cross-country trip, I replaced the spark plugs and noticed that one of them looks very... well, sandy brown, while the rest still look shiny. I haven't done anything with it yet because I don't have my rachet set here yet and I wanted your opinions. I also noticed that about two mornings ago I had white smoke coming out of my exhaust pipe and that ever since I started up into the mountains, I've had next to no power and have been having a hell of a time even hitting 15mph (after that I'm okay). I know I have multiple holes in my exhaust pipe that weren't there before, but then again the pipes were a tad rusted anyway and I hope to replace them with some stainless steel ones. The only other two details I can think of are when the temperature jolts up like that, I blow my heat on high and it's hardly even hot at all. Also, I checked my oil levels, and they're fine. Granted I need to get my oil changed like tomorrow, would that make a difference?

Any help would be appreciated


EDIT: I jsut took off the radiator cap and saw that my overflow was full because I jsut refilled it a few days ago, but my radiator was bone dry. I started to put more in, but how did that happen? I didn't see any leaks when I just poured some in.

 

[Tbars4]

...as for item number one, it shows all the signs of a head gasket problem....as for the oil pressure, i'm not 100% sure on that yet so i won't say anything...you may find all your problems when you pull your heads...sorry about being the bearer of the news...if you search there are a few threads on head gasket installs, good luck...

 

[JRLCrist]

Mmm, that sucks. I just refilled my radiator and it maintains a "middle of the road" temp, but normally it's on the N in Normal. I'd rather have middle of the road than red hot, though The funny thing is, I filled it up, drove about 10 miles, then opened the cap and saw that it needed to be filled back up a little bit. Not much, just a little. I can't find any leaks, too. Is all that really because of the gasket?

 

[Tbars4]

...it is leaking thru the gasket to the cylinders...the white smoke you had seen is water, in the form of steam...if your spark plugs look shiny, they are steam cleaned...i admit pics of the plugs would help...water in the cylinder, overheating, and low oil pressure can eventually lead to a cracked block if you don't fix it in time...

 

[JRLCrist]

I'll get pictures as soon a I can. Let me ask you this. It's a 93 EB w/ over 300k on it. I jsut had the tranny rebuilt and that's running fine. Would it be worth the amount to resurface the heads and replace the gasket, or do you think it's time for a rebuild? What would be more cost effective? I saw Creager's rebuild, and chances are I'll save the money and just do what he did and build a super 4L, but how much would just a regular rebuild cost?

 

[Tbars4]

...if you want to save money i would find a motor and just swap it out....300-600 bucks used, you swap, same year/generation motor...from there you rebuild your motor and it depends on your area what it will cost....to buy a rebuilt motor you can spend as a guess, 1000-1500 depending on what you want in it...:scratch:
...it all depends on you and your lo-cal, your wants and your needs, and how long you can have the truck down...if your motor didn't have so many miles on it i would say normally just do the head gasket repair...i am sure some others will chime in as this is pretty common on the first gen's...

 

[MountaineerGreen]

With 300k, I'd think about a motor swap. Get a "fresh" motor with 100k, and swap it in, over a weekend. I'll bet there are some first gens lurking around with a relatively low mileage engine.

 

[JRLCrist]

Cool, good idea. I'll look around the area and online and see what I can come up with. Is it fairly difficult to swap out a motor? Is it a diy or something that a shop should/could/would do?

 

[Tbars4]

...only you can be the one to find the answer to that grasshopper...

 

[Skydiver]

If your Ex is in overall good shape and you plan to keep it for the foreseeable future then just go buy a rebuilt/reman'd motor for it. Nearly all come with a warranty too.

I can't see wasting all of that time and effort just to swap in a "fresh" 100k engine. You have no way of knowing what kind of use and abuse that 100k put on the replacement motor. If money is an issue and/or the Ex isn't worthy of a rebuilt power plant then you gotta do what you gotta do. We've all been there I'm sure. Judging by your post (..."and I hope to replace them with some stainless steel ones"...) money isn't any issue and the Ex is very worthy.

To be most cost effective, you ask. Pull the heads, the gasket should tell you right away where it failed and pretty much why. Check the deck surface; Look for any visible cracks/defects, Use a precision straightedge and fealer-guage to make certain the block deck and head are not warped. Then install a new gasket and be done with it. It's not a hard job to do but you'll need to know proper torque specs. Check the forum for the details. You might be required to replace the head bolts, I'm sure those details are in this forum and in your Haynes manual. I have yet to rebuild a Ford motor and it's been 10 years since the last time I rebuilt any motor.


good luck

EDIT:: The loss of oil pressure and the extreme power loss leads me to think there is more to it than just a possible head gasket. R&R of the heads will give you all of the answers you'll need.