Hello guys,

So my neighbor who said he was tired of pouring money into this truck gave me the key a few days ago and said I can have it which made me pretty excited. He said that he took it to a mehanic and they said a cylinder sleeve slipped on the motor and I would need to buy a new engine and have it installed in the car. So yesterday I went out to jump it and try and start it which to my surprise it started fine. No sounds coming from the motor, no ticking, no clanking...nothing??? So my question to you guys is if a sleeve had dropped wouldnt the engine not want to run??

I took it around the block and noticed the temp gauge rising pretty fast and by the time I got it back home the engine wouldnt stay running and died right infront of the house. Tried to start it back up and it dies as soon as the key is let go. Also noticed it idled high and would roll at about 10mph on its on. No gas input needed. Checked the oil and noticed the oil was a sort of tan color, not a dirty black normal oil color. Didnt see any creamy ness though so I dont know if thats a indication of coolant mixing??? Also noticed that there wasnt any coolant which would explain the temp rising so fast. Also noticed one day it was blowing oil out the exhaust when i tried to drive it to a mechanic for them to look at it. But yea what do you guys suggest I do with this car??? Everything else is fine as Im told said basically I need a new engine. How would buying a used engine be more this car as Im not looking to spend more than 3000 on the car as it would just be a backup for me. Do you guys think it really needs a new one???

 

It may be a slipped sleeve, but it sounds like it could also be a head gasket. If the oil is tan, there's definitely coolant in it.

Don't try and start it again without getting a read on whether it's just a "simple" head gasket. That said, I'm thinking there's probably some damage to the block if you drove it long enough for it to overheat and shut down.

 

Generally a slipped sleeve doesn't make a noise until the engine is up to normal temp. They sometimes crack allowing coolant to get in oil. Luckily mine slipped but did not crack. Did it make and noise once hot?

 

Wel now you know why it was free... Do not start it or drive it. Find a good local indie mechanic to have it towed to. and start the process, Yo may not need a new engine, it could be the head gasket, but at this point I would, if that is the case, re do the whole cooling system, hoses, 180 thermo, radiator sensors sender, etc. Have a look at mikes major service and prepare to get that done once you determine what the extent of the engine issue is. Good luck.

 

Plan on new motor ... cannibalv8 or gpr for a good one. This makes you wonder what else needs to be done to it as well...drivetrain etc....but free is free...

 

Hmm...we'll seeing as this would be a back up car to two cars that we already own running. I'm not looking to dump a WHOLE lot of money into this. I do mechanic work on all my cars but I haven't gone so far as to tear down a engine yet. Hardest job I've done so far was the timing belt on my VW. The options that I was considering for this truck was just to buy a used 4.6 off eBay or something or tear it down myself with some direction on some books or write ups that could help me along the way. 5 grand is kind a lot for a car that I don't have that much interest for but only to drive in these chicago winters. So what you guys think with those options??? I wouldn't mind taking this job and doing it myself if there was some good write ups or something to read to help me along the way.

 

A new motor and all the past due maintenance and gremlin chasing will put you well over 7k with parts alone.

The cheapest and maybe most reliable solution is to buy a low mileage used 4.0 from an earlier discovery 2 and drop it in. That's what I did, no issues with the swap.

You will still need to address the cooling system and other smaller items that will pop up once it's running.

I would try and ascertain the level of maintenance that has done on the car: front driveshaft, brakes, trans, etc. before thinking a new motor is all you need.

 

I will do that next time I see my friend. I was told that it was always dealer maintained and he has all receipts for work done said the transmission was serviced last but I forgot what else he told me. One things for sure I'm not looking to purchase a brand new engine for this thing. Just want to get it running and maybe get a year or two or maybe even 3 out of it. You say a 4.0 will drop in no problem??? No wiring harness change needed or ecu??? I'm trying to stay in the 2500 range of either swapping another motor or fixing what's wrong with the original motor. Not really looking to go over 3000 for this thing as it's not going to be a DD.

 

The new motor suppliers mentioned above are in the 6-7 range for a long block.

If you rebuild and actually have a slipped liner, you will pay a minimum of 1500 for the "top hat sleeved" block alone. The total rebuild should be in the 3k world using as many used parts as possible, plus install.

I put a 4.0 from a 2002 into my 2004 that had a 4.6. No harness change or ECU change.

You could easily buy a 2002 or earlier with a decent motor for 2000-2500. Pull the motor, scavenge the rest of the parts you want(back up trans, back up front driveshaft, shuttle valve/ABS components, trims, etc). Sell the rest off for parts/scrap.

 

I actually bought and 03 last year with a bad engine. The guy I bought it from was actually on a trip at the time the engine came apart. I made the assumption that since he was confident enough to take it on a trip, everything else must have been Okay. I bought a use 2004 (many 03 have bad engines) engine online for $2400 delivered (to my work as I did not have a forklift at home). Put the engine in, passed safety inspection and emissions and it is a great running car. In fact, just swapped out the transfer case for locking 04 txfr case 2 weeks ago. Now I have an 03 that is really an 04 where it matters.