Help : ) 01' seized engine 3 hours from home, in middle of no where!

[Dan DiMassa 2]

Hi all,



Dan here again. So I was heading from Miami to Key West yesterday and on Grassy Key my '01 w/138K made a rattling noise then shut off and seized Im guessing. If I had to guess timing chain gave up on me, and I had a catastrophic engine failure. (all those 3k synthetic oil changes rendered useless) Wont crank at all, oil coming out my cold air intake tube, tried hand tug on belts no luck.



After 10 hours of hitchhiking, 2 bus trips and a train I got home to Miami 11pm last night.



This morn its decision time, since its in great shape and well maintained (new tires and suspension and much more) Im thinking of getting a new engine. Im panicking with only one day off work and need to get a rental and get the three hours to my truck find place to tow it etc.



Any help will be insanely appreciated : ) as Im a young dude that just moved here from NJ and dont know the area at all.



Best place to get replacement engine? in past heard of jasper and rock auto

Should I replace engine? or move on

Tow it to civilization (Miami) or find local Keys shop?

Has this happened to others?

Know of any great mechanics in that 100 mile range?

Can I sign up for a AAA and use it same day? My Autovantage membership ended this month of course!



I deeply apologize, and know as a long term reader here I should check old posts but Im on a smart phone and again panicking as I need to get down there and figure it out before the "locals" get to it.



Thanks yet again ST community!

(I will check back here on the ride and contact info below also)



Dan

609..85.1..2.849

di ma ss adaniel@ gmail_com

 

[Art Garcia]

i would recommend that you get some kind of diagnostics done to it. see if somehow you could determine what precisely went wrong. then you could go from there and figure out some numbers. if you may happen to need a whole new engine, people have suggested partslocator.com and new york block exchange which i have heard great things about. like we all say, the amount of a new engine may solely seem like a large amount of money but then again where will you find a dependable car at that price. you know your sport trac and you mentioned its well taken care of. therefore your best route could be replacing the engine if needed. but im very sorry to hear that, im actually getting paranoid because lately ive read many post of such catastrophes like this one happening to other sport trac members.

 

[Dan DiMassa 2]

Thanks for info! Anyone heard of EverDrive.com? - Im trying to find reviews and not looking good. Because so far estimates are $5K-7K range so far - was hoping for $3K-4K...

 

[Art Garcia]

ive heard 1.5-3k for a new engine.

5-7k is just ridiculously overpriced.

that sounds more like a brand new Sport Trac

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

Go back a couple days in the threads and you'll find two other members had their engines replaced cheap. SteveM is north of you and has his parts truck for sale CHEAP. If I had the moeny I'd get that off him in a heartbeat just for the fact all the parts that are still there are worth there weight in gold in times like these.

 

[David Griffith 2]

My engine is being replaced as I type on my '01.. 2,600.00.. That included the tow, labor, etc.. Hunt around a little more. I know you are in a rush, but take your time on this one.. You can use AAA the day you sign up for it.

 

[Dan DiMassa 2]

Found a place that will do install for $1800 + tax, fluids etc.

Below a Rock Auto long block 3yr/100 mile warranty (and a water pump while apart) Takes 20 days to ship.



Engine : Long Block

MARSHALL Part # F2445C Reman

* Non-stock item--shipping delayed up to 12 business days A

$1,956.79 $400.00 core $2,356.79

2001 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC 4.0L 245cid V6 FI (E) SOHC

Cooling System : Water Pump

A-1 CARDONE Part # 58543 Includes Gasket Reman. A-1 CARDONE Water Pump B

$39.79 $8.00 core $47.79

Subtotal $2,404.58

Discount -$99.83



Shipping Location B Ground (FedEx or UPS) $10.64

Shipping Location A Truck Freight $123.60

Total $2,438.99



Thoughts? Im thinking under $4500 keep it, over then use that money for down payment and make an artificial reef for the keys out of my ST : )



-thanksx100

 

[Wes Davis]

What about your tow situation? Check your car insurance and cell phone company and any credit cards. All of these sometimes include road side service as part of your payments. It is almost a given these days with your car insurance. This has been an expensive Fantasy Fest for you, sorry about your troubles.

 

[Bill Byars]

Hey Dan, sorry to hear about your delima, I know where you're coming from as I buy Explorers from people that this has happened to. Sometimes I rebuild the engine and sometimes I'll buy one from a salvage and swap them out; I can tell you that ALL of these 4.0 Vin "E" sohc engines from 2001 and back either have had, or will have this happen to them because of the valve tensioner situation. Most of the time the timing will jump and then it destroys the engine when the valves and pistons get together. They suppose-ably (FORD), have fixed the problem on 2002 and up however I'm still skeptical about them. If anyone has noise in their engine and wants to see if they have a timing cassette problem they can pull the bottom plate off the oil pan and drain into a good sized pan and then look for any plastic and metal parts that have resulted from the cassette failure and then you'll know if your 4.0 needs surgery. Buying a salvage engine, from $750 to $1400, even if you hear it run is a big gamble. They generally give a guarantee on the engine but it doesn't cover the labor to change it out; we charge about a $1000 for this here in Oklahoma. If you buy a reman engine I know that JASPER does a good job and has a good warranty as my friend who has another shop deals with them a lot.

If anyone with-in reasonable driving distance around Tulsa, OK. needs their ST fixed or wants to sell it as-is you can call me (Bill), at 918-759-1234 to discuss.



FYI: The 4.0 ohv engine is bullet proof, however it's next to impossible to swap it into a sohc vehicle, so beware of some shops telling you it's a simple deal and they'll do it cheap.