I think I killed her...

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trevcda

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I'm pretty sure I blew a head gasket. In the process the coolant got flushed into the engine block and and out the intake. Instead of the usual equipment trailer, I had a bike rack on the back. Having just come back from a long bicycle ride and not towing anything, I wasn't watching for anything to go wrong and ended up hydro-locking the engine. I had it towed back to my warehouse and let it sit for a couple days and tried turning it over, without starting it. It turned, so it's not seized. I let it sit a couple more days and drained the emulsion that used to be oil and coolant. I filled it with oil and it started right up. I let it run for a few moments and did this every day, to circulate the good oil through the engine, and changed out the oil two more times. So it runs and will move on it's own, but I'm not putting coolant in nor running it long enough to build up any appreciable heat.

So I took it to a mechanic who said that it would be around $2300 to change the head gasket(s) and a few other "might as well do, as long as we have it torn down" items. Oh and if the heads are cracked, as I'm told this engine is prone to, that's gonna be another $800. So if I spend around $3100 on a vehicle with 177K on it, it's still not worth that. Does that seem like a decent price for that work? I'm just gut checking with you guys. I always said that I could replace almost everything but the engine and transmission myself, and for the most part have. I'm getting a few other estimates and even checking with a few shade tree mechanics. Any input is appreciated!
 
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Tonyrodz

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For that price I'd get a used 5.7--replace the usual failure prone parts and call it a day. Doing that, you'd still probably be a few dollars ahead of the game. Just my .02. Unless if you plan on keeping it for a long time I'd price out a reman short block from a reputable business, such as Jasper.
 
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Pain@thepump

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If you were in CA, I'd mention that I know a guy. I've seem him teardown & rebuild a ford motor overnight. By the time I returned in the morning it was back in the car running and ready to ship.
 

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