ahhh i need help (sorry furd)

[hans999999]

try to start my 1997 f350 460 FI after it sitting for about and hour or two and all i get is barely half a crank. doesnt sound like the batterys low at all. try again. try jumping it, same thing. then try putting it in neutral turns over but starts. i drive off thinking its alright. 1 minute later i see billows of steam coming out of my exhaust and noticed a lack of power but not that much. so i whip it back home and try to see whats goin on. theres definetly coolant/antifreeze going through my exhaust. i pulled the 2nd to the firewall plugs on each side and theyre fine. normal looking. i was thinking id see fouled wet plugs. underneath i can see coolant leaking slowly from between the exahust manifold and block so iam thinking blown headgasket. someone helppppppp

 

[diesel4me]

sounds like it..

It does sound like coolant is getting in the cylinder(s) somehow.and causing hydrolock (not letting it crank due to water being incompressable)..that can break pistons and rods if severe enough!..I'd guess its a blown head gasket,or to be more accurate,a ROTTED head gasket!..I see tons of late model vehicles being junked when a head gasket fails,usually its a cheap steel OEM gasket that rusted away between a coolant passage and a cylinder..doesn't take much to cause a lot of damage..

Your plugs may or may not look fouled when a head gasket fails..sometimes they look like they are brand new and steam cleaned !..other times they turn nasty with black goop melted on them..you'll likely have to pull all 8 plugs and compare them all..sometimes you'll see antifreeze on the porcelain of the firing tips,or some squirt out of the plug hole while cranking it over with no plugs in it..

At any rate,I wouldn't drive or run it very long in this condition..once prestone gets in the oil,the bearings will be next on the DOA list.. ..fix the head gasket(or whatever is letting coolant in the cylinder,could be cracked head(s) or intake,etc)--then flush the crankcase out and change the oil and filter..then pray you caught it in time!...

Older fords with carbs had hot water chokes ,and carb heat riser plates..they sometimes cracked or rotted away and let antifreeze get inhaled!..I know nothing about ford's fuel injection,but it might be they still use a heated passage near the throttle body..might be worth looking into,hate to see you pull the heads off for nothing..

 

[wildmouse216]

That sounds more like a cracked head than a head gasket. Sorry for you man!

 

[AZ79K5Project]

My daily driver is an 97 F150 w/4.6. I don't know your engine, but I replaced my engine two years ago. My check engine light came on while on the freeway, followed by a miss, followed by the check engine light flashing. (never a good thing)

I thought I lost an in injector.

Here's what really happened:
head gasket went
cylinder filled with fluid
cranked and ran engine
cracked #1 cylinder.

Gotta love that aluminum block.

Whatever you do, don't run the truck until you find how deep the problem is.

Sorry man.