F150 Repair Advice...

[tp308]

Long story short... my 2016 F150 (3.5 Eccoboost) started eating spark plugs and coil packs a few months ago. Took it to a local garage, 3 large repair bills (totaling $6k) from him later. New plugs & coil packs twice, replace valve cover gasket & valve cover... each time telling me that he was finding oil in certain cylinders. This is the 4th trip back to this shop in a month, today he tells me that there's no compression on cylinder 3 and I need a new engine. I ask him what about the $6k I've dropped with him in the last 3-4 wks and he says "it sucks man". Picking this truck up in the morning... my question is, what would you do? Should I hold this guy accountable for milking me dry the last 3 wks and what would you do with this truck at this point? 180K miles Ford telling me a new engine is $10-12k. I'm at a loss.

 

[TSAMP]

I'd get a second opinion first before anything else.

Then I'd start calling salvage yards and see about finding a motor that route. I'd guess you can find a decent one for 3k. Maybe reuse the new parts off the old motor.

 

[adieatrick]

Taking it to him that many times without a 2nd opinion sucks and it is probably money lost IMO. Hard saying what was the root cause without another opinion on the diagnosis. Might be at a point where you're investing another 10k and driving the wheels off or taking that $6k on the chin and moving on. I went through that with my old F150 5.4 and the cam phasers. Finally just traded it off and said enough was enough.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Trash that MF and find something else had to do that with my 08 and went back to a diesel for a few reasons. I wouldn’t fight with it unless it’s your dream truck and even then I’d think real hard.

 

[jmez]

Did you get it new? Do you like it?

Would you rather pay 10k for a motor with 0 miles on it or 30k for a motor with 60 thousand miles on it.

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[tp308]

Did you get it new? Do you like it?

Would you rather pay 10k for a motor with 0 miles on it or 30k for a motor with 60 thousand miles on it.

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Leaning towards a new motor... tough call though, tranny or turbos could fail the next day

 

[BRTreedogs]

So who is to say it didn’t need those other repairs as well?

And you would have to some how prove he lied and it didn’t need those repairs as well.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

I imagine at 180k+ you’ll just keep dumping money into it. Would it even be worth $12k with a new motor?

I don’t always trust Google reviews but would be interesting to see what others have to say about the guy.

I got a mechanic recommendation from a local hunting forum. Guy was a long time member and a lot of the members there recommended him. Ended up being a great guy to work with. Find a mechanic with a shop like this next time, he’ll shoot ya straight!

 

[tp308]

So who is to say it didn’t need those other repairs as well?

And you would have to some how prove he lied and it didn’t need those repairs as well.

Not saying it didn't need those things, it might have... but I feel like maybe he should've started with checking the compression first. If I would've known it needed a new motor, I certainly wouldn't have invested in these other expensive repairs.

 

[jmez]

Transmission is solid on them, very few problems if you change fluid occasionally. The valve body is another story, there are issues with them and I would replace that if your putting in a new motor. Pretty easy fix I'd you are mechanical, just messy.

Turbos I don't know anything about.

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[displacedtexan]

Not saying it didn't need those things, it might have... but I feel like maybe he should've started with checking the compression first. If I would've known it needed a new motor, I certainly wouldn't have invested in these other expensive repairs.

Why would he have checked compression?

 

[Marble]

If it was eating spark plugs and there was oil in the cylinders I would have compression tested it. If the spark plugs are out, it's not hard to do.

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[cnelk]

Why would he have checked compression?

Because when there’s oil in the cylinders it’s usually a ring problem.
And that means compression

 

[displacedtexan]

Because when there’s oil in the cylinders it’s usually a ring problem.
And that means compression

In my experience oil in the cylinders comes from above.

Also, I'm mostly a diesel guy.

 

[fmyth]

You might consider a used lower mile engine and pay the mechanic to swap it. I use this search engine to find used parts: car-part.com.

 

[Jake Larsen]

Swap it out for a 5.0 instead of an eco boost…like it should have been from the start


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[StuckInTheEast]

You got F@*%ed hard or your story doesnt add up...not trying to sound like a dick...but I've been fixing cars(right the first time) for over 22 years. Worked on more 3.5l eco bombs than I could ever count.
Coils don't go bad that soon and if they did they would be under a warranty unless your guy buys cheapest chit available on amazon...in which case your definitely in the wrong place, getting no money back and need to find a better shop.

Plugs could go bad in few weeks....maybe, but you'd be using so much oil to foul a set that fast you'd be smoking like crazy and dumping oil in it left and right which would have been grounds to condem the engine without $6k wasted polishing a turd.
If there was oil around the plugs it was likely from the valve covers, or leaking in around tube's pressed in head that the spark plugs drop into...most likely the tube's. Either way that should have been addressed or at least made aware to you on the first set of plugs.

Good technicians are hard to come by...I'd know well....I've been trying to find some to hire for a couple years for a growing shop...its a damn desert out there and the truely good ones are few and far between and god aweful expensive but worth every cent and they know it.

You need a second opinion if you want to repair that truck.
Run away from the other place, I'd consider it a loss at this point. Find a reputable( not recommended cause they are cheaper, but because they are good) independent shop...a clean, well lit place with out chit laying around all over and some newer vehicles in their lot, not just wore out beaters a good start to your search....NOT A CHAIN STORE.
Expect to pay them $300+ for a solid mechanical diag on it...you may get by cheaper if they are generous, knowledgeable of the 3.5 and fast...remember, your paying for years of experience/education to know how and what to do to properly assess your problem...your not paying strictly for the time they actively spend with hands on your truck.
If this had been at my shop you'd be in a much different scenario...you'd likely still need an engine from the sound of it...but it sure wouldn't have taken $6k worth firing up the parts cannon and taking WAG's at it to tell you that, maybe couple/few hundred in diag time depending on how many details you wanted...
That being said...sometimes shit just happens. I rebuilt heads on a 3.5l eco few years back due to burned valve. Ran like a top for a week or so then snapped a rod in half and windowed the block...absolutely nothing to do with the repairs performed. Rod likely weakened from detonation that caused the burned valve but no one could know that...but boy was I the asshole "you just worked on it"... They are all junk eventually and man made machines. Anything can fail at any time for a plethora of reasons.
If big repair bills scare you, you cant fix your own stuff or you don't at least have an honest and capable repair shop on hand, best option is likely to be buy new every 5 years or so once they are out of warranty and write the depreciation off as peace of mind and money you'd have spent keeping an older one going.

I have empathy for your situation, I see and hear stuff like this call the time. Alot of genuinely unqualified people in auto repair, a handful of genuinely talented ones....like literally any other field of employment. Auto repair has a low barrier to entry in regard to education or licensing requirements. Literally anyone with a few tools and a harbor freight scanner thats watched a few YouTube videos can set up shop and call themselves an auto repair facility in most states.
Big part of why I hate being in the business anymore...Least trusted profession behind only the likes of politicians, used car salesmen and lawyers. Not everyone, but a whole lot of them think your out to screw them no matter how honest your are.

But to get to the root of it after all that...Your the only one that knows the history of that truck...repairs performed already, maintenance history, how it's been driven/used/abused. Some trucks are throw aways well before your mileage, some have plenty of life left in them. If you can't judge that or your thinking it's more on the used up side I'd probably not put $12k+ into it without at least a thorough inspection from a reputable shop to see if anything else obvious/major is coming at you soon.
If its very solid, well kept and in good condition otherwise I'd say plan on spending a bit more and putting new turbos on it if they are original and buy a reputable reman engine with with good warranty like genuine motorcraft or jasper...Id steer away from used unless it's low low miles and is offered with good warranty...used engines are a total role of the dice.
Your in a difficult spot, but its your truck and your money so you get to make the call.
No one is a vehicular psychic...you could drop an new engine in and wipe out the transmission the next week for no good reason at 180k miles no matter how good of shape its in today
Other options are $50-$60k+ for new or rolling the dice on newer used...none sound like fun exciting options to me. Best of luck, hope it pans out for you as well as possible whatever route you take. Sorry to hear you had a bas experience with that repair shop...but I know there's always 3 sides to most stories like this as well.

 

[tony]

I am no mechanic
But, as the poster above mentions. I hear it all the time, just get parts from amazon or rock auto. I replaced a radiator and went with rock auto. They sent me a radiator for an over the road diesel truck (semi). And it was damaged. And then I played hell getting them to take it back. Should have just gone to Napa and spent the extra $50.00 and got it right the first time.

2016, 180k. Me, ten years and a 100-120k and I'm replacing it. I had a '13 f150 I traded at 170k that I was chasing leaks constantly. It ran fine but I figured it was a matter of time.

Can you afford new or newish? Even with a "new" engine you still have a 10-year-old truck with a 180K on it.

 

[eamyrick]

@StuckInTheEast that was one of the most straight forward honest assesments I’ve read in a long time. Thanks for the time. I had a 2016 f150 with 160k that was starting to turn into a regular money guzzler. If I had a decent shop I would have kept that truck for a long time. Had a great one but it shut down and the guy retired. Can’t say thank you enough to a good mechanic in this current throw a way world. I have a 21 f150 now with 45k. Do you mind giving a quick list of what you would consider must-do preventative maintenance other than oil changes and tire rotations?

 

[StuckInTheEast]

@StuckInTheEast that was one of the most straight forward honest assesments I’ve read in a long time. Thanks for the time. I had a 2016 f150 with 160k that was starting to turn into a regular money guzzler. If I had a decent shop I would have kept that truck for a long time. Had a great one but it shut down and the guy retired. Can’t say thank you enough to a good mechanic in this current throw a way world. I have a 21 f150 now with 45k. Do you mind giving a quick list of what you would consider must-do preventative maintenance other than oil changes and tire rotations?

What engine?