Are you sure it's that far gone?
Some shops and dealers are quite brazen in "upselling" repairs
Oh no it's toast. They told me I could drive it away and I didn't make it out of the parking lot. The sounds that engine made before it died were the sounds of death. Sounded like shaking a tin can of bolts and stopped running. What I don't buy is their explanation of what happened, because they didn't tear the head off or anything, but either way the engine is done. What I believe happened is the cylinder partially hydrolocked from a stuck open fuel injector, bent the rod and damaged the piston ring. Ford said it wasn't the head because it didn't have any codes for cam stuff (which I verified), they were convinced it was the short block assy.
What I actually discovered is there are basically 3 engine options. For all 3 the labor to install is about the same: $2k
1) used motor with 100k miles, 30 day warranty. Doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy. $2k I would do this if I wanted to flip the car immediately. But I can't afford a new one for $70k so I will keep driving this one until something else major happens.
2) Remanufactured motors that range from $3300 (Advanced Powertrain) to $4700 (Jasper). All these motors come in various degrees of assembly, some come with or without valve covers, timing belt covers, oil pan and sensors. All of these have 3 year/100k warranty that covers labor, but if you do a little research on the warranties, there is nothing but horror stories out there. I would almost lean towards option 1.
3) Ford actually sells their own remanufactured engines with 3 year/ unlimited mile warranties for $5200 list, but I can get it from Tasca Ford for $4200. I might be able to get it for less. Plus an $800 core charge. Ford's warranty for me would be a lot more comforting. What is more interesting is that the dealer said I could get a new engine, but I found they were not available. The reman is all you can get.
So I am leaning towards option 3. For 6k I can get a decent engine installed. I don't have the time or energy to attempt it myself, but I think I could do it if my garage wasn't 10 degrees right now. So basically I'm looking at around $6k.
The truck still looks good and everything else works, so it's hard to just throw it away. Wife loves it and I'm not buying a 2018, so I might as well spend the cash to keep it for now. I need a truck I can tow with, going with a less expensive new smaller SUV isn't worth it. I need the size