Overheated on the Expressway

[namllitsdad]

Welcome to Winter....

Heading south on 294 (Chicago area), doing 75-80....was on the phone talking with a client when I noticed the heater was not working....did not think anything about it because it was 30 degrees outside and I assumed the heater was not keeping up with the cold.....Then I looked out my side mirror and smoke ( steam?? ) was pouring out the azz end of my MM. Looked at the water temp gauge and it had pegged past the "H" reading...immeaditley took the foot off the gas...got over three lanes to the emergency lane, right as the dashboard lit up and the car died....Looked under the hood and it appears something blew toward the bottom of the radiator ( although the radiator reservoir was still full??). Called for a tow and waited.... She's at the Ford Dealership now, waiting for the prognosis. :bigcry:

Your insight and prayers are appreciated!

[fastblackmerc]

Sounds like either the radiator let loose or a hose.

I believe your waiting for a diagnosis not a prognosis.


Prayers??? Really???? :shake::shake:

[Spectragod]

I pray that you'll start taking better care of a limited production car.

[CBT]

Hope it is nothing major.

[JOEMERC]

hope nothing got warped ,after all were all aluminum engine.

[RF Overlord]

"...the car died..."

As in the motor stopped running?.....if it isn't ruined, then you have a VERY good Guardian Angel.

[Blackened300a]

Then I looked out my side mirror and smoke ( steam?? ) was pouring out the azz end of my MM. Looked at the water temp gauge and it had pegged past the "H" reading...immeaditley took the foot off the gas...got over three lanes to the emergency lane, right as the dashboard lit up and the car died.

Smoke pouring out the back and it died on its own?? :eek:

To put it bluntly, you're ****ed.

[SC Cheesehead]

"...the car died..."

As in the motor stopped running?.....if it isn't ruined, then you have a VERY good Guardian Angel.


Smoke pouring out the back and it died on its own?? :eek:

To put it bluntly, you're ****ed.


Kinda what I was thinking...

[CBT]

Black smoke bad, white smoke very bad. (Blue smoke annoying.)

[Spectragod]

Tire smoke = good.....:burnout:

[CBT]

Tire smoke = good.....:burnout:

Dang! I cannot believe I left that one out. :beer:
Maybe there is no damage. Replace the hoses and fill 'er up and see if it cranks. If it does, change the oil, it is probably burned after that incident.

[namllitsdad]

Ford Dealership still "running tests"??...did tell me that the #2 cylinder did not have compression...not good....:bigcry:

A little history...

Bought the car new in 2004

Stock except for CAI

Changed oil every 3K ( 90% of the time by the Ford Dealer ) Used full synthetic after 90K

Had all the major interval maintenance done ( 30/60/90 )

At 100K had belts and fluids replaced

I certainly did not abuse the car....had ( have ) every intention of keeping my MM in the family.

There was no indication of a 'problem" prior to yesterday. My MM had never "let me down"....was driving as strong as the day I bought it.

Had always figured I would get 150K before I retired her from service and she became a 'weekend' toy

Guess it was not meant to be.....

[MOTOWN]

sorry to hear the news, sounds like its time for a rebuild, or an aluminator!

[ChiTownMaraud3r]

Don't be let down, fix it and make it better. Go a step further and supercharge..the way it should have came! Good Luck!
:beer:

[SC Cheesehead]

Don't be let down, fix it and make it better. Go a step further and supercharge..the way it should have came! Good Luck!
:beer:

"Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build...better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster."

[burt ragio]

I never have liked the dash warning light for engine temp. It should have a chime bell indicator in addition to dash light. The same goes for fuel gauge at low level. How hard would it be to install a chime bell . I had these oem on a 1997 mercury marquis LS. gas level only.

[JOEMERC]

my marauder has a temp. Gauge not a light .......

[namllitsdad]

"Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build...better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster."


Service Rep Called this afternoon.....:bigcry:

Engine has to be replaced. "no compression throughout".....He could not pinpoint why it went...had lost some antifreeze but coolant was still present ( i.e. did not lose all the coolant)

Now for the rest of the story...

Re manufactured 04 MM engine $4,300 + $2,300 Labor (3 year 36K warranty). I have not been to the Dealership to review the quote...Based on the posts I've been reading here, 6K is insane...:bs:

I will be exploring other options....

[SC Cheesehead]

Most definitely.

You can find a used engine for a lot less than $4K.

PM Motorhead350, he has a line on one for less than a $1,000.

[namllitsdad]

Most definitely.

You can find a used engine for a lot less than $4K.

PM Motorhead350, he has a line on one for less than a $1,000.


Thanks...actually dropped him a note earlier today ( from reading another post )....

Still can't understand why it went...I really took care of the car....

[babbage]

Thanks...actually dropped him a note earlier today ( from reading another post )....

Still can't understand why it went...I really took care of the car....

The lack of coolant killed it. It's kind of like draining all of the blood out of your body.. Doesn't work so good.

Good luck with the replacement. For 6K you can get a brand new Aluminator..

.

[fastblackmerc]

Thanks...actually dropped him a note earlier today ( from reading another post )....

Still can't understand why it went...I really took care of the car....

So did you have a catastrophic radiator failure?

Radiator hose failure?

Heater hose failure?

[Spectragod]

I'd entertain selling the motor out of my 21k Marauder. But really, I'd buy an Aluminator if your going to throw 6k+ at it.

[stevemarauder]

Possibly stuck thermostat or water pump went out!!!!!!!:confused: Which in turn blew your head gaskets!!!! Call me i can fix it! for way cheaper!!

[Granddaddy Marq]

Dean's Junkyard in Lacey's Spring Al. 256-881-0539. 98 or 99 Lincoln Continental $1200 to $1700 for the whole car. A little old lady ran it in a ditch and broke the a frame on the drivers side. The car is fixable. But you need the motor.

[MercNasty]

You should have known the dealer would say u needed a new motor, Im surprised they didnt tell you that you need a new transmission to.

[RR|Suki]

blown head gasket = low or no compression. May even have warped the heads. So goes it, don't pay those fools 6K to fix that

[namllitsdad]

Spoke with Dealership again today. The coolant does not appear to be an issue. Said there are no signs of radiator / coolant / hose issues. They can not say for sure why it failed.

I spent the weekend and the better part of today tracking available used Marauder engines. I have located five 2004 engines. Finally dawned on me that the engine companies where accessing the same "nationwide" inventory. Best deal was a complete engine with 34K miles shipped for $2,900 and a 30 day warranty. The best local price I could locate to install was $1,600....

Engine $2,900 (Used, unsure of history etc. (VIN is provided)
Local Install $1,600 (Low side...)
Owe Dealership $300.00 (Tow and Diagnostics)
Cost to Tow to new shop $200.00 + (Low side, depending on distance)

That puts me at $5,000....

Dealership lowered initial estimate of $6,600 by 10% to $5,950.

Re manufactured 04 Marauder Engine from Ford (so I am told) with a 3 year 36K warranty.

Replace Engine/Radiator Flush/First oil change (synthetic) after install /break in period)/ cover tow charge and diagnostics / Loaner car for length of repair. (They will also put on my winter tires...nice of them...huh)

Total coat $5,950

Dealership is local and have treated me right in the past (I have 2 Mustangs and the Marauder in the family that they service)

My options are limited and the MM is my daily driver....

crazy... I know but I have convinced myself that for 6K, I'll have a a "new" motor, warrantied by Ford Dealership...and the car will be worth 10K +/- (it's paid for....or it least it WAS paid for....):banghead:

[Got_1]

if your only options are $5000 and $5900 then i would definitely go the $5900 route because of that 3yr warranty.

[CBT]

if your only options are $5000 and $5900 then i would definitely go the $5900 route because of that 3yr warranty.

Same thing I was thinking, peace of mind for 3 years at least.

[TFB]

Total coat $5,950


Whew, if faced with that kind of bill, I'd probably put a bullet through the hood and bury it in the back yard...

[RacerX]

Do they keep your old engine as a core? Probably. Be nice to rebuild forged and stroked... Warranty path sounds good. Good luck.

[namllitsdad]

Do they keep your old engine as a core? Probably. Be nice to rebuild forged and stroked... Warranty path sounds good. Good luck.


They keep the core.....


I thought long and hard about "shooting the old girl" but could not bring myself to do it...

It's a 6K gamble and worse case is I sell or trade in.....I'm trusting there would be interest in a 115K Marauder with a rebuilt engine and a Ford Factory Warranty....

[Spectragod]

6k's cheaper than a new car, plus, you like the car, fix it and keep it.

[MOTOWN]

for six grand i would be ordering an alluminator, and droping it in my self!

it would probably bring more $ if you decided to sell

[fastblackmerc]

for six grand i would be ordering an alluminator, and droping it in my self!

it would probably bring more $ if you decided to sell

I'd be doing the same...............

[BAD FIVE O]

when i blew the head gaskets on my mustang it had no compression, so I would check somewhere else than the dealer.

call C.T Performance talk to Jeff Smith see if he has any DOHC laying around
254 368-8888
or
centraltexasperformance@gmail. com

good luck.

[Mustang man]

Similiar deal about a month ago. My temp gauge pegged and I shut her down. I was lucky, it was just a stuck thermostat. Had I not noticed the temp gauge it would have probably been the same end result. Overheated, blown the head gaskets and fried the motor.

[dgi]

hard to believe that for $6k you cant find a "local" shop to build at least a higher performance stock style motor...

for ~$900 i would go with the 3 year warranty as well...

[namllitsdad]

I asked my Ford Dealer if I could keep the MM in their back lot until the spring and decide what to do at that point. They where very cool and said "no problem". It's sitting in their back lot with about 40 other cars ( a Chrysler/Jeep dealership shut it's doors next to them so space is not an issue).

I went up there this weekend and opened the hood, expecting to see something having been done to the engine to determine why the engine blew and why it needed to be replaced as they advised. Not a single bolt was turned...they had done all their diagnostics via the OBD. :confused:


I will be looking for a mechanic/shop in the spring to either rebuild or drop a crate engine in....

[cvpiftw]

What dealer.


Hell, i know MANY shops that would beat that price and warranty

[cvpiftw]

Hell, my price on a new reman longblock is 3700