Just hit 200,000 miles on my old F-150 and completely changed my mind about engine swaps

I had been saving for a year to drop a crate motor in my 1995 F-150. Then last Saturday I rolled over 200,000 miles on the original 5.0 V8, and the thing still had good compression. My buddy Tom said "why fix what ain't broke" and I realized he was right. Pulled the valve covers, replaced the gaskets, put in a new water pump and it runs smoother than ever for under $200. Anyone else hold off on a big job and just do the simple maintenance instead?

2 comments

2 Comments

rayc3823d ago

Got to disagree a little here. In my experience, sometimes that original motor is just worn out in ways you can't test with a compression gauge. Your oil pressures drop at idle, the cam lobes are flat, and the rings are shot even if compression numbers look okay. Did a valve cover gasket and water pump on a 200k Ford once, thing still burned a quart every 500 miles and rattled like a diesel on cold starts. Sometimes you're just delaying the inevitable, not saving money.

nathan28923d ago

Man, you're making way too much sense for this forum. Most guys here would rather drop five grand on a stroker kit than admit their truck might just need a new water pump and gaskets. I had the same moment with my 2001 Silverado last year. Was dead set on swapping in a 6.0 until I actually checked the damn thing. Compression was fine, only had some minor sludge from missed oil changes. Spent a weekend cleaning the throttle body and changing out the thermostat. Thing runs quieter now than it did five years ago. The real trick is your buddy Tom. Having someone who isn't trying to sell you parts or impress people with build photos is worth more than a whole crate motor.