I'm in BIG trouble and Need a lot of help

I have asked many questions on this site and always got a good answer. Now I need it the most. I know this site is only for XJ's and I have one but this is a question for anyone to answer. I was out messing around with our 96 F250 that just came out of the shop. It is a pretty sick truck with 35's and some serious engine work at almost 10 grand put into the engine. My buddy and I took it out to a mud hole and blasted through it a couple of times. It started raining hard and filled up with water from incoming drainage ditches . . all the more fun right. Next thing I know we are plowing through 4 feet of water on the next pass. I luckly made it out and got up out of the pit and the beast died. We towed it home not knowing what to look for. In the meantime i fried the brand new starter and the thing just wouldn't turn over. THought it had a short or something. It has been two weeks of going and testing the electrical system turns out not a flaw. I took out the air filter for the hell of it and opened the cool air intake bok and foun water .. . oh shit. Took out the hoses to the throttle botty and they are lined with silt and water. THen drained the engine oil to find muddy silty oil. Oh my god. Put 3 new filters in and changed the oil three times same shit. How fawked am i? What do I do next. I have spent more detail time in this truck than I can believe. The new engine had maybe 20 miles on it.


What to do.

ANy suggestions.

It the orignal engine block just bore and modified to pump 640 horses. 7.5 litre V8 454.

NEED help

Id hate to be the bearer of bad news man, but it sounds like youve hydrolocked the engine. When blasting thru 4 feet of water then finding silt mud and water in the intake as well as oil. its a good chance that you royally screwed the motor. The only thing I can think of is your are going to have to take the engine apart and clean it very well while crossing your fingers that you didnt tear up the cylinder walls/valvetrain/oil pump/etc. This is what I would do in your situation. And next time try going thru 2 feet of water max.

Mike

I don't understand is it running, I am confused why you would change the filter three times if it wasn't turning over

If its still not turning over odds are its hydro locked (water in cylinders). pull the spark plugs turn it over a few times, change the oil again and reinstall the plugs and hope it starts be prepared to shut it down fast should it start making bad noises.

There is a good chance you may have bent or fubared a rod. It may actually be best to pull the pan first to make sure nothing is not really wrong.

yeah it was dumb of me but the water was filling up fast and we really didn't notice till it started coming over the hood. I got it started to flush the oil out and it sounds like a diesel engine. Hopefully good news will come

How do I clean all the parts on the inside if that silt is in there. I think the cylinder wall are probably at least scored by now and think i might have to reboar. I dont know I cant believe this happened. It got deeper a lot quicker than I though. It wqas pretty sick blastn through it, lol . . now im screwed. Not worth it at all

You're going to have to tear down the block. Pull pistons, check cylinder walls for scoring, replace bearings, etc....

Yep, time for another rebuild. Boy..........20 miles, sucks. I guess now you know not to try & start it if it dies after a dunking? You should have pulled the air filter & plugs turned it over to pump out the water & then started it. You might've been ok at that point.

so can you tell me when ford put 7.4 liter big block chevys in there f series pickups ?

Maybe instead of trying to prove me wrong you would understand that if I drop 10 grand on an engine that I put in myself years ago, that it probably wasn't the stock engine. I have seen f250's with 540 Donovan Big blocks dropped in. I put it in myself. I also knw that a few trucks did come stock with this engine, especially with a towing package. I have a bud who works at auto clinic and he has the 7.4 L stock in his 250 1995.

if u stayed out of the mud that wouldn't of happened! plus mud sux anyways! ROCKS ROCK!

stoney

that sucks.....nuff said

Stock... 2 feet of water. Sounds like the you sucked in to much and locked it up. Sorry to say but acomplete rebuild is needed. That is what is salvagable.

Man, even a snorkel won't give you that much protection! Also, how do the diff's look? They're bound to have water in them as well... same with tranny.... and anything else that has vents.

Nope.

A 454 is a 7.4, and made by Chevy.
This was NEVER put into a Ford truck, at least not by Ford. :bs:
Perhaps you got your wires crossed, and I'm sure a smaller Ford block can be bored and stroked to 454, but I don't know the combination.
The Ford big-block is a 7.5, or a 460.
Moving on.
Ripping through mud=high RPMs.
Combine this with a rebuilt motor having only 20 miles of run-time on it and you get a driver with the brainpan of a stagecoach tilter.
Enjoy your rebuild.
:lecture:

"now me and the mad scientist got to rip apart the block..............."-fast & furious

you said you drove it out of the water... so it may not be so bad.. if it just stalled before it locked you might be ok.. a total teardown definately.. all new bearings and mostlikely just a good honing of the cylinders will wipe away any scratches you may have.. sounds like a fun truck and a fun although shortlived ride... brings a whole new meaning to "breaking- in" the new block...
good luck
mike

Good luck! Just don't do something like that again unless you have unlimited income and time.

Re: Nope.

bgcntry72 said:

Ripping through mud=high RPMs.
Combine this with a rebuilt motor having only 20 miles of run-time on it and you get a driver with the brainpan of a stagecoach tilter.
Enjoy your rebuild.
:lecture:

Click to expand...

You can't be nice 100% of the time but you can be honest 100% of the time. The statement above is right on the mark.

If you're gonna spend $10k+ on an engine and drive in the mud, spend $300 on a snorkel and then spend at minimum 500 to 1000 miles easing the engine in.

Re: Nope.

bgcntry72 said:

Ripping through mud=high RPMs.
Combine this with a rebuilt motor having only 20 miles of run-time on it and you get a driver with the brainpan of a stagecoach tilter.
Enjoy your rebuild.
:lecture:

Click to expand...

What the heck is a 'stagecoach tilter'?

Re: Re: Nope.

Burley said:

What the heck is a 'stagecoach tilter'?

Click to expand...

obviously something bad!!