metal shavings in coolant

[withku]

2010, noticed a small amount of flakes when I drained it. Is my water pump going bad? Or could general corrosion cause this? Am in the middle of a piston ring job so if it’s water pump I can swap it now.

 

[yaycandy]

Depending on the miles you would want to swap it out anyway so you dont have to tear the engine apart again soon. Is this your first time doing engine work?

Replace everything you can that is known to go bad on engines like waterpumps and seals/gaskets. Timing chains, sensors. All while its apart already. If you are doing a piston ring job, if you are over 100k miles i would replace cam and maincap bearings also and a bunch or more things that are wear items

 

[luigisho]

other than pump the only place to get flakes is the radiator and heater core I think. As above I would not sink money into a piston job and not go after the water pump. If you are going to try and save it might as well make sure you don't leave something out that can crater the engine.

 

[shoblock]

Coolant travels through the turbos also. Try to pick up any chips you find with a magnet. Was the engine consuming coolant before the teardown? I would try to get the chips analyzed in a lab, but the magnet is a good start.
SHOBLOCK

 

[withku]

Depending on the miles you would want to swap it out anyway so you dont have to tear the engine apart again soon. Is this your first time doing engine work?

Replace everything you can that is known to go bad on engines like waterpumps and seals/gaskets. Timing chains, sensors. All while its apart already. If you are doing a piston ring job, if you are over 100k miles i would replace cam and maincap bearings also and a bunch or more things that are wear items

I would love to do a proper rebuild, however I can’t afford it. Im only doing components with a high tendency to fail, and soon. Timing guides/tensioner and so on I will have to reuse. Other than chain and water pump are there any major defects in these engines? I’m at 85k miles.

 

[luigisho]

tensioners H2o pump, PTU maintenance Those are the big ticket items that come to mind first to prevent expensive replacement or failures. Turbos themselves are a wear item so will have to keep an eye out for those

 

[yaycandy]

Replace coolant lines to the turbos

 

[withku]

Coolant travels through the turbos also. Try to pick up any chips you find with a magnet. Was the engine consuming coolant before the teardown? I would try to get the chips analyzed in a lab, but the magnet is a good start.
SHOBLOCK

chips are aluminum. that’s my block correct?

 

[withku]

tensioners H2o pump, PTU maintenance Those are the big ticket items that come to mind first to prevent expensive replacement or failures. Turbos themselves are a wear item so will have to keep an eye out for those

if my timing chain is tight could i get away with reusing chains tensioners and guides? i know it’s not recommended but if it’ll get me another 10k miles i’ll re use them

 

[shoblock]

chips are aluminum. that’s my block correct?

If it was the first time the coolant was drained, it could be aluminum chips from the block and/or head machining process. There is an allowable spec for machining chips. A photo of the chips would help me to pin down the op they came from, but regardless, the fact that they are not magnetic is good. Pay special attention to coloration and uniformity of the cylinder walls on each cylinder. The full piston travel surface should have a uniform color and wear appearance.
One step back: why are you doing a ring job? How many miles on the motor? Compression check results? Any previous history may be relevant.
Ford tortured these motors in endurance tests, and other than the water pump vulnerability and owners who don't change oil, components should go 250,000 miles.

 

[luigisho]

If it was the first time the coolant was drained, it could be aluminum chips from the block and/or head machining process. There is an allowable spec for machining chips. A photo of the chips would help me to pin down the op they came from, but regardless, the fact that they are not magnetic is good. Pay special attention to coloration and uniformity of the cylinder walls on each cylinder. The full piston travel surface should have a uniform color and wear appearance.
One step back: why are you doing a ring job? How many miles on the motor? Compression check results? Any previous history may be relevant.
Ford tortured these motors in endurance tests, and other than the water pump vulnerability and owners who don't change oil, components should go 250,000 miles.

shoblock same car with compression tests and tear down

piston ring swap with engine in car

2010 with fried rings on cyl5(front bank). Was planning on an engine swap, but decided on ring replacement. Was told it’s doable with engine in the car, and i’d like to try. So I’ve got to remove intake manifold, valve covers, timing cover, oil pan, and the RH head. Along with crank pulley and...

shoforum.com

 

[shoblock]

shoblock same car with compression tests and tear down

piston ring swap with engine in car

2010 with fried rings on cyl5(front bank). Was planning on an engine swap, but decided on ring replacement. Was told it’s doable with engine in the car, and i’d like to try. So I’ve got to remove intake manifold, valve covers, timing cover, oil pan, and the RH head. Along with crank pulley and...

shoforum.com

Thanks, I missed alot. Loose timing chain is especially interesting as that allows a plethora of piston vs valve issues. I would shut it off, tow it, and tear it down as op has already discerned. Timing chain has my vote for root cause, and I would be looking for bent valves along with damaged pistions.