My SVT Lightning Has A Major Engine Issue After Towing So I Took The Cab Off To Take It Apart!
Vložit
- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- Join the Mana waiting list and be the first to start earning rewards by gaming! join.mana.app/l...
In this video, I fully remove the cab from SVT Lightning to reveal its gigantic and very broke engine. I pushed this Lightning a little too far knowing it had weak head gaskets and here's what happened. Now the good news is while taking the engine apart I found a nice surprise that the previous owner or Ford dealer replaced for me! Enjoy!
SVT Lightning Shirt! bit.ly/37SLLKo
SVT Lightning Shirt & Poster Bundle! bit.ly/3F2sr9G
Get 25% off all Amsoil products including their synthetic engine oil! legitoil.myams...
Scroll down the page to "preferred customer" and click "learn more" to get the deal!
LSC Merch & New Signature series shirts! www.legitstree... LEGIT1O For 10% Off!
Use Coupon code Legit for 10% off Sonic Tools! bit.ly/3iNDtGU
Everything car-related I recommend from Amazon! amzn.to/2k606u1
Here's the link to the amazing Fanttik X8 Apex portable tire inflator I use in my videos! amzn.to/3CylThN Use code LSCX8APEX for $30 off!
Get behind the scenes and sneak peek videos on the LSC Facebook page! / legitstreetcars
Instagram @LegitStreetCars bit.ly/2GCFq3X
Join the Mana waiting list and be the first to start earning rewards by gaming! join.mana.app/legitstreetcars
What should I do for performance while I'm in there?
Probably matching heads lol
@@MaxBeecher 😄😄
Alex, when will you restock the LegitStreetCars Caps? Trying to get a few for Friends and Family.
new headers and rust proof every metal surface
Headers, aftermarket heads, intake, everything
When I was a kid, I loved Saturday morning cartoons. This is the adult version of Saturday morning cartoons for me. Keep up the great videos!
I was the same way. Saturday morning was always cartoons and then as I got older it was car shows. Thanks for watching!
💯 %
Same here.
Agreed
Yay
Hi love the videos I’m a ford tech cool to see someone on CZcams messing with a lightning, I noticed the vin in the video and decided to see the warranty history on your truck and seen it had the long block replaced feb- 2002 at 409 miles because of lower engine noise is the customer complaint, figured you might find that interesting.
Nice lol
Cool!
Bawse
Nice work!
Guy on the inside
I pretty much do prefer to see you working on repairs like this than boosting your fleet, Alex.
It’s so nice to see you fixing things.
Great job on the lightning.
👨🏻🔧
Agreed. I much prefer these.
I can honestly watch anything Alex does. He is very smart and takes his time explaining what he is doing. I haven't seen a better channel out there when it come to explaining and showing what it is he's doing.
Keep up the great work Alex, justy opinion but I think you're one of the very best people on CZcams and one of the best channels showing and explaining what it is you do.
Thank you, and here's to so much future success!
@@anthonypena6322 same
I like his way of explaining things.
Buy a modernish f150 or mustang ecoboost and upgrade it, turbos, downpipes headers etc etc....bringing a highmileage f150 back to life for a contractor for to sell or giveaway would be awesome.
For the money you would have into porting the stock heads, you can pick up a set of TFS heads that not only flow better, but also don't have the spark plug issues.
Good to know!
Good point!
Yep that's got the 4 thread heads
Aftermarket heads with cams and headers!!!!
Agreed the stock ported heads will be waist of money for the gains we've even tried home porting stock heads nobluck justvgetvthe TFS heads can't go wrong
One thing I recommend since the heads are off is drilling out the exhaust manifold stud holes to 10mm and install the larger coyote 5.0 exhaust studs to prevent any more broken exhaust studs......I've been doing it on all 2V engines I work on and have not had one come back for broken exhaust studs.
I am pretty sure you are the first person from Illinois to ever take exhaust manifold bolts of without snapping one off. You definitely deserve an award. This is coming from a fellow Illinois rust belt mechanic.
It takes patience that only northerners have to remove those
@@funnypranker34 you got that right. I have found that pouring gasoline all over the vehicle and lighting on fire works best 🤣
@@jeremyTallen1 🤣
Now a northern mechanic working on a rust free southern vehicle can be very very uncomfortable because of how loose the bolts seem to be
You should look into buying a bolt buster. Game changing
@@longjohn77 never heard of it I'm looking into it now
It was the "Legit Street Wear, SVT Spring Collection" for me 🤣
Peter is the M F’N man✌️
Your videos are full of information and you somehow make it not boring and very enjoyable to watch everytime.
Thanks!
Wouldnt bother porting the factory 2V heads if your sending them out to be done, not much gain for the cost especially if you aren’t changing cams. Trickflow 2V heads are far better but then you end up having to do cams as well. For what its worth I dropped a set of Comp off the shelf 262AH in my 2V and made a nice seat of pants improvement for under $700.
Great to know! Thanks!
@@LegitStreetCars If you do go with Trickflow heads DO NOT USE off the shelf or stock pi cams for them, you will need custom grind cams for them.
Peter modeling the merch made me spit my drink out I was laughing so hard. So subtle but hilarious. Great video Alex
Cab offs are always so entertaining. I said "I'm glad I'm not doing this" about 7 times
And they haven’t even out it back down, yet. 😂 You will probably say it 39 times in that video.
Love using the industrial tensile strength tester on the cab-out jobs lol.
I love Peter, he's great for the channel. He needs to stay in the truck when you need him.
I just randomly bumped into your videos and I must say I love this channel been watching videos non stop. Love the positive energy
Peter is an awesome addition to the channel. "What? This old thing?"..... I'm dying over here!
Before I tossed any money into mods, I'd dang sure make sure everything stock is in good order... pistons, rings, bearings, all that stuff. Would make ya want to upchuck if you pulled it all down to this, built it back up and it died. Take your time, milk some episodes, build it to last. My 2cents.
I for one would not complain if we had lots of episodes of this!
14:51 this is why I watch you, insight like this is so rare to find on CZcams! When I saw you spray the bolt with water after heating it up that comes from experience dealing with rust too!!
Since the heads appear to be different, I'd get new aftermarket heads to help it breathe better and to avoid the spark plug issues.
It’s really good to see you showing some love to the Lightning. I was starting to think you had forgotten it.
The ending just gets you right in the feels, someone was cutting onions.
Love catching your uploads when I'm not working! Always such hq videos and awesome content! Where else are you gonna see someone tear down an SVT Lightning??
I pull a ton of cabs every month. I seem to always break the manual 4x4 shifter. All the trucks use vacuum stuff, so I often forget to check when the random floor 4x4 comes in. Also you'd love pulling a cab on a border patrol truck. You have to cut and re splice like 200 wires.
I had this same issue with coolant blowing out of my radiator only under hard acceleration. I have started tearing everything down to replace it and unfortunately ran into a funds issue. I hope to be able to drive my car before the end summer 🙏. Good luck on it and can’t wait for the next video!!!
My 89 Escort was a fine example of Ford's better ideas. It came from the factory with the heater hoses reversed at the heater core. It would start blowing cold air every time you dropped to an idle and barely blew warm air until you got the engine speed up to 2000 rpm. The spark plugs only had about 4 or 5 threads. I put thread inserts in all 4 holes when I rebuilt the engine. The oil pump had a sliver of gasket material wedging the pressure regulator valve open, which is why the engine had to be rebuilt. The AC was working when I got it but leaked down during the first winter I had it. The previous owner had it fixed when he got it in 92 and it failed again in 96. A friend who worked at the local Ford dealership told me that they were having to replace the seals on the AC quick connectors every 3 years because vibration would wear out the O-rings It was a fun car to drive but I couldn't see having to pay $800 to $1000 every 3 years for air conditioning in a car that got driven to work and back 5 days a week. I only needed the AC for about 45 minutes a day for about 3 months. It had an oddball PCV system that never worked right and you couldn't find replacement parts for it either. Ford used to have great cars and trucks but, like every other brand, quality has gone down the drain. Between government regulations and building cars out of plastic and paper thin metal, we have cars that you can dent with your finger. You can't figure out what is wrong with them without a diagnostic scanner and they are too damned expensive. My 1969 AMC Ambassador drove away from 2 different hard deer impacts with very little damage. On the other hand, my 2014 Nissan was totaled by a dog.
Hello fellow Chicago-ian. Long time watcher first time comment.
I used to have a 99 Lightning for a long time (Still have some videos on here) and I dealt with the dreaded 4 thread issue. If you have the money, just replace them both with an 8 thread Trick Flow. Because this is a modular engine (4.6), personally, I was able to swap in newer 2V Mustang (PI) heads in my truck that I found for a good price.
Don't go aftermarket blower, because the bottom end (rods) will not handle something like a 3.4 Whipple. A ported blower is just fine. I had a popular Stiegemeier IV blower. It was nice.
Your videos make me miss my truck, but I have a C63AMG now, so I'm pretty happy.
Can't wait for your next video!
I've heard the same. if you keep going to a new blower etc, you're going to have to build the motor to handle it. Rods are crap. I think I've done everything to my Lightning I can without a bottom end. I'm looking for an electric water pump and have a e-fan to get rid of parasitic power loss, but will never put a new blower on it, even with supporting mods (fuel)....unless I have to do the motor
Fun episode! Alex, you da' man. Good camera work, Peter. Thanks, guys!
I look forward to these videos every week! Glad to see the work on the Lightning! How about a "while you're in there" manual swap?
If it is a 2-valve engine, my vote is to put TFS twisted wedge heads on it along with a ported blower, bigger cams, and long-tube headers. Nothing exceeds like excess!
I'm enjoying the videos no matter what you decide.
Lol its a 2v mite as well drop in a coyote before wasting thousands of dollars on it
cleaning the bottom end, it's that "while you're in there" that gets everyone!!!!!
Thanks, Alex.
Pretty sure your right about the heads being replaced. My 99 came stock with ZERO exhaust manifold gaskets. When I ejected 2 plugs I had the head removed and "Timecert" incerts put in all the plug valleys holes.
Modular Head shop was my go-to for head work when I worked with Mod Motors, they can port and polish, and tap the 4 threads to 8 threads. I would say if you got the green, to send the motor out for recon, your already most of the way there, I would do it. You know as well as I do that a forced induction engine is harder on bearings than an N/A build.
Leaving the master cylinder connect to the lines just remove from booster really saves time in the long run
Having a smart phone handy makes working on a car so much easier. I usually take photos of everything when I'm taking it apart.
Back in the old days I used to have to use a film camera and then wait two weeks before I could put the car back together. One time the film got overexposed and I lost the whole roll. It wasn't so bad though. I only had a dozen or so leftover parts and the car ran well enough.
A dozen 😂
Finally some youtuber merch that isnt an ad. Its just a nice svt lightning shirt with no logo, you dont feel like youre wearing an advertisement. Good job on being one of few youtubers who dosent sell advertisement shirts
Thanks!!
What's nice with this vid, is that people can see what happens when you have an issue but you don't have it fixed ASAP. For "normal" people this end up costing them an arm and a leg. For mechanics like you, it will cost you the parts price, but not the time, so you can do it for cheaper. Also, you mentionned protecting the frame with paint or whatever, I think you should do it, since you also use it in the winter and we all know Eastern coast winters are pretty bad for cars (even up here in Canada).
Especially in Canada. In my country import cars from Canada always have rust underneath.
Midwestern, not east coast. It's not called the rust belt for nothing.
I had 2000 lightning back in the day that I pull dynatech longtubes on with a borla cat back that sounded amazing! I would suggest those. Make sure you do the $1 boost bypass mod!
Really enjoy your posts. Chicago native myself. You have down to earth, matter of fact approach. Keep it up!
Go with American Racing Headers from JLP Performance. Replace those flow junkers with the full 3" system. Porting the heads on these engines is also a huge benefit, the stock heads flow very poorly. Might as well throw on a set of cams while you're in there. 😆
Different platform but I can vouch for American Racing Headers. The quality is top notch.
@@SirDankNewton the only thing i dont like about ARH is you need some deep pockets
@@yungtooli Oh absolutely, but they're one of the best. Price is really the only con I've heard from their products.
Man, when you were taking apart those harnesses it took me back to working on my duramax. I just finished replacing my whole fuel system on that duramax, and that was only a little short of doing head gaskets:)
It's about time you got back to the Ford Lightning, I love that truck.
I remember replacing the spark and ignition coils on my moms 2001 expedition 5.4 triton. They were a pain for sure 😅
Catching up on the videos in the playlist and finally got to the lightning ❤ this truck in this color is badass.
This repair is long overdue. Glad to see you literally jump in to get it fixed.
it would be so cool to see this truck completely restored and refinished while it’s taken apart
Port and polished heads should make a big improvement!
Stainless Works makes excellent long tubes for those trucks. I’ve got them on my Crown Victoria and they are the best headers I’ve ever owned. Added bonus, they are made in the USA!
Thank goodness you did not do the sealer. That scope footage is interesting. Thanks for taking the time to do that and share the footage.
I'd also get comp cams and port the heads and blower get a pulley along with a fuel pump, that with the exhaust will wake it up a lot.
Love the lighting videos. Keep them coming.
Love these trucks.
Maybe a set of trick flow heads?
Peter . Ready for PRIME Time. Cracked me up .
I had a 01 L, loved it, switched to an electric fan and the relay failed one day, the truck overheated blew off all the freon and pumped coolant out. The temp gauge never went above half way, I was told by the tech that worked on it for me (I worked at at dealership) that the gauges don't go much past 1/2 way no mater what, be careful.
Headers,and a full titanium exhaust would sound killer. Port match everything.
Impact always break it or dont but hand wrenching old bolts is a great way to break more of them
My good friend was a master tech at ford. They would always pull the cab on 5.4, 5.0, 6.0 and 6.2 for major engine work. I got tons of pictures of when I’d visit him int he shop.
Cawffee Tawk from SNL with Mike Meyers! Great reference! Love your channel! You have great taste in vehicles!
They do make scopes with side cameras now. Definitely seems like you have two versions of Ford heads there and btw just because the casting says 2003, doesn't mean it was replaced that year. Could've been many years after 2003 when the warranty work was done. Find another 8 thread head for sure and get them PnP.
He has one i think, but i bet will be at home in the garage lol
Convert it to an Allison trans.
As always, great video. I just didn't want to finish but bamm once I realise you were talking about the next episode.
Can't wait to see it.
Mike Myers is a legend
It’s definitely fun watching you tearing stuff apart
Yeah! Finally! Been waiting for the SVT engine build. I think it blew out a plug with the original heads and so the dealer replaced it. I think the tech that did it didn't torque the head correctly and that's why it blew a head gasket.
The problem with relying on the temp gauge to tell when the engine is overheated, is that it REQUIRES coolant to be in contact with the sensor to get a reading even the far side of accurate. If you don't have coolant at the sensor, you could have a normal looking temp on the gauge, meanwhile the engine is melting.
Since you're there I'd rebuild the bottom end, upgrade the internals and bore and stroke it also. You already said you were possibly porting the heads and upgrading the blower anyways... might as well beef up the bottom end at the least.
I was just wondering about this truck this morning as I was toying with mine,I hadn't seen anything in a while with it. And if you are like me,and I think you are,you will be doing a basic chasis restoration before this all goes back together. Mine still has not hit the 11k mile mark and it has always been dry driving,and fortunately I have been able to keep it in the garage since new,so zero rust issues. I do have a 4lb lower,a cold air intake,boost bypass,and the old super chips 94 octane tune. I did change the plugs though when I did the mods and was always a little bothered with the 4 threads issue. But it was a beast back when new compared to other offerings,I embarrassed many corvette and viper driver's at the track,used to run a solid 12.5 with decent weather,and traction. Funny by todays standards it is just average,I just drove a new reg cab work truck with the 5.0 and it felt as quick as the old lightning when stock,but it is still a blast to drive.
Pretty sure the PI heads are the ones you want, but it's been a long time.
Blew a plug out of my T-bird's head while on the way to the speed shop to pick up exhaust stuff.
Been waiting for this video, glad to see the lightning content is back! Hey so stick with the ford motorcraft metal manifold gaskets, they are the best as far as not leaking for this trucks. Also switch back to to motorcraft coils.
Love the comment in the back when pulling the fan out “should we call someone with more experience” 😂😂
Your videos are awesome! Always go into detail when doing them!!
I don't understand peter's relationship to you, or LSC, BUT! I love him!
Porting the heads isn't really going to get you a lot of gains. My dad had one of these and if I remember correctly, he was told that the heads were already ported to the degree that they could be. But that could just be the tuning guy my dad went to didn't want to do it. But he went into all the reasons why you'd not want to do it. Anyways. Love these videos. This is a shorter one...that's sad. Coincidentally, my dad sold his when his head gasket went. He went back to a regular F-150. But got the Triton 3 valve, so after that the 7.3L F350 amd he still has that.
Ceramic coated headers help keep the engine compartment a little cooler, moves some of the exhaust heat to the rear of the vehicle.
Can't wait to see the finished product, coming from someone who drives a old grandpa car , if feel I'm with you working on a dream I wish I owned.... congrats Playboy....great content.
Love this series !
If you've got this far, and you're unsure about the bottom end, then it's a fool's errand NOT to get it cleaned out.
Stay safe !
Stay clean !
Stu.
Alex, it good to see you relying on real CZcams auto content providers for fan removal. A perfect example of what professional solution content providers do during cab removal. Hahaha
Am really enjoying how you overlap all the story lines from Mercedes’ to Subaru back to Merc then over to ford. Great editing. Terrific story telling. And even better ‘solutions content’!!! Really great sequel of videos! Keep-’em rolling.
I just rebuilt my 03 5.4l 2v. Make sure you get the block decked. Alot of the head gasket leaks are due to the block to head surface not flat from the factory. Also that motors been worked on because those arent the OEM ex gaskets. I also make custom billet idler arm pulleys to replace the plastic OEM one you get now with the new tensor arms. Let me know if you like to see it. Or have any questions on the 5.4l rebuild. I build race car engines for over 20yrs.
Im not a mechanic but as a DIY guy, I'd say the "while you're there.." is a good labor and money saving techinque but also can easily get out of hand sometimes 😅
"While we are at it" is where I made my money as a carpenter. Carpenter ants are a carpenters best friend.
Finally ! I was waiting for this one for months ! Definitely 8 threads on the "newer" head, 4 on the other.
When I look at things like this under the hood I think back to my F100 with a 240 ci straight six and three on the tree. Mine even had the weight reduction package from the New York State Highway Department salting the roads in the winter. Everything easy to work on with a basic 3/8 inch socket set from Sears. I miss those days.
Peter is the best…”Sven spring collection”…..Great to see Blue Thunder getting fixed.
Man, I have a Harley truck with this same issue…. Love this episode
Odometer blackout @ 2:30! My 02 F150 had that same issue, supposedly it's bad solder in the instrument panel!
“This old thing?” Classic!!!
I wish you guys were hear in the Vancouver Bc area . I need the motor replaced in my 2000 lighting had the same issue as you did .... No shop around hear wants to do the Re and Re . Great video guys and gd luck!
Send the heads off to Modular Head Shop in Florida, they can timesert the one head to 8-9 thread spark plugs while they clean them up and port them. Also get some custom spec'd cams from Todd Warren (check out Apocalypse Performance), with some longtubes you should easily net 100whp+ with a mild tune. I gained 100hp with non ported heads and custom cams from Todd on my NA Mach 1.
Holy Cow , claimed they replaced the long block at 409 miles, yet used 2 different year heads... that's not a longblock replacement, imo. And the head gaskets blown before 75k miles.... wtg Ford.
That's the honest customer service statement . Experience is truly the best measuring tool.
I'm glad you got to it
Some here have mentioned trick flow heads. Those are crazy expensive. Take a look at Promaxx. I just installed a set in my 04 GT after it blew a plug. Very happy with them.
Man what a PITA that is :-)
Thats why I stuck to older F series and W116 S class Benz's, Room for days and everything comes undone like Buttah :-)
lol, that was a very unexpected laugh with you... the stud, then the smile. Mate, golden.
The purpose of a lift or hoist is to determine what you forgot to, or didn’t disconnect.
Do a complete build. That engine has powdered rods and if you add any power you are taking a risk throwing a rod. Been there with a 2002 Harley model after adding a Whipple. Of course you’ll need a lot of other items. But would make a great series on your channel.
I just did the body mounts on a ford f250 same issue I'm not sure if you know the was trick but I not it has never let me down in a rusty situation like that. You heat it up then take candle wax and apply it to the threads hot. It will act as a lubricant and loosen any rust stuck in the treads
Alex - have you ever used Mouse Milk penetrate? Aircraft grade oil. So good it makes PB blaster seem like a waste of time!
It would be a game changer for you dealing with Chicago corrosion on the nuts and bolts.
Watching you start those manifold bolts gave me more fear and anxiety than any horror film of the last 30 years😂 It was pure bliss to hear them squeak loose and with minimal effort. Its the simple things in life
Seen your Instagram post so i came flying to watch this... Lets go have fun!!
Watch out at 16.53 looks like a bendet pin in the connector on the cab :)
+1 for TFS heads, cams, headers. But you could upgrade to the GT500 M122 blower instead of porting the stock one.
a tip. if the screw or nut is rusted, screw it up and down a little where it starts and get stuck and not just screw one way
All that rusty goodness in the previous video possibly was head gasket sealer.
But it's nice to see you fix this up and not let it goto waste like others have in the past.
I would send the heads out for cnc porting as there are most likely a cnc program for those heads by now.
Even if it was a 15 to 20% better flow rate & that would = more boost as the blower wouldn't have to work as hard.
Just a thought. Have a good day & please be safe.
Ppv video and the caddy drag race would be nice to see once it warms up.
It's hard to tell if head gasket sealer will actually help, and since you're boosted it probably wouldn't.
ChrisFix did a video about using it on his dad's Jag which got daily'd for like a year just fine, but as soon as you put boost into that type of a fix it shoots right through it.