My ecoboost has the common head gasket coolant leak into the cylinder issue that the 2.3L has. My car is out of warranty ( only have 60k miles ) and Ford doesn’t have any recalls for the issues on the ecoboost but it’s common.
The Ford mechanic said that the head gasket needs to be replaced at the minimum but they recommend a new engine which is 7k. I owe 9k on the car and I have a dealership that is willing to take the car as is and pay of the rest of the loan (9k) but in working order the car is worth 15k.
A guy in a car racing/repair Facebook group in my city said the big shops are exaggerating and overcharging for the issue. He said that the engine can probably be saved. He would charge me $900 to put in a new headgasket, new ringlands, bore the engine, etc. Looking at his page he actually has done alot of engine repairs and has nice work.
I have 2 options…getting a new engine is not one.
Sell the car to the dealership and wash my hands of the car.
Trust the Facebook mechanic to fix the issue and risk messing up the issue worse. If new can fix the issue, I have a car worth 15k again. If he can’t fix the issue and makes it worse or steals my engine…I’m out of 9k with a useless car.
You’re taking a huge gamble with the Facebook guy.
There’s a lot of variables here and you probably need to take it to another (non dealership) repair shop for a second opinion. Tell them you have a head gasket leak and ask for a quote on labor and parts for that.
Did Ford inspect the cylinder walls and find cracks or damage? Is something warped from heat damage? Why are they wanting a new engine?
What happens when homeboy opens up the engine and the damage is way worse than expected? How is he honing the cylinders? $900 is getting you a drill attachment and hopes. Maybe he does good work and is just hustling, or maybe he’s going to take your $900 and block you