WATCH: Ford Harley-Davidson V8 Engine Teardown Shows Why Tap Water Is No Replacement For Coolant

WATCH: Ford Harley-Davidson V8 Engine Teardown Shows Why Tap Water Is No Replacement For Coolant

This supercharged V8 was taken out of a 2002 Ford F-150.

While the 5.4-liter supercharged V8 in the Ford F-150 was considered relatively reliable with only a few issues like spark plugs shooting out, poor maintenance cannot save it. The video below shows what can go wrong when one of the most reliable trucks out there is fed water instead of coolant and otherwise neglected.

The engine in question was sourced from a 2002 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson edition, which made about 340 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque from the factory. The V8 was sold in an unknown condition, so details like the mileage and maintenance history were unknown. But the fact that it couldn’t start doesn’t bode well.

As mentioned, this engine had issues with the spark plugs. There was also rust almost everywhere on the engine, including the intake ports. That could be explained by a faulty cooling system, as evidenced by the dirty water pump filled with nasty liquids.

Most of the parts in the valve and timing assemblies looked good, except for a few wear areas found on the camshafts, journals, and caps, but nothing too concerning. This type of engine was also known to have timing chain issues, but the chains in this particular motor were just fine, which suggests it hasn’t got too much mileage.

After taking the cylinder heads off both banks, we see that the condition of the cylinders was not too bad, although some carbon had built up.

There was some debris in the oil pan, which might’ve slightly damaged the bearings on the crankshaft, but the crank could still be polished and sold for good money.

It appears that the cause of much of this damage might have been avoidable. The Ford V8 may have been filled with tap water, which isn’t a good idea as it can damage the cooling system. Distilled water is said to be a better choice until the engine can be filled with coolant.