Today, on my way back from work, I was sitting at a stoplight and my trucks rpms were dropping, and it sounded like it was about to stall out. I've been hearing a persistent ticking and it feels underpowered. Also when I pull out of anywhere in drive it jerks, something from the rear like bounces. Before we got it we had to get 3 new heads machined and replace the head gasket. Since then we've flushed the heater core and radiator several times. And we finally put antifreeze back in it after running it with water until it seemed to stay clear. I checked it today when I got home and it was cloudy and coffee colored. I checked the oil, and it looks fine and is at an appropriate level. It's not milky or anything. Another thing to note is that the coolant return never fills up. It never overflows into the coolant return. It's also running considerably quieter, which is odd considering it has no catalytic converter and an exhaust leak. Any help would be 1000x appreciated.

 

You got one of those weird engines with 3 heads and 1 gasket. Anyway... was the underlying problem determined that caused the heads and gasket to fail? Overheating is the number one cause for head and gasket failure. Water pump, thermostat, radiator, hoses and fan are the cooling system components... any of which can fail causing overheating. If you have an automatic, the coffee color in the coolant could be automatic trans fluid. Trans cooling lines use the radiator as well and it can leak into the coolant if the internal line cracks. Check trans fluid. Get a new radiator cap. They're cheap and when they fail, they can cause grief. You need to verify that your coolant is actually circulating and/or your thermostat opens when it gets warm, even if you bought a new one. I've bought my fair share of malfunctioning ones. The ticking sound you hear could be a loose rocker arm or bad lifter. An exhaust leak at the manifold can sound like a tick sometimes.

 

Ticking could be from a cracked exhaust manifold.

 

It's a 3.0 V6 and only 3 of the heads were damaged. So as far as the original failing component we've identified it as the water pump, we replaced it, flushed the system and everything. As far as the transmission fluid, I checked it, it honestly looked a little too full but it's the right color and I didn't have this issue before. I also checked the antifreeze and it was the proper color again as well. My thermostat is functioning and my coolant is in fact circulating. What is the worst case scenario here with everything I've been experiencing?

 

Your V6 only has 2 heads total.

Do you mean valves ?

 

Maybe, personally I've had this truck for about 2 months and everything I've "learned" I've done on my own. I don't have any technical or mechanical experience beyond that. But from my understanding we got 3 of the piston heads replaced because 3 of them were warped.

 

Is the check engine light on (CEL)? Does the CEL work? When you turn the key to start position, does it light up? Having no catalytic converters is going to have an effect on engine performance. Plugging a code reader into the OBDII port may shed some light on your situation.

 

The ticking could be a faulty spark plug wire that's allowing the spark to jump inside the boot from the wire not being pushed on all the way.

 

Re your question in post #4: If you accurately diagnosed your problem an omission during reassembly is your wild card.
A cheap water pump could create a worst case real soon.

How's your chocolate coolant now?
How many miles on this rig?

To anyone: How long would you keep a Motorcaft radiator cap in service? They weaken, no?

 

I change my radiator cap once a year, on the older vehicles, regardless of brand.