Can you drive with a dead cylinder?

[doublebase]

I have personally driven a 5.4 with a dead cylinder for 1000's of miles...or I should say, the truck in a fleet I worked in drove for 1,000's of miles BEFORE I test drove it and fixed it. Actually drove pretty good....now, a four cylinder engine??? Yeah, I don't think that would be anywhere near as doable. But you still could drive it well enough to get home.

 

[brages]

I think the dead cylinder will waste a good amount of power (engine braking), maybe even more if the plug is out.

 

[UncleDave]

Before hardened valve seats valves burned often. Many people ran around on a dead cyl or more.

That wasn't quite and fully dead, but leaky as a sieve - didnt foul the oil as fast, but yeah.

 

[meep]

I have personally driven a 5.4 with a dead cylinder for 1000's of miles...or I should say, the truck in a fleet I worked in drove for 1,000's of miles BEFORE I test drove it and fixed it. Actually drove pretty good....now, a four cylinder engine??? Yeah, I don't think that would be anywhere near as doable. But you still could drive it well enough to get home.

Yeah - a four cylinder with one down is Rough.