I need some fresh ideas or.... I'm buying a new truck.

[hesutton]

I've about had it with the crew cab. It continues to try my patience. After the nonsence before the rally and now it still likes to puke coolant and still has a miss.

New BB codes from Mel helped for a short time, like 20 miles. Then the miss returned! I'm thinking about pulling them and seeing if any of them are now bad..... and if they are, are they same cylinders with bad injectors as before (1,3, and 6)? I'm wondering if the IP is doing something weird. It starts and runs fine when cold. No miss at all. As the engine warms, the miss gets continually worse, espically when worked hard (hauling the 5'er).

It still is spitting coolant out of the overflow. WHY? I've tested the mortal **** out of the cooling system with everything testing normal. Compression test, normal. No oil in coolant or vise versa. However, when I pull the camper on the highway it pukes for a while then stops, (65mph, 2500RPM +/-, EGT 700-850, Boost 7-11psi). I've learned to keep the overflow tank empty or it will really spit out the coolant.

The other issue is it doesn't draw the coolant back into the radiator when it cools off. I'm on my third radiator cap and it still doesn't pull the coolant back in.

I'm at my wits end. I want to camp this summer, not pull the freak'n IDI out of the truck again. Any and all suggestions on these issues please....... I'm all ears.

I've been looking for a newer truck '08-'10 F350 crew cab 6 speed manual 4x4's. If I can't pull my camper without all this freak'n truck drama, I'll have no choice but to put the '86 crew cab back in the shop or back on the market!

Heath

 

[Black dawg]

Have you tried putting shop air to the cylinders to see if you had a combustion leak? In the past Ive had a hard time proving head gasket leaks on diesels, even putting air to the cyls doesnt always work. It sure sounds like you have a leak to me.


sorry I couldnt think more positive.

 

[hesutton]

I've done a compression test and it was normal as well.

New headgaskets and studs installed in the fall.

Heath

 

[Diesel_brad]

DT360

 

[hesutton]

DT360

Heath

 

[Diesel_brad]

My buddy just got done putting one in a IH 666 and it kicked ASSSS at the fair. he is running a Cummins hx35 turbo and manifold with an ever so SLIGHT turn of the fuel screw

 

[icanfixall]

Well Heath you puking coolant now sounds like the pressure can push it over into the resivour but it wont pull it back. That right there sounds like a restriction in the overflow line from the radiator. Sometimes those will plug up with whatever you can imagine kinda crap.... Well.... Maybe you can "think" or all kinds of crap that plugs thing s up.... Anyway the buildup of pressure will push over the coolant but the restriction or pluggage in the small hose will not allow it to suck back into the radiator. I've had this problem on two of my trucks over the years. Just remove the hose and try to blow thru it. Also look closely at it for any creases or pinches.
The miss has me wondering too. Checking the injectors is the right thing to do. Then suspect the injectors or low fuel pressure. If you have the 7.3 filter head system then you have the vacuum switch on the feed side to the injection pump. Check the switch to know for sure its functioning. A pressure gauge on the supply side of the filter will only tell you that the filter is getting supply pressure but it could be restricted somehow.

 

[Compu Doc]

When in all this mess did you change out the thermostat or test it in a pot of water with a thermometer.

On my old Cadillac ambulance I had it did not overheat on normal driving but their were two times when I was living in CA it did the coolant push to the overflow after driving on steep hills on the interstate. I did not notice it until I shut it off in my friends driveway that you could hear the coolant boiling.

I took the thermostat out put it in water on a stove with a thermometer. When the water was boiling the thermostat did open but not fully. I then bought a new thermostat and tested it the same way before installing and the new thermostat opened all the way. Installed new thermostat and the problem was solved.

Even if you recently bought a new thermostat and installed it I would remove it and test it in a pot of water with a thermometer.

If that checks out then maybe have the radiator checked you may have a blockage. As for the miss does it do it only when the coolant is pushed into the overflow or does it do it all the time. Does the coolant only puke when pulling the fiver or does it do it by just driving it without a load.

If the radiator is suspect you may want to try an aluminum one as they are able to keep a truck cooler than the brass and copper type.

 

[SparkandFire]

Wish I knew what to tell you, Heath! There's no logical reason things are doing what they are doing. Injector and cooling system issues seem to be unrelated, but who knows?

I know your frustrations well! Since I am "living" at a campground right now I often poke my head out from under the hood of the old Ford and watch all the families roll in with their new trucks and trailers and sometimes I feel off kilter about how much this damn thing is resisting my efforts to get it back in line.

We're all rooting for you man, what ever direction you go with!

 

[hesutton]

Well Heath you puking coolant now sounds like the pressure can push it over into the resivour but it wont pull it back. That right there sounds like a restriction in the overflow line from the radiator. Sometimes those will plug up with whatever you can imagine kinda crap.... Well.... Maybe you can "think" or all kinds of crap that plugs thing s up.... Anyway the buildup of pressure will push over the coolant but the restriction or pluggage in the small hose will not allow it to suck back into the radiator. I've had this problem on two of my trucks over the years. Just remove the hose and try to blow thru it. Also look closely at it for any creases or pinches.
The miss has me wondering too. Checking the injectors is the right thing to do. Then suspect the injectors or low fuel pressure. If you have the 7.3 filter head system then you have the vacuum switch on the feed side to the injection pump. Check the switch to know for sure its functioning. A pressure gauge on the supply side of the filter will only tell you that the filter is getting supply pressure but it could be restricted somehow.

I'm sure the tube is clear. I've pulled it off several times to use as a siphon to empty the overflow tank. It flows great then. Fuel pressure is 5-6 psi most of the time. It will drop to 3.5 at WFO pulling the camper.

When in all this mess did you change out the thermostat or test it in a pot of water with a thermometer.

On my old Cadillac ambulance I had it did not overheat on normal driving but their were two times when I was living in CA it did the coolant push to the overflow after driving on steep hills on the interstate. I did not notice it until I shut it off in my friends driveway that you could hear the coolant boiling.

I took the thermostat out put it in water on a stove with a thermometer. When the water was boiling the thermostat did open but not fully. I then bought a new thermostat and tested it the same way before installing and the new thermostat opened all the way. Installed new thermostat and the problem was solved.

Even if you recently bought a new thermostat and installed it I would remove it and test it in a pot of water with a thermometer.

If that checks out then maybe have the radiator checked you may have a blockage. As for the miss does it do it only when the coolant is pushed into the overflow or does it do it all the time. Does the coolant only puke when pulling the fiver or does it do it by just driving it without a load.

If the radiator is suspect you may want to try an aluminum one as they are able to keep a truck cooler than the brass and copper type.

Thermostat is a new Ford stat. Didn't boil it 1st. Probably should have in retrospect. The radiator was hot tanked, instected, and pressure test prior to reinstallation. The miss happens reguardless if I'm driving empty or hauling the 5'er. It doesn't change when the coolant pukes either. What I don't understand is why it doesn't miss when the engine is cool, and it does when the engine is warm. Now the coolant only pukes when pulling the 5'er on the highway. I've never had it puke coolant while driving on streets or two lane roads.


On Edit: Darrin you got something on your radar for me?

Heath

 

[towcat]

heath-
it may be something you don't want to hear, but your motor must come out again.
I'd do a through diagnosis on which hole is missing. since you know the conditions that it occurs, replicate the condition and then isolate the hole. if you're lucky, it's on the driver's side and all you have to pull is the head. if you're not lucky, it's the passenger side and the motor is coming out.
i suspect two things. one is a cracked head that only shows up when hot, the second is a split fire ring on the head gasket that lets gasses through.
you already see the symptoms, miss and compression gasses in the coolant.
remember, nothing good ever came easy.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Heath,

even though you can siphon through the over-flow tube, it could still be collapsing when the radiator tries to draw through it; I have had experiences with that myself.


There is a guy near Hodgenville who has a shop at his home; THE CRACK SHOP; his name slips me at the present --- ED maybe, but I know the guy and he knows me by sight if not by name; I have several of his cards in a drawer around here somewhere.

This guy is a crack-finding genious and is well-equipped to do so; plus, he can repair ANYTHING that is busted, cracked, or broken.

I have seen blocks he has repaired that had holes through them a cat could crawl through and those engines are still working hard.

If this guy cannot find your problem, no one can.

Just a thought and not too far away from you.

 

[towtruckdave]

Have you gone back and retorqued/checked the cylinder head fasteners? A loose nut would be a sure clue.

As far as it running great cold and then missing when warm, well that is fairly unusual. I need to think about that one.

Is the oil pressure still enough when it is hot?

Now when it starts missing going down the road and you stop, does it still miss at idle? If so you could crack some injector lines to try to find the missing cylinder.

Or does it seem like all the cylinders miss a little?

Good luck with this.

 

[DeepRoots]

compression tests are only useful on a cold diesel.
need to test combustion pressure on each hole.

 

[freebird01]

if you decide to put it on the market shoot me a pm