My Engine Just Took a Big ****: Swap Possibilities

[cleithau]

I was driving home from work yesterday and when I went to turn on my road the oil pressure light dropped to just above nothing at idle and i could here some bad engine noise, maybe a really loud valve or a rod or main bearing, sounded like the upper end but really loud. I shut it of as I coasted around the corner. The oil was really low at this point but I checked it before leaving work (20 mile drive) and it was fine. The oil pressure gauge (mechanical) read a hair over 40 psi the whole way home and the temp stayed at 200. As soon as I shut it off the temp started creaping up till it hit 255. Added oil and when I started it up it sounded like hell and shook like one cylinder wasn't firing.

I've been finding a bunch of 5 speed 2wd Ford, can a 2wd tranny be using in a 4x4 without a divorced transfercase? Also there is an identical 1985 6.9 diesel in a guys field down the road he said he'd sell for $500. He said it ran when he parked it. what kind of compression would I be looking for to make it a good enough engine to be worth swapping it in mine.

 

[tractorman86]

sorry about the bad luck man. no a 2wd zf will not work in place of a 4x4 they are a two piece case and the whole back half is different on the 4wd. i would pick up the neighbors truck and posibly even drive it while you do the conversion to yours and then sell it when you get back in your truck.

 

[towcat]

sorry to hear what happened. usually these motors will give you plenty of warning.
if you do buy the other truck, do make sure the motor runs before making the deal. there's nothing worse than putting in a bum motor.

 

[Diesel JD]

Yeah start the neighbors truck...bring two good batteries and fresh oil, diesel and some plain water. But if its any good 500 bucks is a steal. If you want to check compression on either motor 300-500 is in the fair to good range, but mainly you don't want to see any difference of greater than 25% between the highest and lowest cylinders and no cylinder should be less than 300. If some are over 500 that's not so bad.

 

[cleithau]

I thought the motor would give me more of a warning than it did, went from 40 psi to almost nothing. Had a low pressure coolant leak. But nothing major, I had drove it from New Mexico to Michigan in June and it ran great. Really bums me out. Any idea what could have made it go so quick. Is it possible it dropped a valve or something in the valve train?

How many hours are needed to swap engine?

 

[tractorman86]

dropping a valve is about the most sudden end you can get it is just a sh sh sh sh buhhh no oil pressure drop till the buhhh for me at least. and there was nothing and i mean NOTHING left of the piston. kinda sounds like you lost the oil pump then spun a bearing but i'm not sure.

 

[cleithau]

That was my other thought, that sucks.

Any idea on how long to put a new motor in, no turbo.

 

[tractorman86]

if you've never done it before i would venture to guess it could be done in good solid weekend, so like 20hrs i guess. might be a little high though

 

[subway]

they all "used to run" make sure it does before you fork over the money. i sitting truck can hid ALLOT. dont remember who it was but they dug out a truck with fresh rebuilt motor years ago. you could still see the cross hatching in the cylinders but the motor was goner from internal rust.

might be a good deal just go in with your eyes open.

 

[cleithau]

Its been parked 4 years. It has a new radiator. Still have the original owners manual in the glove box. I'll deffinately start it and run it before buying it.

What years (if any) were turbos standard on the IDI. I have seen some newer vans for sale but the owners don't know much about them, "Its a Ford diesel van", so if I ask if they have a turbo on their IDI they would just be confused. Will a van IDI work in a truck, if you change the oil cooler?

 

[tractorman86]

IIRC i think the exh manifold is different also calvin or mel could probably tell ya

 

[subway]

IIRC i think the exh manifold is different also calvin or mel could probably tell ya

yep and the filter head but you could pull those from your old engine. if it is turbo the up pipes woufd be differant.

factory turbos were only availible in the 93-94 model trucks.

 

[cleithau]

Well there's 2 6.9 IDI's within 5 miles from my house. One has a 4 speed, deffinately want that, the guy said the motor started and ran great but it had a lot of blow by. Don't IDI's have more blowby the most other diesels? The other has been parked for sometime and is an automatic, what all will I need to get from the 4 speed to convert my truck from the C-6 to the t-19 (or 18). Do you get much better mileage with the 4 speed?

Driveshafts, bellhousing, pedal assembly, steering column, clutch linkage? Anything I'm forgetting.

He's got a Dana 60 that he doesn't want to part with. If the diesel has a tach and a 4 speed, and I can get the 60 off him this would be a blessing in disguise.

 

[Diesel JD]

Grab the driveshaft, bellhousing, transmission, clutch assy, pedal assy. The steering column and the dash arent 100% neccessary but do make it look more professionally done. I would get a SB clutch kevlar pilot bushing and any generic new throwout bearing. Ideally you'd buy a new Ford t/o bearing with the greasable zerk fitting but they are few and far between and cost over 100 bucks. You'll also want to reinforce the firewall. I think I have the small kit, if I can find it and you want it its yours for the cost of shipping as it was given to me and I found another way to reinforce the firewall. Ideally you'd make your own plate or buy Ford's big kit, but making your own plate may not work as well and could get expensive depending on your fabrication skills. The large firewall kit(part # in towcat's parts bin) is the best fix but it will cost anywhere from $150 and more new. If the donor truck has any funky plates around the master cylinder that would be them and you should grab them along with the master and slave cylinders. As far as fuel mileage I might have picked up a MPG or 2 going from the C6 to the T18. I was hoping for more but I enjoy driving the manual much more and the truck is much more powerful and truck like with it than the C6. I hope it will improve some more if I can ever mount that DNE2 overdrive box on my truck.

 

[Diesel JD]

Oh don't forget the flywheel! It is very different on a T18/19 than a C6!!