need new valves or new engine.. what would you do?

[slim072590]

did a compression test and i have a cylinder thats not adding up..

the motor is a 1992ish IDI 7.3

idk if its ever had the right coolant in it.. i was told the motor only has 110k on it??

if only 110k is it normal for a valve to go bad?

could i end up fixing my head to find i have a bad block or bearing in a few months?

im looking about 1500 for machine work and labor and new valve

or should i just spend 3k and replace the whole engine with one off of ebay.. or is there another option i am over looking??

any advice, or what would you do?

 

[ToughOldFord]

Well, the what would you do will get you a lot of different answers.

I know I'll never have 3K to spend on a repair nor is my truck worth it even if I did. I'd pull the head and inspect. If it was just a bad valve and the seat and guide were passable I'd replace the bad valve, lap it a little, and put it back together. If not I'd either have the head repaired or look for a good used one.

If the engine truly only has 100K on it, it's barely broke in and should last a long time.

 

[slim072590]

The frame, body, axles, and everything are in perfect shape... with the exception of paint..

I want and need a truck, this one has room for people, and I won't be able to come close to a newer 4 door truck for 3k.. I plan on keeping the truck for a while..

I know little things like electrical, door hinges, clutch, starter will eventually go

I would fix the heads and run with it if I knew it only had 110k on it

But the guy who sold it to me also said that all it needed was injectors, and well, here I am, lol

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[icanfixall]

Ok with 110 thousand miles on it I feel the injectors and injection pump could be a cause for concern seeing they usually last for around 125,000 miles. So if the numbers are correct the engine wil be fine for a simple head repair but do you trust the compression test and the tester. How did you make the test on the bad cylinder. It could very easily be a broken ring too. Pulling the head is only the start of findind ing whats right and wrong. The $1500.00 for a head repair is way too much.

 

[slim072590]

I thought out seemed high

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[slim072590]

And it has new injectors and a pump from conastoga diesel

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[haubert]

Did you warm up truck before compression test? Did you do compression test while replacing injectors and before start up. If so possible injector did not properly seat due to carbon. Start truck warm up and retest

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[riotwarrior]

Well I'm kind of interested in knowing what his numbers where on each cylinder myself before offering up any opinion.

Also do you notice an off beat to the exhaust or in the intake? huff/chuff? These engines are known to have issues with guides and a worn guide, or valve can and will cause a bad reading on compression.

I'm going to wait on any kind of opinion until I know results of test.

 

[bbjordan]

Before condemning the engine, you might want to run some diesel-kleen or SeaFoam or some kind of engine cleaner thru it.
It's not uncommon for these engines to have lots of crud build up around the rings causing them not to seal properly. It might take a couple of treatments. Other on this site have done this with good results. Perhaps they will chime in.

 

[slim072590]

Sorry its been so long... talked to the guy again, he said he never even tested it... he can just " hear" it upon start up and it does huff and chuff at a idle... he said he " just knows these engines and its a valve or guide".. it only needs head work

I don't have the tools, the Ford dealer won't touch it and the next closest diesel shop is 150ish miles away, and it's kinda sketchy because no mechanic speaks English in El Paso Texas, there mostly from Juarez Mexico




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[slim072590]

And where do I run sea foam through? The fuel and oil? The tank and oil fill spot?

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[OLDBULL8]

I hate to say this, but these old trucks take a lot of loving care. Without the proper tools and some know how, your at the mercy of some unscrupulous mechanics. A head rebuild shouldn't cost over $500 and that would be with all new valves and repair any bad guide, but if the mechanic has to pull the head, then the cost goes up considerably. So the first thing you want to do is get a diesel compression tester and check the compression yourself. A diesel head is not much different than a gas head, just that a diesel has injectors and glow plugs rather than spark plugs.
You need a 10mm deep socket or a 3/8" deep socket to remove the glow plugs.
To check compression.
Warm the engine up until the Hi idle shuts down.
Remove all the glow plugs.
Disconnect the FSS wire on the IP so the engine won't start.
Install gauge in the glow plug hole with the 10 x 1.0 mm adapter.
Check each cylinder with the gauge, turn engine over with the starter five revolution.
Write down what pressure you get.
You should get anywhere from 350 PSI to 500 PSI, below 350 PSI is questionable cylinder.

You need this for compression test. It does say it has the 10 X 1.0 mm adapter.
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/93000-93999/93644.pdf

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-piece-diesel-engine-compression-tester-93644.html

 

[slim072590]

Once the engine is warmed up and everything swells... how long does it take to remove all 8 glow plugs? It won't cool to much while removing them?

And you can test each cylinder individually with no glow plugs in it at all right? It won't change psi from no plugs

And it holds psi in the gauge so I could crank and get out and go look at it... I could do it with one person?

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[riotwarrior]

Sorry its been so long... talked to the guy again, he said he never even tested it... he can just " hear" it upon start up and it does huff and chuff at a idle... he said he " just knows these engines and its a valve or guide".. it only needs head work

I don't have the tools, the Ford dealer won't touch it and the next closest diesel shop is 150ish miles away, and it's kinda sketchy because no mechanic speaks English in El Paso Texas, there mostly from Juarez Mexico




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Ok so has a huff or chuff, is clear indication that a guide, and or valve is toast. This probably requires a significant amount of machine work to get you a solid set of heads. If doing one do two, then you know for fact you're on solid ground.

As for where, well shipping is an option though not a nice one!

Do some searches here for huff/chuff threads they are here and can show you whats going on.

Good luck and thanks for the update

 

[slim072590]

Ok so has a huff or chuff, is clear indication that a guide, and or valve is toast. This probably requires a significant amount of machine work to get you a solid set of heads. If doing one do two, then you know for fact you're on solid ground.

As for where, well shipping is an option though not a nice one!

Do some searches here for huff/chuff threads they are here and can show you whats going on.

Good luck and thanks for the update

The only other thing that concerns me is putting 1k (give or take) and fixing/ getting perfect, new heads.. is that on 5k or 10k miles my block dies from bad coolant, or abuse from PO or whatever else it went through before me

I wouldn't mind rebuilding the whole thing, but if I get it all apart and find cavation on the back side of my cylinders... I gotta put back together a no good engine for the core to get a new one..

I've read so many story's of bad blocks, it's all in my head now.. lol

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