1993 F350 DRW 7.3 idi non-turbo - looking for steps directions on engine removal

[ferrellmedia]

I have a 1993 F350 where the engine has siezed.

I have went back and forth and posted info and got assistance from fellow members on this truck and I'm still no closer at determining EXACTLY why the engine will not turn over.

So, I've decided that I will take one of my weeks of vacation i'm going to loose anyway and take the engine out.

I've already purchased a 2 ton engine stand from my local Harbor Frieght and I plan to rent a 3 ton engine picker or something similar from my local rental place once I'm ready.

What I'm looking for is EXPERIENCE, someone who has done this before and can provide me with steps which I could follow.

I mean, I think I know how to take the radiator out, (really not assuming anything, this is why I say "I think") and remove the AC compressor place it on the side, alternator, etc.....

I also recently identified that the head bolts need to be loosened and removed following the same assembly pattern.

In finding this head bolt write up it made me realize, this isn't the GM 350 small block I'm so familiar with and there are possibly other "steps" or "must do's" that I'm sure others are aware of.

Also, just a twist here, the engine is seized, will not budge, which in turn means I cannot take the torque converter bolts out, so I'm assuming I will either need to pull the engine OFF the transmission with the torque converter attached, OR I will need to remove the drive shaft and drop the transmission OFF the engine PRIOR to attempting to lift the engine out of the truck.

Also, will the engine clear without removing the hood or ....?

Any real experience anyone is willing to share would be greatly appreciated as I'm aware this is not your normal engine, this is a friggin BEAST of an engine.

Also, I intend to remove the front of the engine in the FIRST steps to ensure it's not the timing gears which has the engine locked up as the only recent work done by anyone outside the family was a new injection pump "1k" at my local ford dealer, possibly anything here?....

Also, I just this weekend checked the SCA levels with a test strip kit. This truck has been owned by my family and been well cared for for years, (we are all wanna be mechanics, some better than others, but as a family we were always able to fix anything) and nobody was ever aware of the requirement to test the SCA levels,.

The test kit returned 0.00, nothing, nada, none were present, so...........could be very bad, but I MUST FIND OUT WHY IT'S LOCKED UP....

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.....

 

[jperecko]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8GQT-wOCkU

Bigger hair guy was me... a few wrenches, air tools are nice... some rigging and a HF engine hoist. Let me know what you want to know. Plenty others have pulled as well. It is not too hard.

 

[ferrellmedia]

Nice, watched the video.

Looks like you pulled the front rad support structure to take the motor out.

Was another option pulling the front tires to drop the truck?

I'm thinking a 2 ton hoist is large enough?

With my engine being frozen and my inability to take the converter bolts out, do I have options? Meaning, take the tranny out leaving the converter bolted to flywheel VS leaving the tranny in truck, taking block bolts out and pulling engine off tranny with converter attached?

 

[jperecko]

Yeah.. the rad was out before the video started... same with hood... just makes it easier.

What was left was the AC- I did not want to loose my full charge of R12. Had to unbolt stuff but the condenser stayed connected, just pivoted the support. In the video you notice a few parts where the whole front drops, that is us airing down the tires, this was to the point where the bead popped off (crappy 16.5" rims have no safety bead). But mine is also lifted ~3-4 inches with 35" tires.

I used the 2 ton hoist in the furthest out position which is rated for 1k pounds... keep it in the second to last position if possible for some extra factor of safety.

I had a manual tranny and dunno how different the auto is but disconnecting it, whether at the bell or behind would be a good idea to keep the weight down. Just keep in mind that the engine will sag back without the support of the tranny and you should support it somehow before it is pulled.

 

[towcat]

before you get carried away with pulling the motor......
have you determined the coolant level has dropped before the lockup?
pulled the glowplugs to see if the motor will bar over?
the crank bolt is a 15/16" and you should bar it over once the glowplugs are out. if liquid comes out, determine if it is coolant or DIESEL FUEL.
i have had two hyrdo cases over the years that was due to failed injectors holding open and filling the cylinder up with fuel.
oh btw.......
welcome to the site.
which other site were ou using for your diag?
you mentioned you posted quite a bit but you have a count of less than five posts here.

 

[ferrellmedia]

I've taken the passenger side ONLY set of injectors out without luck.

My plan is to take the remaining glow plugs out to rule EXACTLY what you've mentioned above, thanks for mentioing this.

Coolant level has not dropped, no oil film or residue in coolant, no coolant in oil either.

I've been using thedieselstop.com prior to this post, but really knew to both sites. I've been wrestling with this locked up truck for 4 months now, but have not even started on it. I've been hoping someone will just chime in and say, "hey it's not your motor, it's blah, blah, blah..."

SO I hope it is an injector stuck open.

The morning the motor locked up I attempted to start the truck, it began to start and just as it began to run he thing just thumped hard and stopped, no metal on metal sounds, (I've heard them before) no knocks just what sounded like a THUD, then the entire truck shook from the motor stopping.

I've taken out the passenger injectors, glowplugs, can't turn the motor over, but don't seem to have water/fuel in them.

Next step is taking the drivers side out, (thank you) and validating that side. If those check out....

Next step is taking the front of the engine out and validating the cam/injecton pump gears are not to blame. The only work done on the truck by anyone outside the family was the instalation of a new injection pump by the ford dealer for a whopping 1k dollars.

Then if all this checks out, taking the motor out is next to get at the bottom end, then on to pulling the heads.

 

[towcat]

The morning the motor locked up I attempted to start the truck, it began to start and just as it began to run he thing just thumped hard and stopped, no metal on metal sounds, (I've heard them before) no knocks just what sounded like a THUD, then the entire truck shook from the motor stopping.

congratulations.
you have just confirmed you will have to pull the motor.
note I said "bar over" the motor.
what you have achieved is reinforcing the fact that liquids do not compress.
by using the starter to get the motor to fire and it did very briefly....you have now bent a rod.
time to get busy.
pull the radiator support. your back will thank you.

 

[ferrellmedia]

I really don't know what "bar over" the motor means.

I assumed you meant what I was trying to do, which was placing a breaker bar on the end of the crank and attempting to get the motor to move, which it wont in either direction.

I hope your wrong, and the reason I started on the passenger side was the idea that the back passenger cylinder is usually the first to go on cavitation.

Also, the fact that this truck has been owned by my uncle first, then my father now me and nobody was aware of the SCA maint issue, DAMN!!

So, my first laser focused idea was that it was water in the back cylinder, took out the gp and injector and found nothing in the cylinder and didn't move any further.

Now, in my head, the best case scenario is an open injector and a cylinder filled with fuel, (at least the block will still be good!!)

I've bought an SCA test kit and checked it this previous weekennd and it came up 0.00 big goose eggs, nada, nothing, no reading, so I still have a potential problem as the motor has exactly 156k miles, which is the perverbial end point for these without this maint. so........

I need the guidance from folks who have experience so I can plan my attack in such a way that I don't cause myself more work than needed.

Thanks for taking the time....

 

[Agnem]

Back to your request for specific information, I've done engine swaps and pulled 2 IDI's myself. My recommendation is to remove the front clip. While it may seem extreme, it really is the easiest by far.

1) remove front bumper
2) open hood, and secure hood with a strap over the back of the cab. This strap will hold the hood up for the duration of your project - no need to remove it... makes alignment a snap later.
3) remove batteries.
4) Disconnect all electrical items fed from the drivers side of the truck. This should include but is not limited to the alternator and all lighting.
5) Free the wiring harness and lay it on the engine.
6) Remove the lower hood bracket from the fender
7) Remove the 4 bolts (2 on each side) from the fenders to cab mount (near the hood hinges)
8) Remove the bolts connecting the fender to the hidden door jam area. May be 2 or 3 per side depending on model year. Visible from inside cab area with door open.
9) remove the front body mount bolts (2 nuts accessed from inside rad core support area - might need a torch though if they are rusted out
10) remove one bolt, each side from wheel well plastic to frame in wheel well
11) Drain all coolant, remove all connecting hoses including trans if applicable
12) with helpers, lift front of truck body, slide forward, then remove from truck.
13) Remove engine oil filter and starter motor.
14) pull engine and trans as single unit as you would normally expect to do. Don't forget to disconnect the power steering hoses.

 

[snicklas]

ferrell,
You are correct on bar-ing over the engine. Using a socket and breaker bar to turn to engine over in a slow, controlled manner.

I would agree with towcat, it sounds like you may have some major damage. I would proceede in removing the GP's , injectors only if you want to..... just the GP's will do. You may or may not be able to bar the engine over at this point, if it is just a bent rod, you may be able to move the pistons and you may see some fluid come out of the cylinder that has been hydrolocked, that is the cylinder that will also have the damaged rod, if the rod broke, it may be lodged in the cylinder, and you still will not be able to bar it over.

Best case is just a hydrolock, but with the run and ending with a loud THUD, I would think you have at lease one hole with damage......

Sorry, not the news you were looking for.......

 

[Mat J]

If you need help I MIGHT be able to get down that way. Once you get going it wont be to bad.

 

[ferrellmedia]

I really appreciate your offer and as I get moving on it I just might hit you up via email.

One thing worth noting today is that over the past few weeks when I take the radiator cap off, the system actually has a bit of pressure built up.

I wouldn't expect this unless it's heat/cooling based expansion contraction but I cannot remember from school if water/anti-freeze specifically should expand and contract with heat/cool.

I just found this very odd as I took off the radiator cap today and I realized it's been doing this every time I take the radiator cap off.

Also, I took all the glow plugs out on the drivers side, but not the injectors still unable to turn it with the breaker bar, now I'm draining the radiator and taking it out.

I'm still not sure if taking the entire front cap off the truck is feasible for me. I have limits set by the city as to what I can actually do in my driveway, so...

 

[Mat J]

Yeah i just keep a pretty busy schedule but if you really need help i can see what i can do.

the antifreeze will expand and contract so it should build up some pressure.

When you started it and herd the thud how long had it been sitting?

 

[icanfixall]

If the injection pump is the only thing thats been replaced before it locked up I would remove that pump and try to turn the motor by the front crank bolt. Dunny that this is what was done last and things went *****. The injection pump may not have anything to do with it but its an easy place to start. Just remove the pump and not the gear cover with the 4 long 3/8 bolts in it.

 

[ferrellmedia]

The truck was a daily driver and never sit at all, always ran like a champion, ran a lot better the few months after replacing the injection pump. Truck sit for like 6 months 1.5 years ago, if that matters prior to my father giving it to me.

What connects the pump to the gear mechanism? is it just a distributor type rod that connects or ??? and I'm guessing I need to pay special attention to EXACTLY how whatever it is that connects the pump to the gearing mechanism when it comes off....

I got the radiator out tonight all 4 radiator bolt clips broke when taking them out, very poor design and NO OIL in the fluid and no oil residue in the radiator, very clean no real scaling.

I'm thinking the fan clutch bolts, (I know they are left hand thread) would be easiest with an air impact wrench?
Got the front grill out, rad out, truck looks sad, and my driveway and me were covered in antifreeze, even with a catch.

I can already tell, this is going to be a long road, patience will be key for me.