about to cry....

[riotwarrior]

Gavin...bring that beast down here we can do the whole enchalada if you got all your parts in a row...flush coolant, change oil and ...and...change cooler, hell I got a few sitting here if we get new o rings build one...then stick it in n replace yers!

 

[gdhillon]

I may have to take you up on your offer Al, if I can get some time off before school

I got myself that haynes diesel repair book (has info about the gm idis to) I think that'll help out. I'm going to try and just take it out without lifting the engine like Russ said to

 

[Davesaylor250]

When I rebuilt my oil cooler i got got my orings from rock auto for $6.00 part number VICTOR REINZ Part # GS33545 very satisfied they also have the gasket set to mount it to block but i just went to napa and got some ihigh emp gasket materal and copper rtv and made my own worked excellent. The hardest part was getting it out i had to undo the sterring shaft and slide it out of the way if you do that you do not hae to raise the engine

 

[gdhillon]

If you have never changed the coolant or oil, I would do that first. When testing for pressure, I was not very clear. You put your hand on the radiator where the cap came off, as if trying to seal the hole with your palm. If there is a HG failure, you will know it right away. If not, the oil cooler is the most likely suspect. If you are going to change o rings in the oil cooler, make sure to: #1 clean everything. #2 look in the bundle and remove any debris. #3 check all sealing surfaces for rust or nicks then lube them up - plenty (especially the o rings)- before trying to reassemble. It is a straightforward process, but you have to be pretty careful not to nick or twist the o rings or you will have an immediate leak. And put the o rings on the bundle. Some instructions tell you to put a pair in the heads. Don't.

should i replacle the gaskets two? or just the orings on the ends of the cooler?

 

[icanfixall]

Because your so dep into the cooler its best to change the end gaskets along with the o-rings. Why take a chance of doing it twice because you reused the end gaskets.

 

[gdhillon]

I looked in the haynes book for unbolting the steering shaft. It didn't really give me a definitive answer(maybe I'm just to much of a noob mechanic). The book says to use a puller to take of pitman arm or something like that and to also disconnect steering box.....wouldn't it just be to disconnect shaft from the steering box or is it a one piece design?

 

[gdhillon]

I did some phoning around my area today and every shop said that the oil cooler would need to be replaced entirely b/c oil in coolant is a complete failure kinda thing....I trust you guys here a lot more than shops, what do you guys think?

What should I use todrain the coolant into?

 

[SparkandFire]

Those shops probably don't know the difference between a powerstroke and an IDI. Seriously.

I had the exact symptoms you mention on my '87 extended cab. I changed the oil cooler O rings and end gaskets and the oil/coolant relationship came to a halt.

Bath beads cleaned things up nice, sold the truck with about 10k miles on it post oil cooler repair, still had nice green coolant.

It's true the tubes can rupture, it's happened before. You can pressure test the unit while you've got it out, I had a couple pieces of aluminum plate that I drilled holes so that I could pipe air to the oil passages in the header. Clamp the unit down to a bench so it doesn't blow apart on you. I wish I had kept those plates, they got lost in the last migration.

This is Tim (The Warden's) excellent write up on the procedure...

http://www.dieselwarden.net/ford/project16.html

 

[gdhillon]

Ya, when i said it was n/a there was usually a slight pause on the phone.....how did you disconnect the steering shaft? is it a one bolt kind of deal? I read that it is telescoping does that mean it can be compressed together?

My biggest worry is disposing/collecting of== the coolant and not letting any spill on the driveway (b/c I hear its very poisonous to animals) . And I imagine a lot of coolant will come out

 

[bab029]

Steering shaft should only take a couple of bolts. One at the steering box, one up higher.

And I imagine a lot of coolant will come out

Yeah, about 8 gallons. . Get 4 gallons fleetcharge, and 4 gallons distilled water.

 

[SparkandFire]

I did pull the steering shaft, as mentioned there is one through bolt at the top, I pulled that and disconnected it, then pushed it off to the side.

If you drain the radiator, you'll get about 4.5 gallons out that way. The rest is in the block. I used a five gallon bucket, popped the lower radiator hose off the radiator side and dumped it quick. Better then waiting for the petcock to drain it. On the block, if you can't get the drain plug out (mine was stripped on the drivers side) get a big catch pan to collect the water that leaks when the cooler gets pulled. I also removed the oil filter before trying to wrestle the thing out. Dump the used coolant down the W.C. (crapper) probably not the right thing to do, but in my opinion better than letting it get drank by the neighborhood strays. Any coolant that gets on the driveway, wash it down with lots of water.

I took the two engine mount bolts off the drivers side and jacked the engine up as far as I could get it. That way you have more room to maneuver it.

 

[gdhillon]

okay thanks guys, I was all ready to do this tomorrow morning and today when I phoned international they said they just shipped the 'kit' out to terrace yesterday . But thats ok the guy said theyll be in Thursday morning. I guess doing the rad hoses will be a good investment to

 

[OLDBULL8]

Don't worry about the coolant being poisonous, it no longer is, been that way for quite awhile. Your gonna get some oil out also, the cooler will be full of oil so be prepared. Go to a furniture store and get some large pieces of cardboard, and get some cat litter to soak up any oil spill, same as oil dry but cheaper. Don't use any gasket material on the gaskets, they already have it on them, you'll see.

 

[yARIC008]

Don't worry about the coolant being poisonous, it no longer is, been that way for quite awhile.

Sorry, this is bad information. Ethylene glycol is just as poisonous as it's ever been and just a couple tablespoons will kill.

 

[gdhillon]

^That's what I'm afraid, quite a few of my neighbors have cats that like to roam around