1993 F-350 tow rig

All but one of the glow plugs were in great shape:



The one that is fried came out of cylinder #6. It's not a Beru, it's a cheesy gp. The reason it got burnt is when the original was replaced this one was only threaded a few turns into the hole. I suspect this created higher resistance and the connector end of the plug couldn't take the amps, so it went to the scrap yard in the sky. At least none of the heated ends showed any swelling or cracking, which was a relief.

When I attempted to remove injector #1 the resistance to unthreading was surprising. I used my big-boy tools and got it out, only to find that as soon as I pulled the injector out of the hole, something was missing:



After futzing around in the injector hole for about an hour, I managed to extract all of the components that allow an IDI injector to do it's job:



I tried and failed to remove the copper washer, though. I soaked it in Kroil and let it sit for the evening.
Here's what the injector #5 hole looked like:



There was at least .125" buildup of carbon around the injector body. Cylinders 1, 3 and 5 were all coked up with carbon. Fortunately, after my negative experience with #1, I used Kroil on 3 and 5. They both came out relatively easily.

Continued...

Here's what the thermostat looked like when I pulled the cover off:



That rust did not fall in from the cover or the engine, that's what was swirling around in the cooling system. I am REALLY glad I decided to take the time to pull this engine, because now that I've seen what the top end looks like I can't wait to see what surprises the bottom end holds...

If this engine checks out, I am considering using Evans coolant. Anybody care to comment on experiences with it?

He's not around much anymore, but idiabuse ran it.

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79jasper said:

He's not around much anymore, but idiabuse ran it.

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Other than cost I don't see a downside. Given what sorry shape this engine is in I can't help but worry about cavitation and I think Evans will eliminate that problem. (Plus, the boiling point is 375* and it runs at atmospheric pressure, which is a big margin of safety upgrade.) If it does protect against cavitation I will run it, but I need to do some more reading to be 100% sure.

That coolant system looks a little crusty, but the coolant system is very robust in an IDI, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that you’ll end up with a good bottom end.

Lots of motorcycle guys love the Evan’s coolant. Only downside I hear is getting the system super dry before adding the Evan’s.

lotzagoodstuff said:

Only downside I hear is getting the system super dry before adding the Evan’s.

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I poked around on Evans' website; they have a video explaining how to properly rinse your engine prior to filling it with Evans coolant. As long as the coolant system has less than 3% water the Evans will work. (They sell a refractometer so that you can test the water level fairly easily.) It would take a little time to correctly prepare, but I think it might be worth it. I have other things to spend $ on at the moment, but I'm keeping this in the back of my mind.

If I remember, back in the day rldsl talked about it.... Robert hasn't been on in a long time though.....

Look under the intake and at the back of the valley pan. Those nuts and washers end up there a lot. If someone drops the nut, most will leave it there and install another one. Obviously whoever dropped it didn't bother to replace it. On the other hand, that person may have decided that it was too complicated to bother to install and just left it off.

IDIBRONCO said:

Look under the intake and at the back of the valley pan. Those nuts and washers end up there a lot. If someone drops the nut, most will leave it there and install another one.

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I just went out to the shop, dug around in the gunk underneath where the gp controller was and the washer and nut were both there!

IDIBRONCO said:

Obviously whoever dropped it didn't bother to replace it. On the other hand, that person may have decided that it was too complicated to bother to install and just left it off.

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This truck has been neglected for years. (I mentioned missing fasteners: while crawling around under the truck removing the starter I noticed two of the three bolts missing from the frame-side track bar bracket... and the only one remaining was completely loose. ) I'm glad I got my hands on it because with some time and money it will be better than it has been for quite some time.

BrandonMag said:

I just went out to the shop, dug around in the gunk underneath where the gp controller was and the washer and nut were both there!

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You'd almost think that I've seen that a time or two in the past. To me, the nuts aren't that important, but I prefer to use the OEM style washers since they're smaller in overall diameter than a hardware store replacement. That said, I still prefer to use all of the OEM fasteners. It's just more professional looking than seeing a bunch of replacements.

IDIBRONCO said:

I prefer to use the OEM style washers since they're smaller in overall diameter than a hardware store replacement.

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They're probably SAE washers stock. USS washers are sloppy fit and larger (you can use 5/16" USS washers on a 3/8" bolt). I too prefer ones that actually look like they're the right size. Most hardware stores carry USS but if you're looking and see them labeled that way that's the difference.

On by my IP there were two washers on each stud. one looked like a standard SAE flat washer the other was a Belleville spring washer. Of course 2 of the 3 were on backwards. At first glance I thought they were just crusty and deformed washers, but when I cleaned them up it was obvious what they were.


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IDIBRONCO said:

That said, I still prefer to use all of the OEM fasteners. It's just more professional looking than seeing a bunch of replacements.

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Agree 100%. I'll be ordering a fair amount of replacement hardware from LMC (or McMaster) before I reassemble this truck.

TNBrett said:

On by my IP there were two washers on each stud. one looked like a standard SAE flat washer the other was a Belleville spring washer.

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I haven't yet removed the IP from the timing cover, but the one washer I found in the valley pan was a Belleville. I assume that all three washers on the IP were Bellevilles originally.

Pulled the intake and removed the heads.



Most of the cylinders looked okay with some slight scoring. (A reasonable amount, I think, for an engine that has 300,000 miles.) Cylinder # 7 had some odd markings on the walls:



It almost looks like light corrosion from contact with water, but I can't feel it with my fingernail. I think five (or six) of the eight cylinders have slight scoring, something like .001 to .0025, but I will need to verify with a cylinder bore gage. Hopefully it will hone out.

I've been reading up on exactly the correct steps to take when rebuilding an engine. It's becoming clearer to me the more I read and watch videos that this will be a bit of a project, but I am looking forward to it.

The inside of the cylinders look ok for a rebuild candidate. That #7 is a little odd, and although I would tend to agree on the corrosion possibility, if it was the result of any kind of contaminant, you would think it would be in a more perfect "axial pattern" all the way around the cylinder. It's strange, but if you can't feel it with your fingernail, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I'm interested to see what the cylinder, bearing and valve measurements are as it's higher mileage and what I think you would refer to as a "poorly documented" service history . I always like to see just how much some stuff wears, and of course the speculation on how much somebody changed the oil versus serviced the cooling system and/or fuel system.

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