Big Ugly goes to rehab

Hey guys/gals it's been a really long time since I've been on here but due to some really strange circumstances I now have my 93' F350 back.

Did a little looking around and see some familiar names in here. Good to see ya'll are still here.

The short long story is that in early 2012 my now ex and I split up. It was pretty ugly and I ended up leaving the 93' on the Farm during that time. 5 1/2 years later after finally getting a motion to compel approved in court to force a settlement (She wouldn't settle even after years of repeated attempts) we agreed a week ago to sell the farm and split the personal property between us.

A few weeks earlier I needed to move some things and having sold my 06' King Ranch back in 15' I decided to try and use the 93' rather than rent a uhaul. When I got there it was in terrible shape. No idea how long it had been since it was started. It was parked up along the wood line with no batteries, the bed full of trash piled high, windows held up by wooden stakes, drivers door panel missing with the window and lock control wiring just hanging loose. It broke my heart.

This was a turbo'd, custom exhaust, matched injectors and Moose pumped truck just sitting there rotting. Sad to say the least.

I made the decision that day I would be taking the truck back.

Having a course of action now in place I immediately went and bought 2 new batteries and installed them. I turned on the key, waited for the glow plug controller to cycle, and in what seemed like less than a full rotation of the motor it fired right up. This of course brought a smile to my face. It was a bit rough but running pretty well considering who knows how long it sat. And the whistle of the turbo through the straight pipe was nice too.

I let it idle a bit and the engine is smoothing out. Trans temp gauge still working, Pyrometer still working, Air conditioning not working. Window motors work but windows don't move. That's an easy fix. All the gauges in the dash are still working but the brake and ABS lights are on. Looks like the trailer brake controller and wiring will need to be fixed but again not a big deal.

Push the brakes and apparently the vacuum pump works. But man that pedal is soft. Not surprised since the brake light is on.

Put it in gear and it takes what seems like a little more throttle than normal to get it going but once it's moving no real issues there. Shifts seems a little rougher than I remember but who knows. It's not slipping in gear. But brakes again. Yeah not good. There's enough to drive it but certainly on the weak side.

So I head off to the dumps to get the trash out of the bed. Going down the road the steering is really quite loose. This will be one of the first things addressed, after the brakes. Most of the trash was metal and when I say piled high it was high enough that it was only after digging down through it while throwing it into the metal bin that I noticed one of what used to be my spare 6.9 IDI motors in the bed underneath everything else. (I have the other 6.9 as I was getting it ready to build up before the divorce.)

Well the motor in the bed had the passenger side head removed and had been left open to the elements. I hated to do it but I backed into the bin (it was open ended) hooked a strap to the motor and pulled out from under it leaving it in the bin as I just needed to get the truck empty so I could use it. Took it back to the farm and cleaned what must have been 2-3 years of composting junk out of the bed. Got it down to just the rust, metal and paint that was left. Beds in pretty rough shape. Rust pitting has started and there are some gashes through the bed floor that didn't used to be there. Oh well it's been a farm truck for the last 9 years. What did I expect.

So a couple weeks later, truck is getting used regularly and it runs really smooth. Checked all lights and turn signals today they all work and the brakes are coming along. Both the ABS light and brake light now stay off. I expect a thorough flush/bleeding will get the brakes back up to *****.

Next will be getting it tagged again for road use. ( In Virginia if you have a working farm you can put a Farm Use tag on your vehicle and not register it. You're not allowed to go further than 45 miles from the farm but I don't think anyone ever gets caught if they do)

So long read but I expect to be spending time here again and wanted to re-introduce myself.

Welcome back!

Always good to see old familiar faces around here again

welcome back
did you take any pics? always good to the some "starting point" pics.

Welcome back and nice to meet you!

Oh man.Sounds like your in for lots and lots of wrenching.Vehicles left sitting for long periods like this,usually take forever and a day to bring back again.Best of luck!

p.s.
Next time,don't forget that prenup! (or better still,be smart like me and don't let there be a next time lol!) Welcome back.

At least it runs and starts good. That's the best thing right there!

Glad you made it back. Its amazing how these engines can fire right up after years of sitting. As long as the fuel pressure stays up in the injector loop it fires up quickly like yours did. Sad to learn someone tried to kill the rig but..you got it back from the grave. Pics sure will be interesting. Might want to add some fuel treatment to whats in the tanks before refilling them. Lets hope you wont have any algae bloom working either.

Whoaaaaaa....whos dat.....welcome back mang...hang on ...and keep on...idis forever...women never

Well Holidays have been crazy and I haven't even gotten around to picking up the truck from the farm until yesterday.
Brakes were horrendous. It was strange because they were hard as a rock and I was thinking bad vacuum pump. But after 10 miles down the road the assist came back. Probably still the vacuum pump but haven't diagnosed that yet. Once the assist was back they worked okay but still soft/weak.

Pulled it into my shop and fixed the driver side window motor clutch. As anyone who has ever tried this probably knows the plastic bushing disintegrate and then the motor just turns without engaging the gear that drives the window regulator. Since I had done this truck already about 10 years ago, and had just used rubber fuel line as replacement bushings I determined they had wore out. So I did the same thing again. Used fuel line. Then I was looking around for brake stuff and found the actual replacement bushings so have them on order.

Brakes. Well the Brake and ABS lights were again on when I picked it up. This happens when the fluid level is down. I checked and it was down. Having topped it off last time I used it I knew there was a leak somewhere. Looking at the backs of the wheels I found the driver side rear brake cylinder was leaking. Went to my local auto parts and all they had were the F250 cylinder and the dually cylinder not the single wheel F350 cylinder. I pulled the drum, lots of hammering, and it is amazingly good inside. But the brake shoes were crumbling from fluid deterioration.
So new shoes, cylinders, and e-brake cables on order.

I've got some pictures but not got time to post them as the moment. Next installment.

Man I seem to have a hard time staying current on here. Lots of work out of town lately. Not much time on the internet.

So since our last installment I have repaired/replaced the rear brakes, and tried unsuccessfully to retrofit a leftover braided stainless brake line from my 6.0 to the rear as a replacement for the line down to the axle from the chassis. The axle side fit but the chassis side was too large for the existing fitting.

Bled and flushed the entire brake system so it's all new fluid. With the wheel cylinders replaced I am no longer losing brake fluid.

Well as I have been in Montgomery Alabama since January 16th and just got home last night I was keen to figure out what was wrong with the brake booster.
Having had much time to contemplate while away I decided the vacuum pump was probably fine due to the fact it worked when warmed up.
So that left the booster side. I determined the booster must be okay as well since the brakes worked once warmed up.
So that leaves the check valve, grommet and hose as the possible culprit.
Reasoning told me the hose would not get better when warm.
I decided it must be the check valve. Perhaps there was some goo in it that prevented it from closing until it was warm enough to soften up the goo.
So as I start to remove the hose from the check valve I notice that someone (Must have been the ex's boyfriend) has dabbed some silicone on the check valve grommet.
After further inspection and actually removing the check valve it is clear the grommet is compromised by a tear in the front face of it.
With that knowledge I went to the auto parts store and found a variety pack of PCV valve grommets thinking one of them must fit. It did.
So now with the new grommet in place, the check valve back on and the hose reconnected I started the truck and yep that fixed the brake issue. Still have no clue why it worked once warmed up before but I'm guessing material expansion was enough to seal it eventually.
Cheap and easy to the rescue again. Got lucky.
So now I just have to get the windows working reliably, get the drivers side door panel back in place, and go get it inspected before I try to plate it. Hasn't been plated since 2008. I'm really looking forward to driving this thing again.

Sounds like a wild ride but at least you can still rely on your IDI.

And FYI, to anyone else reading, I wouldn't waste my money on a prenup. A judge can throw it out rather easily, but it varies by jurisdiction.

So my success on Monday was tempered by the events of yesterday.

I decided it was time to get the windows sorted out. Since the driver side door panel was already off I started there. All it took was some WD40 on the window regulator and tracks and good to go. Even fixed the slight cocking of the glass as it moved up and down.

Passenger side. Start to remove the door panel and the screw inside the door pull recess has rusted from the window being not closed completely for who knows how long in the weather. Spray it with PB blaster and will attack it later.

Decide I'll run up to the parts store and empty one of my used oil buckets as it's been collecting for a while since I won't use my car for these tasks.

Before heading out, since I had noticed the vacuum hose to the heater valve was no longer attached I decided to see what it would take to get all that fixed properly as the white tube from inside the heater box wiring harness was broken where it exits the harness. As well as at the T in the line from the booster.

So armed with a shopping list I head out. It's about 5 miles from my place to the parts store and somehow I encounter 2 police on the way. The 2nd one decides he'd like an introduction and suggests I stop so we can meet. Now in Virginia it's legal if you own a farm, which I still do, to have a vehicle plated as Farm Use, which this one is. To my surprise he indicates that I can't be driving around with the plate on my truck. I'm thinking he's got to be kidding but he's not. Anyway before I can even begin to explain I own a farm, here is the address etc. etc. he says I need to get a new Farm Use plate as mine's too hard to read. Ironically there is a Tractor Supply directly across the street so I tell him I'll get one there immediately. This satisfies his curiosity as to who I am and he leaves.

Amazingly at the parts store I find all the little vacuum tube and hose things I need, buy some oil and a filter and head out without any drama. Until the first time I hit the brakes. Hard pedal again. Within a half mile it's boosted again but now I'm noticing it's too soft. About the 3rd good stop the brake and ABS warning lights come on and it's obvious I'm losing fluid again. Next weakest link broke apparently. I haven't done an inspection yet as I had to make dinner once I got home but if I had to guess I'd say right front brake hose.

With that in mind does anyone make a stainless braided hose set for these trucks. A short google session got me nothing concrete so far.

I'll hold off judgment on the health of the vacuum pump until I have all the vacuum tubes and hoses fixed properly but I probably need to do a thorough check of both the pump and booster now that the check valve is not leaking.

Rule #1- let his speak his mind and then you can be on your way

i've had many who were going to get cut loose with a simple sermon. unfortunately, due to their own actions, it didn't end that way :O

Pmf makes a good set of stainless lines iirc that’s what on the ambulance