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  1. david85

    Oil in Coolant

    Here's what the end header looked like after I cleaned it up. You can see some scale deposits from the coolant, but nothing crazy. And of course, the mess in the rad and expansion tank:
  2. david85

    Oil in Coolant

    According to the tracking number Russ sent me, the parts have arrived in Canada, so it shouldn't be too much longer now. With that in mind, I pulled the cooler this evening. Long story short, I'm not sure if I have a smoking gun just yet... As for physically removing it, I was able to get...
  3. david85

    Help major tranny leak

    The engine cross member looks dry, so not likely the powersteering circuit. Most likely one of the rubber hoses for the transmission cooler, as others have noted. It seems to be dripping from above the tie-rod so that narrows it down pretty well. Look next to the frame rail where the cooler...
  4. david85

    Ford Factory E-Locker Teardown (and some discussion)

    I just found something interesting: "Eaton E-Locker 4" https://www.differentials.com/elocker4-dana-60-70/ It seems to use a very similar design to the sterling. The mechanism works by grabbing the back face of side pinion gear. Only real difference is Eaton put the mechanism opposite to the...
  5. david85

    Ford Factory E-Locker Teardown (and some discussion)

    I'm really liking the simplicity of the design. The only thing I can think of that might be a disadvantage over the cam locking style is that you have only the solenoid itself to hold the lock engaged. The cam-lock on the other hand, uses a wedge to hold metal to metal against the locking...
  6. david85

    Oil in Coolant

    I'll check that when I tear into it. The seal kit is in the mail, courtesy of @typ4.
  7. david85

    Blown head gasket

    As others have said, look at the oil cooler. I'm not saying you shouldn't refresh the head gaskets and install studs while you're at it. But a head gasket failure symptom is an overflowing coolant recovery tank, Mixing fluids is not as common. At this point, I don't advise letting it run long...
  8. david85

    Newb with '87 6.9L

    1987 is the best year IDI in my opinion. The 6.9 IDI has thicker cylinder walls than the 7.3 IDI, but 1987 was a bit of a transition year. That's when better glow plug and fuel filter systems were first installed. I read they also came with the later 7.3 style rocker arms, but haven't been able...
  9. david85

    Ford Factory E-Locker Teardown (and some discussion)

    I'm actually not too worried about it in my case. Shifting a manual transfer case requires some precautions as well, so I don't see much of a difference here. If you had ABS sensors are each wheel, then you could use a small electronic controller that uses a frequency matching logic as an...
  10. david85

    Oil in Coolant

    Thanks for all the support guys. Russ already contacted me in an Email so I'll probably go with his kit. It also looks like there won't be any shortcuts on this job.
  11. david85

    Ford Factory E-Locker Teardown (and some discussion)

    Aha! Okay, so now we see three machined rods that engage the rear of the locking plate. No cam mechanism here: Next two photos show the pins in their retracted and deployed positions. Again, this movement is done by hand by pressing the solenoid into the side of the carrier: So it's...
  12. david85

    Ford Factory E-Locker Teardown (and some discussion)

    Here we finally see the actual locking element. Radial spines (not sure if that's the right term, but I'll use it) on the back of the gear engage with a matched set on the locking plate. The locking plate then engages on the inside ribs of the carrier. All still very simple: By the way, that...
  13. david85

    Ford Factory E-Locker Teardown (and some discussion)

    Alright, just one gear left to go. This setup seems to be retained by a snap ring. I've seen retaining systems like this in my E4OD transmission so nothing exotic about this. The gap in the ring is clocked to be safely secured in the groove, rather than free floating between the ribs. Pretty...
  14. david85

    Ford Factory E-Locker Teardown (and some discussion)

    I might ramble a bit here, so apologies in advance. Many of us are tempted by the thought of a used Ford E-Locker, since they could prove to be a much more cost effective option than going to a brand new aftermarket E-Locker. Used parts are usually cheaper, after all. And we've all probably...
  15. david85

    Oil in Coolant

    Its true that oil pressure will generally be higher than cooling system pressure. However, once you shut the truck off, you have ZERO oil pressure but still have cooling system pressure. So it's entirely possible for coolant to migrate into the oil during the cooldown period. The oil in my case...
  16. david85

    Oil in Coolant

    A bit disappointed today when I checked the fluids on my truck. Oil was fine but when I popped the rad cap, I saw even more oil! Oil in the coolant is very black, so not many places that could come from. The truck still runs fine and no bubbles were seen after 20 min of idling with the rad cap...
  17. david85

    Experimental repair for 1980-86 dash

    Yeah, I'm not sure what to do on the door panels. Both sides have turned dusty pink due to so much sun damage.
  18. david85

    Experimental repair for 1980-86 dash

    Another brand of dye arrived so I decided to give it a try, even though the dash was already in. This new stuff appears to be a tad too dark but since I have to cover on top of a brighter red, I thought maybe I could get it closer. I used the old dash to make a few test patches, and to verify...
  19. david85

    7.3 heads on a 6.9?

    What about head bolt length?
  20. david85

    7.3 heads on a 6.9?

    I noticed a cheap set of 7.3 IDI heads come up on marketplace in my local area. I know the later rockers can be an upgrade for 6.9 heads, but can the entire assembly be used on a 6.9?
  21. david85

    Experimental repair for 1980-86 dash

    Here it is. The only complaint is the color seems a touch too bright. The color is also brighter than the cap on the rattle can, so it might be something about how I applied it. I've read that applying this kind of dye in heavy coat or in high humidity can cause problems. The speaker blanking...
  22. david85

    So what did you do with your truck today?

    Today, I bolted the anti-gravity drive to the PTO on the transfer case. Seems to work well up to about 4000ft. I'll have to install the on-board oxygen next week before attempting 10000ft. Yeah, I wish...but it was another nice afternoon up on the mountain. Not another vehicle in sight and...
  23. david85

    Experimental repair for 1980-86 dash

    Eight years ago...How did I not know about this? That is actually about what I was ready to spend for used Ebay dash once. I'll have to ask them if they can get the Maroon color. Thanks for sharing.
  24. david85

    So what did you do with your truck today?

    Photos never do quite capture it, but I did my best. The cloud ceiling was maybe 150 feet up, so it wasn't quite as clear as it could have been. I tried to time the photos for whenever there was a clearing in the cloud but by late afternoon the fog was closing in. In another few weeks the roads...
  25. david85

    Experimental repair for 1980-86 dash

    Anyone familiar with this era knows how badly these dashes can deteriorate. Those of us still keeping these trucks on the road don't have too many options: 1. Do nothing (which is always an option) 2. Find a used one in better shape 3. Use a slip-on dash cover from Coverlay 4. Have the dash...

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