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  1. SparkandFire

    Brought a new one home...

    Had this guy about two weeks, already had to replace the FICM power supply and order the oil cooler and EGR cooler as I've got 20 degree deltas... :eek: Thankfully the HG's are intact as the EGR valve is bone dry and I have no degas bottle puking issues. It's a 2004 F250 CC-SB (crew cab...
  2. SparkandFire

    Digital fuel pressure gauge installation and testing results

    As an instrumentation and controls engineer I have a knack for over-complicating things... and gadgets. Last weekend I installed a 1/32 DIN Omega process indicator with a -14.7 to 15 PSIG transducer (4-20 ma loop) in the "check filter" switch port on the fuel filter housing. Result is instant...
  3. SparkandFire

    The importance of keeping an eye on things

    Those on here who know me and are accustomed to my personality know that I am my own harshest critic. I feel that if someone could learn from the mistakes I make, it's worth the cost of sounding like an idiot when I pull a bone head move... Case in point - Work has been all-consuming these...
  4. SparkandFire

    Thinking long and hard about jumping over to the dark side... Not the Dodge dark side

    My current truck (the 94) has been good to me (except for when the factory turbo engine shit the bed on me,) but it's starting to get to the point where the laundry list of things it needs repaired or replaced is turning more into a book. Latest insult was when the rear wheel cylinder sprouted...
  5. SparkandFire

    How NOT to do a rear brake job on a truck

    One look at this picture should enlighten as to why this job sucked... Drum was fused onto the hub so only way to do a brake job was to remove it. Reason for this was neglect - the brakes had been run until the rivets cut very deep groves in the drum, and the adjuster was seized up so I...
  6. SparkandFire

    Just another Dana 60 axle swap thread

    Except this one's going in the REAR. :sly The 3.73 open rear diff (drum brake) in my E250 conversion van is toast from last summer's trip to Washington, so this 4.10 LS disc rear is soon going to take it's place. I am hoping the ratio change breathes some new umph into the 5.4 triton beast...
  7. SparkandFire

    Going under the knife in two weeks, truck may be going up for sale...

    In two weeks I am having a nerve tumor removed from my left leg. Doc says I have "a 50/50 chance" of normal left foot function after surgery. I would very much want to keep my truck, since I've put so very much into it, but if I loose function of my left foot (my truck is a zf5) I can't work...
  8. SparkandFire

    Just did D50 pivot bushings, I am an idiot...

    Should've ditched the D50 loooong ago. Now every bushing, ball joint, tie rod, U-joint, etc is new under this truck. The pivot bushings were the Coup de Grace. Four straight days of hell. I used Energy Suspension kit: Part Number: 4.3133 This is the one with the replacement metal bushing...
  9. SparkandFire

    Van axle ratio... suggestions?

    So, the Dana 60 semi-floater axle in my van is nearing the end of the line... I've been researching replacements for a while now. I've called the local truck parts guy and found the same P.O.S. semi-floaters but no full float axles. I've found a couple of options online, though. Which would...
  10. SparkandFire

    Most miserable vehicle repair to date...

    I just spent all day yesterday replacing the sway bar bushings on my E250 van. Methinks that all of the 2wd trucks with the IFS Ford system with a swaybar have these bushings. Of all the miserable jobs I've done on these trucks those bushings have to be the worst, by far! :rolleyes: I went...
  11. SparkandFire

    20 degrees outside, truck starts like it's 80 out there-

    :D I just wanted to brag a little bit. Last year I was struggling with a weak starter, leaky return lines, a fried block heater cord that dropped power to my apartment, burnt up glowplugs. The year before that my truck was hooked on the juice, it would only start with a blast of get-er-goin...
  12. SparkandFire

    Lift kit, Dana 60 swap... What to do???

    So, I've sunk a bunch of $$ into the D50 axle on my truck. So far, within the past year I've done ball joints, tie rods, axle U-joints, everything except the pivot bushings. It needs those replaced badly. I drive this truck every day to and from work. about 60 miles round trip. The less than...
  13. SparkandFire

    We have a Hall of Shame... But nothing for Fame? Helper Spring talk too !

    I'm not big on reviewing things I purchase. My wife is. She writes Amazon reviews left and right for everything from hand soap to bed sheets... :D Back story is this - I picked up this E250 van a year ago, or so. It's always had ass end sag pretty bad. Ford gave the E250 series vans a MUCH...
  14. SparkandFire

    Low volume WMO filtering

    Between all the work i've done on my truck, and oil changes on the van, I have amassed about fifteen gallons of WMO. I've always hauled this stuff in because I don't have the space to setup a proper filtration system for it. But, with the price of diesel permanently stuck around 4.35 out here it...
  15. SparkandFire

    I have a hard decision to make

    Well, after all the time and effort I have put into the '94 truck, it may soon be time for us to part ways. Not because of any fault of the truck. Because of a bad foot... No joke. Some years ago I fell off a ladder at work and broke two bones in my left foot. They set it on a metal splint...
  16. SparkandFire

    Frustrating morning - Truck dies at every stop...

    This morning I took off from home to trek my way to work. I left later than usual, so of course that means my 25 mile commute will end up taking closer to an hour and a half. :rolleyes: First stoplight I come to, I push the clutch down and... truck dies. Starts right back up. Next...
  17. SparkandFire

    Weekend success! Engine swap complete...

    Well, the engine is moved over from the '85 truck, and the '94 is back on the road again. ;Sweet I've got some nice bruises, a few cuts and scrapes, but all in all I'm pretty happy with the way it went. I installed a new Valeo stock clutch kit on the dual mass that was originally on the...
  18. SparkandFire

    If I had some cash ...

    http://oregoncoast.craigslist.org/ctd/3158686423.html :D
  19. SparkandFire

    Cheapo thermostats

    I almost wasted another IDI this past week... :mad: The '85 black truck has always ran cool, except sometimes when stuck in traffic, which is why I locked the fan clutch. I knew the thermostat was probably stuck open, except last Friday on my way home from work. It decided it was now a good...
  20. SparkandFire

    Turbo oil feed options

    So, I've got the factory ATS turbo that may, or may not end up going on the 6.9 engine when I do the swap. When I took the turbo off the dead 7.3 the little rubber olives disintegrated instantly (they had been leaking a little oil for a while) I have access to some stainless tubing, I...
  21. SparkandFire

    What would you do ? ? ?

    So, I have to decide which way to go on this truck repair. The RV park we are staying in (as well as my wife) have basically said I can't keep the '94 truck with the blown engine sitting around anymore. My '85 has a decent running engine, and isn't a bad looking truck. But, I would have to...
  22. SparkandFire

    Not sure what to do next... The ongoing saga of the eternal knock of death.

    So, yesterday I installed the new sealed power lifters into the blue truck, I let them soak overnight in clean oil. Fired the engine back up. Still knocks. At this point everything above the centerline of the engine has been eliminated as suspect. Compression test shows good...
  23. SparkandFire

    I'm back!

    So, I've been off in the n'ether for a while, started a new job working constantly... I finally have a decent internet connection at home so I can rejoin the herd of oilburners... LOL This weekend I tore the top end down on the '94 with the knock, after checking compression (all were within...
  24. SparkandFire

    Fan clutch frustrations

    So, the black truck has a new Motorcraft fan clutch, and the blue truck has an aftermarket fan clutch (judging by the part numbers on the housing.) Neither one of them work worth a damn. On the blue truck I clearly got the engine WAY hotter than I wanted to judging by my lower than normal oil...
  25. SparkandFire

    My confidence in O'Reilly auto parts has waned considerably

    So, I have been troubleshooting a charging issue with the black truck since I bought it. The PO thought it had parasitic drain, so he installed a battery cutoff switch. I measured the amp draw through the switch with it turned off and was only reading about .35 amps. Not enough to kill the...

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