7.3idi Rebuild Cylinder Wear

[Black dawg]

Never have thought the old 12v (ve pump) engines were loud, timed correctly they are pretty mild.....the trucks they are in, have poor to no sound deadening. P pump engines timed mildly are not too bad, but add some timing....yep.
Most 24v engines (vp pump) are dang noisy, dont know how anybody could ever get used to that racket.
Have personally seen every failure mode of the dowel pin falling out, from "whered the pin go", to get another engine. Actually had a guy in my shop, explained to him (and his friend whos truck was in my shop getting the kdp fixed) what the kdp was, what can happen, and how easy it was to prevent. He said "thats a bunch of bs, If it was a problem I would have heard about it from now, you are just looking for work, trying to get my money".......this guys truck made it 15 miles down the road and quit with a buch of really bad noises at the same time...........

 

[Old Goat]

"thats a bunch of bs, If it was a problem I would have heard about it from now"

Well I guess he heard now....
Good for him.

My 86 6.9 rattles like a Cummins since I replaced the IP.
Maybe too far advanced?
Watin for someone to ask, "Gotta Cummins in it?"

Goat

 

[ttman4]

Watch it guys!!!! Careful bout bad talking bout the loud CUMMINS...

I hear & see a cummins go by ever now & then, but don't know nothings bout them!! However that '94 12V Cummins I have setting out there wrapped up really good with that red tarp under that Juniper Tree for the last 12 yrs.... occasionally I look out there & wonder..... Like Hummm what am I gonna do with it, why did I get it????

I literally know nothing bout those Cummins engines, what little I know is IDI stuff!!!
Kinda like..... you said "Have personally seen every failure mode of the dowel pin falling out"
Now got my curiosity up. What's a dowel pin???

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Maybe too far advanced?

Probably.

Now got my curiosity up. What's a dowel pin???

I can't explain it, but rest assured, we won't have that issue with our engines. I'd heard about it before. I saw it fixed on a TV show one time (Powerblock nation), but I can't remember exactly what it us. I do know that it's a Cummins only thing. About all I know is that it's a dowel pin that can fall out and damage or destroy a Cummins engine.

. Like Hummm what am I gonna do with it, why did I get it????

I don't know why you bought it, but I do know that you can sell it and probably about double your money.

 

[KansasIDI]

I believe that the 89-02 engines are all in danger of this failure.

94-98 are most prone to it.

89-93 can have it happen but I have heard of more issues with the P pumped engines.

98.5-02 are least prone to it. In fact some of them have updated timing cases, which cannot fail in this way. Oddly enough, there is no rhyme or reason as to which engines got the updated case. It was done randomly.

All 4BTs are likewise prone to the failure.


I don’t think it’s a very common issue, but still a possibility nonetheless.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I don’t think it’s a very common issue, but still a possibility nonetheless.

And, in my opinion, should be addressed if you have a Cummins engine. Because, why not try to prolong your engine life in every way that you can?

 

[Black dawg]

I believe that the 89-02 engines are all in danger of this failure.

94-98 are most prone to it.

89-93 can have it happen but I have heard of more issues with the P pumped engines.

98.5-02 are least prone to it. In fact some of them have updated timing cases, which cannot fail in this way. Oddly enough, there is no rhyme or reason as to which engines got the updated case. It was done randomly.

All 4BTs are likewise prone to the failure.


I don’t think it’s a very common issue, but still a possibility nonetheless.

It is interesting the differences in region vs mechanical problems. Maybe it is because there are so many cummins trucks around here, but I have personally seen the pin fall out of maybe 10 trucks. Most just broke the gear case.
Mostly manual trans, worked trucks.

But then how cavitation used to be all the racket about the 7.3 idi, I have seen only one, and one 6.9 that had also cavitated. Personally saw the holes.

 

[Nero]

The dowel pin is a locating pin on the front of the block that centers the gear housing. It is positioned right between the cam gear and fuel pump gear. When it falls out a few things can happen. Binds up in the gears, binds up between the gear and the housing, or just fall down into the oil pan.

There's an easy remedy to keep it from slipping out. Literally drill a hole and run a bolt through the cover to keep it in place.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[ttman4]

The dowel pin is a locating pin on the front of the block that centers the gear housing. It is positioned right between the cam gear and fuel pump gear. When it falls out a few things can happen. Binds up in the gears, binds up between the gear and the housing, or just fall down into the oil pan.

There's an easy remedy to keep it from slipping out. Literally drill a hole and run a bolt through the cover to keep it in place.

You must be registered for see images attach

Thanks! Now I know what a Cummins dowel pin is!!!
Some day when I go out there & unwrap that red tarp & look that '94 12V over I may just get my welder out & weld that dowel pin in place really good!!! That'd be one kind of fix....Maybe????
I don't know what I might do with that 12V yet. Carol drives our '04 Toyota Camry mostly. Maybe I'll catch her not looking sometime & I'll stuff that 12V in that Toyota Camry???? What ya'll think?

 

[KansasIDI]

Thanks! Now I know what a Cummins dowel pin is!!!
Some day when I go out there & unwrap that red tarp & look that '94 12V over I may just get my welder out & weld that dowel pin in place really good!!! That'd be one kind of fix....Maybe????

Steel dowel pin welded to aluminum housing… I’d like to see that…

I don't know what I might do with that 12V yet. Carol drives our '04 Toyota Camry mostly. Maybe I'll catch her not looking sometime & I'll stuff that 12V in that Toyota Camry???? What ya'll think?

That’s an idea. In fact, that’s such a good idea that I bet your Carol would like that so much, you should surprise her by doing that. It would be interesting to hear what she has to say about that…

 

[Nero]

I'd suggest the bolt trick over welding it, dont need slag getting in the gears. The failure isn't all that common, but happens enough to make people aware of it. Same with the the cavitstion our engines have. Doesn't happen often, but enough to know about.

 

[ttman4]

OK no welding. I'll just use bout a quart of Gorilla Glue!

 

[WrenchWhore]

If I had a decent running VE laying around I would put it in. On the flip side it's not just going to bolt in. You're going to have to massage a lot more than you think. I was on the fence of a Cummins swap but everyone around here thought a million mile 12v that "just needs injectors" with no accessories was worth 4k. I was finding IDI's far less often but they weren't ridiculously priced. I ended up just refurbishing an old engine (na7.3) I bought for about $600, added a turbo (093) I rebuilt, seals, water pump etc. Cost was around $1400 total when it was all said and done. Bolted right in no custom BS and runs fantastic.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

everyone around here thought a million mile 12v that "just needs injectors" with no accessories was worth 4k.

It's amazing how that works. Just like with our engines, people don't think about the injector pump and injectors as a set. I knew a guy who had a 12v Cummins. The pump was leaking. His oldest son convinced him that all he needed to do was to put a seal kit in the pump and it would run just like new again. Long story short, he ended up taking that and his 04 Cummins to a diesel shop just north of me in Nebraska. The shop went through both fuel systems. He told me that he spent just under $6000 on one and just under $6000 on the other. Obviously the seal kit didn't help.