A cautionary tale about the use or rather mis-use of ether to start a IDI motor.

[Joseph Bruce]

Did the thing that “looks a lot like a cotter pin” look anything like this (https://www.summitracing.com/parts/tfs-51400420)?


I agree that the ether probably didn’t bend the rod. Ether might have helped weaken an already stressed block; but at less than 200,000 miles; it should still be short of “broken in.”


Sleeves are probably Ok if the shop put them in properly.


Sorry you’ve gained all this engine pulling experience. I generally don’t enjoy it that much.

 

[CEDRICWARD]

How much did you spend on all of this 'rebuild'?

 

[hesutton]

Dang man! That was a mess. Glad its all back together and running well. Thanks for the pictures. Wondering if the pinhole leaked coolant into the cylinder to cause the bend rod? Don't recall seeing a 6.9 with pinholes or cracked cylinders before yours.

Heath

 

[HawkDavis]

Mr. Bruce, all of the locating dowels where accounted for so no not what is was.
Mr. Ward. I did not keep track of cost but I can say the machine shop cost was about $1300.00. I think well worth it as they found what MIGHT have been a pin hole. And it was nice knowing all the surface's where flat and true. They can do things I can not. I did have to buy a lift and a engine mount. I can sell those for half price on CL. I have a 95 Jeep I might rework in the future so I will probable use them again.
The biggest cost was time. I'm just glad I have the time to do this kind of a project. Hate to think how much it would have cost to pay another to do it all.
An update to how it is running. I have put just a few hundred miles on it and I can tell it is not using as much oil. MPG on a 100 mile trip on the open road was 20. The rear end has the lowest gear which could be purchased at the time as my dad liked to put a camper on it and get good mileage on vacations out west. The tag from the rear is missing but the door code is a 31 which would make It a 3.07. It has always been kind of a dog when shifted from 3rd to 4th. the shift is a jump. Once it get up to 65 it is a nice cruiser.

 

[Thunderdog]

The Hydro-Lock response, first from Wes at CDD, nailed it right out the gate, I think. That type of a coolant leak did not start yesterday, and DaytonaBill nailed it again... but something that was not mentioned is whether or not there was a head gasket leak, possibly coolant loss, for an extended period of time prior to this turn of events. As I looked at the nice, high-res pics of the cylinder wall in the hole in question (even saving to my viewer to further zoom), I see some major pitting, which might indicate standing moisture (coolant) for a while. Also, the first pic of the first series seems to show rust at the bottom of the cylinder wall on the block casting. Maybe the "detonation bang" was not that at all, but a puddle being slammed against the combustion chamber. In fact, the first shot of that cylinder appears to reveal possibly a crack, or maybe just a stain, as stated.
Of course it's hard to start one of these in cold weather without functional Glow Plugs, and we all (should) know about 6.9L GP's, so if they're not fixed correctly, we sometimes use a little ether. This should be No Big Deal. IMHO, the title to this "Cautionary Tale", is a bit of a misnomer to include the use of Ether at all, except that the engine may not have started without it. I've used it far more times than I could ever count over the years, with Zero ill effects to any of "a hundred" different machines, including many times over the years on my '86 F-250 6.9L, which has a factory ATS Turbo from a 7.3. That engine still runs great, but will be transplanted into one of my '92s due to the older body and electrical problems that I'm tired of messing with. Provided you use it sparingly, and know you're getting fuel so as not to dry the cylinders, etc. too much, I see no problem whatsoever with using it. In fact, I plan to integrate in into the system to provide quick-start for cold weather, while limiting the duration of delivery through a remote (in-cab) pneumatic activation link and under-hood cartridge holder.
All that crud being said, I'm very happy for you getting it straightened out finally, Hawk. So now, maybe you can start doing something about that beautiful Upper Mid-West custom bodywork.

Cheers!
~Thunder