Bad News & Advice Needed...

[k_williams1982]

Well guys, I got ready to start pulling the glow plugs like Justin said to, and decided to pull the dipstick just to check what the oil looked like. It must not have been the oil cooler that caused the problem because the oil is overfull again and creamy this time. I only ran it for about a minute (two at the most) after I replaced the oil cooler and it started knocking. I guess that my next questions are:
1) Do you think it's a hole in the block somewhere or a head gasket?
2) How fast can a head gasket leak coolant into the oil. I always thought that it was a slow process and to have a large amount of coolant in the crankcase again after a very short period, is a head gasket even a possible cause?
3) With what it would cost me for head gaskets, new bearing, seals, and all the gaskets (not to mention the machine work) to fix this engine, would I be better off the just drop a different one in it?

Let me know what you think. Does anybody have a spare running 6.9 or 7.3 that they want to sell? I'd prefer a 6.9, but I'll put whatever engine in it that I need to so that I can get her back on the road again. Thanks.

 

[f-two-fiddy]

didja test the oil cooler before you re-installed it?

It's pretty easy to pinch the o-rings when You press the ends back on.

 

[Exekiel69]

I have one for sale right now with very low miles but I don't know if You want it all the way from this side.

 

[hesutton]

Personally, I'd pull the engine and rebuild it. My guess is head gasket failure. With the engine knocking, I'd pull it and make sure everything else is ok and get new bearings in the bottom end. Cost would be about $1700-2000 in parts and machine work.......but that's really just a guess. It will be much more if someone else does this for you. Get a Haynes manual for the IDI as well.

Heath

 

[BigRigTech]

There are some good deals on ebay for complete kits and the stuff directly from International isn't all that bad either...IH is known for good pricing on the rebuild parts.

 

[Agnem]

...I only ran it for about a minute (two at the most) after I replaced the oil cooler and it started knocking. ...

Almost sounds like you somehow really hosed the oil cooler rebuild. Almost like the oil and water were not going anywhere near where they were supposed to. You can presurize the cooling system with the engine off and keep the drain plug out. If you're getting water in the oil, you should get water running out of the pan. If that is the case, remove the oil cooler, figure out a way to block the passages and repeat the test. If it is NOT the oil cooler, then that symptom would persist.

 

[punkmechanic]

agnem beat me to it. Test the system and see what shows up.

 

[k_williams1982]

I got the oil cooler off of a spare motor from a friend. Could there have been a difference in the oil coolers? The one I put on mine was off of a '90 F350 7.3 non-turbo. The oil coolers looked exactly the same, and the new gaskets were the same too. I searched Craig's List last night and found a few motors here in Oregon, but waiting for details back about them. I'd like to learn how to rebuild these engines, so I might just try to get a different engine to put in it and slowly rebuilt this one when money isn't so tight. Can thiese engine be bored over and does it really make a difference if they can? Some guy on Craig's List said he has one that is bored .40 over (I think that's what he said), but he want's $1,800 for it and it has been sitting for like 8 months. Even though that's out of my price range, I'm just curious if these can be bored over because I've never heard of anybody doing it. I'll see what else I can figure out today after the thunder and lightning stops. Thanks guys.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Yes the 6.9 can be bored over, as that's essentially what the 7.3 is, but how much then can handle I dunno. Be very careful with that motor that's been sitting for 8 months, some members here have been burned by deals like that.

 

[k_williams1982]

Thanks for the advice. I found a 7.3 for $500 and the guy might come down on that price if I let him keep the alt, a/c, power steering pump, and vac pump for his current motor. The price sounds good, but the motor has 230,000 miles on it. I think I'm just going to tear mine down and learn how to rebuild these things. If I find my block is what is messed up, I have access to two 7.3's with bad bottom ends for dirt cheap. Is the 7.3 lighter than the 6.9 or vise versa? Would I be better off with the 7.3 since I already have a turbo that will bolt up to it? Will I have to change the exhaust to make a 7.3 work with the turbo?

 

[BigRigTech]

I would try what Mel said, that's what we do to look for bad liners and etc...But we pull the pan for a birds eye view.

 

[subway]

i have heard bad things about boared 7.3's, they are already more prone to cavitation because of the thinner cylinder walls compaired to the 6.9. if the coolent additive was used from the start it should be ok but how do you prove that. 230,000 miles wouldent scare me much if it was taken care of. BEWARE of used to run engines. i and others have been burnt by that unless i know the guy well of have seen it run i assume it will need work. to much can be hidden in a engine just hanging off a hoist! not everyone is a crook but engines are usually pulled for a reason.

as far as your turbo it will bolt up to a 6.9 just like the 7.3 the changes outside are very minimal like different head bolts and a 1/8 oil line feed in the back instead of the 1/4 a turbo 7.3 has.

like mentioned start simple with pressurizing the cooling system. you should be able to rent the pressure tester for free from a chain auto parts store. thats where i got mine.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

I am also one of the members that got seriously burned by a "3,000 mile fresh engine". If we'd have known what all was wrong with that engine we'd have just rebuilt one of our spares and had it over with and know what condition its in.

Exekiel, if he doesnt take that oil cooler, I want it. So long as there's nothing wrong with the barrel, and so long as its the larger one from a late 7.3. Let me know.

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

+1 on getting a coolant system tester and pressurizing the coolant system to try to get an idea on where you are making your milkshake. If you didn't overheat it, I would be willing to bet you just have a head gasket failure versus a crack in the cylinder head or block.

In regards to overboaring, I would stay away from a bored block of any kind on an IDI. How many horror stories are posted on this site from shops that typically overhaul gasser engines and didn't really know what they were doing when they bored/sleeved/ruined a good IDI block.

Find the issue with yours, pull it apart and fix your engine. At least you know where yours has been.

By the way, that is a great looking standard cab rig that deserves being fixed .

 

[k_williams1982]

I just got the call last night and I'm back to work again (construction after three weeks of lay-off), so maybe now I can get my truck fixed. I haven't had a chance to even do anything else on it, but I think that I'm just going to stick with my 6.9 rather than dropping a 7.3 into it. I found some good prices on rod and main bearings, and a head gasket set is around $118. While I have the heads off, what do you guys recommend the head bolts since I'm running a turbo. Somebody told me that I should replace the bolts with studs because it'll help to help the heads from "lifting" with a turbo. The highest boost I've ever had it up to was 10 psi and I backed out of it and let it drop to about 7 psi because I'm not sure what the most you should run is. I'm going to start pulling it apart this next week. Should I replace the rings while I'm already into it or do you think mine is still okay?