Bandaid on a bullet wound

LindstheMarine

Registered User
Joined
Sep 24, 2021
Posts
30
Reaction score
3
Location
22400


All the rubber seals and gaskets for the turbo system you may need can be sourced from a couple forum members here. Russrepair.com is the closest to you over in Oregon and classicdieseldesigns.com also has many of these parts as well they’re just a ways away from you down here in TX.

If you’ve got oil under the turbo and you’ve said the p.o. recently had it off, it’s possible the oring that seals the turbo to the pedestal/drain was pinched. It’s quite a challenge to get the turbo in place and the bolts installed without bumping that seal off it’s place. It can be a common place for leaks if the turbo was recently removed and replaced.

Valve cover gaskets are also a very common oil leak. Often the bolts can just be tightened a bit and it will seal for a few more years.

The valve stem seals can be replaced insitu. You have to make a simple lever to push the valve springs down and you have to create an adapter using part of a compression tester to pressurize the cylinder while you work but it can be done in an afternoon or so. Much better than pulling the heads. You should know that valve guides can get quite worn on high mileage engines but if yours was reasonably taken care of and being a turbo motor, @ 190k I’d consider it maybe a little over half life, not really ready for a head rebuild yet but definitely a candidate for valve stem seals if other leak remedies don't make enough difference. Make sure you rotate each piston to TDC for the cylinder you are working on so if a valve drops by accident it doesn't go all the way into the cylinder. You can get close enough to TDC by putting your finger over the glowplug hole on the compression stroke and feel when air stops bleeding out and starts to suck back in. You need to regulate the air pressure to only use just enough air pressure to hold the valve up but not turn the motor over, otherwise it will spin to BDC and then the valve can drop into the cylinder. It helps to get as close to TDC as possible and leave all the other GPs installed to create resistance to turning while working on a specific cylinder.

Here's a pic of a tool I made to compress the springs. It pivots on a rocker arm bolt. Also attached is the compression tester I used to create the adapter to pressurize the cylinder I was working on.
Do you know off the top your head what angles you bent your ring compressor to? I have to fabricate a damper puller to fix my front main leak and I might as well make this while im at it.
 

LindstheMarine

Registered User
Joined
Sep 24, 2021
Posts
30
Reaction score
3
Location
22400
So the front main seal is generally much easier than the rear. I have not replaced mine so not sure if the seal rides on the crank or the damper. Others can chime in who have. If you pull the seal and see deep grooves in the crank you may need to sleeve it, or find and replace with a good one if it rides on the damper. Or risk having a leak soon after.

You may have valve covers that leak, letting oil go down both sides of the bell housing or on to the top of the engine and down the valley pan drain hole.

Hopefully it is not the rear main seal (Or it is a small leak you can live with.) as you would have to pull the tranny and flexplate/flywheel which is a fair amount of work.

Brake cleaner with the straw and a rag is a good way to clean a spot or area and then be able to look for a leak.

Let us know what you find.
Im not 100% tracking on this. If the seal rides on the damper I wont need to sleeve it?
 

IDIBRONCO

IDIBRONCO
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Posts
12,233
Reaction score
10,923
Location
edmond, ks
I'm going to take a shot at a few of these questions. I don't think that you can pull the turbo without removing the Y pipe. My thinking is that it will easier during the installation to not have to deal with it either way. The oil supply line has to come off just to eliminate the possibility of damage. You can use a stubby wrench, but a crow's foot on an extension and a breaker bar (not a ratchet) was the easiest way that I found to remove the bottom nut. While loosening the bottom nut, make darn sure that nothing below it is turning at the same time or else you'll put a twist in that line and you'll have to replace it. There's an "olive" (seal) underneath both of those nuts and it would be a good time to replace them since the line will already be off of the engine/turbo. I'm not sure that RTV is needed with a new grommet. While you have everything off of there, I would recommend an extra hole (or holes) underneath where the grommet goes. It's a thin metal piece. This is all part of the intake gasket. The early ones didn't have drain holes in this spot, but the later ones are supposed to have holes. I recommend an extra hole just in case there's some crud blocking the factory hole(s). Some people use an ice pick to put several small holes in here. I use a punch on an air hammer and make one hole that's about 3/8" and haven't had any trouble. You can use a center punch and hammer to do this by hand, but I'm lazy like that. Seating the new grommet is fairly self explanatory once you're doing the installing. IIRC you have to remove the turbo from the pedestal (the lower part that goes into the grommet and oil drains through) in order to get them out. I don't remember them being able to come out or in as a combined unit. If so, I sure was doing that the hard way. I think that your missing wastegate hose in for vacuum and you can make your own out of a piece of hose. I may be wrong on that one since I've never experimented with that part. The generally accepted rule for boost numbers is try to limit yourself to 15 PSI on a 7.3 without head studs. I can't tell much from your picture, but the first place that I'd look to plug in that wire is on the bottom of the water separator on your fuel filter.
 

IDIBRONCO

IDIBRONCO
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Posts
12,233
Reaction score
10,923
Location
edmond, ks
Here's a couple of picture of my 7.3 with head studs during assembly a few years back.
 

Attachments

  • 007.JPG
    007.JPG
    325.7 KB · Views: 9
  • 004.JPG
    004.JPG
    321.9 KB · Views: 9

The_Josh_Bear

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Posts
1,916
Reaction score
1,498
Location
Western WA
For the boost line to the wastegate actuator, you will have more fun leaving it the way the PO has it. :Thumbs Up
It's already deleted and they obviously were intentional about it, plugging the turbo housing outlet and the oil gauge tee off the oil supply...they probably ran it like that for a while and had a good time doing it.

As stated the upper limit is generally considered 15psi without studs, this is conservative since many have done just great up to 20psi but not everyone.

The waste gate will actually start to blow open at 10-12 psi and won't really let you hold 15psi even if you have the fuel for it. Mine is setup like yours and I can occasionally hold 15 towing or with my big cabover camper on but it's rare. Usually I'm around 12-13psi WOT.
This is with a maxed out IP, charge air cooling and a big honkin' air filter.

BTW have fun with the turbo grommet...what a PITA for a stupid rubber piece. Just don't forget to put the turbo and intake hat together at the same time 3 times like I did... you can't get them together once one or the other is bolted down. They have to go together loose first. Although I never considered taking off the compressor housing till just now but that's a lot of awkward angles and work too.
That was one big reason I moved up to charge air cooling! :)
 

Big Bart

Tow&Slow
Joined
Dec 22, 2020
Posts
1,481
Reaction score
950
Location
Newport Beach, CA
Im not 100% tracking on this. If the seal rides on the damper I wont need to sleeve it?
Linds,

Others shared the seal runs on the damper. So you will pull the damper and replace the seal.

While damper is out you will look at the machined surface where the seal rides on the damper. A little wear and tear is normal. But if you have more than say 1/8“ deep grove where the seal rides you may want to find a better one. The reason is the seal may wear out early since it is not running on a flat smooth surface. So as it rides in a grove it is likely to wear out early. I am not saying you will have excessive wear, just look and see if you do. Suggest you share some pics and the members can share thoughts back.

I am glad to hear you found a meaningful leak and hoping it slows your oil loss. Your driveway will appreciate it too!
 

aggiediesel01

Full Access Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2016
Posts
531
Reaction score
417
Location
Houston, TX
Here's a front seal tool that a member built to use the three nuts welded to the front plate for this purpose. I believe there's an option on the front seal to get a wear sleeve if needed as well. There may be a reference to the seal info in that thread.

https://www.oilburners.net/posts/1045924/

I don’t know if I have the angles of the spring compressor bar but I do have some more pictures of it with dimensions I’ll dig them up a post them in a bit.
 

LindstheMarine

Registered User
Joined
Sep 24, 2021
Posts
30
Reaction score
3
Location
22400
Here's a couple of picture of my 7.3 with head studs during assembly a few years back.
Thanks for all that info, it was exactly what I was lookin for!

Seeing a motor that clean and painted up is so dang satisfying! Does the blue match the rest of the truck?
 
Last edited:

LindstheMarine

Registered User
Joined
Sep 24, 2021
Posts
30
Reaction score
3
Location
22400
For the boost line to the wastegate actuator, you will have more fun leaving it the way the PO has it. :Thumbs Up
It's already deleted and they obviously were intentional about it, plugging the turbo housing outlet and the oil gauge tee off the oil supply...they probably ran it like that for a while and had a good time doing it.

As stated the upper limit is generally considered 15psi without studs, this is conservative since many have done just great up to 20psi but not everyone.

The waste gate will actually start to blow open at 10-12 psi and won't really let you hold 15psi even if you have the fuel for it. Mine is setup like yours and I can occasionally hold 15 towing or with my big cabover camper on but it's rare. Usually I'm around 12-13psi WOT.
This is with a maxed out IP, charge air cooling and a big honkin' air filter.

BTW have fun with the turbo grommet...what a PITA for a stupid rubber piece. Just don't forget to put the turbo and intake hat together at the same time 3 times like I did... you can't get them together once one or the other is bolted down. They have to go together loose first. Although I never considered taking off the compressor housing till just now but that's a lot of awkward angles and work too.
That was one big reason I moved up to charge air cooling! :)
Romping around the back roads I was only getting ~10psi lol so I think I am pretty safe leaving it be.

Its a giant PITA to switch out just a little piece! But it was an excuse to guy buy some new tools, so I guess it works out. Thank you for the tip. Its always those little mistakes that make stuff like this miserable and take way longer than it should.
 

LindstheMarine

Registered User
Joined
Sep 24, 2021
Posts
30
Reaction score
3
Location
22400
Here's a front seal tool that a member built to use the three nuts welded to the front plate for this purpose. I believe there's an option on the front seal to get a wear sleeve if needed as well. There may be a reference to the seal info in that thread.

https://www.oilburners.net/posts/1045924/

I don’t know if I have the angles of the spring compressor bar but I do have some more pictures of it with dimensions I’ll dig them up a post them in a bit.
That is one hellofa homeade craft! My dad ended up having a universal puller, so im gonna see if that works before I get to crazy.

I guess a better question would be - do the angles matter? You mentioned doing them without pulling the heads, so I was thinking the shape of the tool was specific for acomplishing that. No rush on getting me that info. Changing the valve stem seals is pretty low on the totem pole right now.
 

LindstheMarine

Registered User
Joined
Sep 24, 2021
Posts
30
Reaction score
3
Location
22400
Linds,

Others shared the seal runs on the damper. So you will pull the damper and replace the seal.

While damper is out you will look at the machined surface where the seal rides on the damper. A little wear and tear is normal. But if you have more than say 1/8“ deep grove where the seal rides you may want to find a better one. The reason is the seal may wear out early since it is not running on a flat smooth surface. So as it rides in a grove it is likely to wear out early. I am not saying you will have excessive wear, just look and see if you do. Suggest you share some pics and the members can share thoughts back.

I am glad to hear you found a meaningful leak and hoping it slows your oil loss. Your driveway will appreciate it too!
Is there any drawbacks to sleeving with less than a 1/8" groove?
 

IDIBRONCO

IDIBRONCO
Joined
Feb 5, 2010
Posts
12,233
Reaction score
10,923
Location
edmond, ks
Nope. The truck and the engine are different colors. The engine is Ford Blue while the truck is whatever color it came out from the factory with. The bed was also blue (and part of it still is), but it's a different color since it came off of a 86 F150. That was a $100 purchase.
 

Attachments

  • 007.JPG
    007.JPG
    340.1 KB · Views: 7
  • 013.JPG
    013.JPG
    418 KB · Views: 7
  • 026.JPG
    026.JPG
    457.2 KB · Views: 7

Big Bart

Tow&Slow
Joined
Dec 22, 2020
Posts
1,481
Reaction score
950
Location
Newport Beach, CA
Is there any drawbacks to sleeving with less than a 1/8" groove?
Some thoughts -
1) It could leak between the sleeve and the damper long term.
2) If you change your mind you may have scored the damper machining which means a leak shortly after.
3) You may spend time waiting for the part and if the wrong part more time getting the right part.

So it’s sorta a if it’s not broke don’t fix it thing. It’s 50/50 if the damper is scored to the point you would sleeve it.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
91,217
Posts
1,128,469
Members
24,043
Latest member
tottripp

Members online

Top