Cavitation Pictures

[jhenegh]

This look like cavitation to you? The first three pictures are cylinder #8. #8 is the one that was able to make my radiator overflow with 175psi air through the glow plug hole. Next picture is cylinder #2, still crosshatched. Last picture is head gasket, looking like no problems there.

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I'm guessing the truck has 215,000 or 315,000 miles on it. Had an ATS 088 that would make 8 psi unloaded, never got a chance to trailer with it before this. I think the previous owner knew of issues because all the coolant passages are full of what looks like copper radiator stop leak. Heater hoses were all but packed full too.

 

[Dsl_Dog_Treat]

The second pic shows pitting on the cylinder wall. I'd say she's a Swiss cheese candidate.

 

[6.9poweredscout]

 

[SHARPIE]

Yep sleeve it.

 

[typ4]

Bummer but I would hard sleeve all 8 and build a long life engine.

 

[metalminded]

Can sleeves be used that stand up to cavitation or are not susceptible?

 

[icanfixall]

Sad to agree with Russ. This clearly is cavitation although its a great sign to see the cross hatch in some cylinders. My first impression is someone didn't use a quality coolant from the looks of the rust buildup around the coolant paaasges. But telling us what you found that looks like copper colored radiater sealant is telling me the po knew what was going on. Sleeveing the block takes someone that knows what they are doing. I have seen some horrible machining that ruined blocks. The best sleeve is the one that has a lip on the top of it. That lip allows the sleeve to rest in a groove on top of the parent cylinder and it will never move or slip down in the cylinder like some do. Also freezing them in liquid nitrogen and having a 2 thousands press fit will be the best way of installing them. Many machine shops just put the sleeves in a refrigerater freezer to shrink cool them. Then they use locktite on the sleeve to block contact fit. Well that loctite is a heat transfer barrier so its a bad thing but some sealant needs to be used or coolant leaks out the top and bottom of the sleeve fit. L.A. Sleeve is a very good company for sleeves but I think Darton is better because they make the lip sleeve. Its a more critle installation type sleeve because the top and bottom ends are supposed to touch the ends of the machined block at the same measurement. Actually I would not do that. I would make damn sure the top lip is seated tightly on the top lip or flange. Then the bottom of the sleeve can "float" off the bottom lip or flange by 1 or 2 thousands. Its not going to move up or down and the heat from combustion wont be reaching that far down in the cylinder. At that depth nothing like the rings will be hanging up on the small gap between the liner of the block and the sleeve. In So Cali this is about a $1200.00 job. The sleeves are really cheap. Its the slow machining of the high nickle block that costs the money. You can't machine the cast iron fast. The tool bit will chatter on the cylinder and give a really ruff horrible surface. Usually there are three differant hardness sleeve matrials available. A soft, an medium ans a hard. I used the medium because it wears about as much as the rings. Use the hard and the bore will outlast the rings by a long time. Use the soft and the sleeve will need to be replaced long before the rings wear out. The hard sleeve takes a long time to break in too. Hope this isn't too much information yo work with. Sadly we have no new blocks being made anywhere on the planet but we do have new offshore heads made for the 7.3 engines. Those by the way are better than the factory heads cause they are about 10 lbs heavier because of the extra material in certain places like the deck to block mating surface.

 

[freebird01]

i got a good block ill sell ya if you don't mind driving to fort wayne

 

[jhenegh]

I bought a complete engine from an '89 a few weeks ago off CL in Beecher, IL when I suspected this. Haven't seen it run yet but I'm gonna start on the swap this weekend. If it ALSO has issues, I'll probably buy that block. This engine still ran awesome is the biggest shame. All the components on it are good, but the most important part isn't

I'm in Lafayette, but I consider most of Indiana to be my playground when it comes to sourcing parts;p.

 

[freebird01]

the one i got the bottom end is good just needs a set of heads. i actually have 2 different ones.... both are in my way right now lol

 

[jhenegh]

Maybe I'll buy one, stick my heads on it, and sell it as a complete engine? Part out the rest of my swiss cheeser. If my '89 works...

 

[IDIBRONCO]

From what I've seen, # 7 and #8 seem to wear out first with hard use of a turbo. I've seen more that .020 wear on them and .003 or .004 on #1 and #2. Maybe it's from abuse instead of use. I've seem it on aftermarket and the factory turbos. I can't tell if there's a lot of wear in #8 in your pictures, but it could easily lead to cavitation.