Coolant leak from rear of engine :(

[IDIBRONCO]

I hadn't thought of doing that with the studs even though I've done that with bolts many times while replacing them in the truck.

 

[DrCharles]

Thanks everyone... I think I'm going to pay the shop to do it. The first larger place in town I called wanted $1200 for just the labor! This year I have been so busy with other cars, trucks including this one, and tractors that I just don't have the desire to pull the heads right now. Not to mention a rotator cuff partial tear that needs surgery, but I don't have time to be "down" for recovery and rehab...

It's a stock non-turbo 7.3 IDI and I have no plans to "crank it up", so I will probably just stick with head bolts. Can they be re-used or are they torque-to-yield?

Edit: I just looked up the price of a stud kit and it's over $500! Not this time.

 

[IDIoit]

unfortunate.
however one must ask himself, "*** else did this hack do?"
I would be building a new engine and slapping it in when I had it done.
just my pennys worth.

 

[DrCharles]

Which hack? The PO's of the truck? They could have, and so far definitely have, screwed up almost everything.

Building an entire new engine is just not in the budget, space, or motivation

I'm cleaning it up as I go... wiring, headlights, glow plugs, everything plastic between the hood and front bumper... one mess at a time. Waiting on the "showerheads" for warmer weather!

 

[Macrobb]

At stock power levels(and even moderate levels of boost), bolts are just fine. Pretty sure they are reusable.

 

[icanfixall]

Sorry about the head gaskets leaking. No 6.9 or 7.3 will have the torque to yeild head bolts. Ours are reusable but must be in good shape. No rusted out holes in them. Note...ALL head bolt holes in the bolt are BLIND HOLES..They do not enter the coolant anywhere. So a bottoming tap must be used to clean the threads in the block. Cleaning off the block of the old gasket material is much more important than on say a small or big block chevy. Our engines are 21 to 1 compression ratio and my example pushes 530 lbs of cranking pressure.
Doing the oil cooler o rings is a great idea with the heads off.Its stupid simple to reach when the heads are off.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

Since you're going to have the heads off, this would be a good time to do the cooling mod in case you ever do decide to install a turbo.

 

[Thewespaul]

Since you're going to have the heads off, this would be a good time to do the cooling mod in case you ever do decide to install a turbo.

You need to do a write up on this! I’ve thought about doing it myself but it sounds like you’ve had the most experience with it, and know a few good tricks to getting those plugs out.

 

[theSHERPA]

You need to do a write up on this! I’ve thought about doing it myself but it sounds like you’ve had the most experience with it, and know a few good tricks to getting those plugs out.

I second this motion. Always hear about this mod, but never seen pics or explained down to my comprehension level.

 

[DrCharles]

What is the cooling mod?

 

[papadiesel]

with AC and auto easier to pull motor!! what tbrumm said!

 

[DrCharles]

Mine's a five speed... dismounting the a/c compressor from its bracket doesn't look like that big a deal? Probably don't even have to discharge the system, leaving the hoses connected.

 

[nostrokes]

If the head gaskets are not leaking much, and you do want to tackle the replacement of them yourself but when the weather gets warm, consider using a coolant system sealer like Irontite (blue and white bottle iirc.) I know this stuff will seal weeping head gaskets as I used it on my truck before I replaced the head gaskets. Irontite seems to be pretty well regarded and is not "snake oil". This may allow you to continue to use the truck for a while, get to know it, and make sure that this is the truck you wish spend the big money on. It could also buy you some time to acquire the parts, tools and the research time to undertake the project yourself. If you leave the engine in the truck, you MUST have a cherry picker to get those those very heavy heads off and back on again without damaging anything - including yourself. You will also need a good torque wrench. Some will say head studs are overkill, but if you are going that far in and doing that much work, the added expense of head studs is not that bad when you consider the overall cost of the project. As vegas39 mentions above, when the heads are off, it is super easy to R & R the oil cooler, so that is a must do! I don't think the prices the shop is quoting you are out of line at all-but I understand the cost is still painful. Here is a link to the thread I did on my head gasket replacement. https://www.oilburners.net/threads/7-3-head-gasket-replacement-arp-head-stud-install.76304/

Personally I'd stay away from using a chemical sealer... If it's designed to seal a weep, what else will it seal up that may not be desired?? I know it's tempting when funds are tight but what will it cost later down the road...

Just my 2 cents worth....

 

[IDIBRONCO]

DrCharles, no you don't need to discharge the A/C. I just basically twist the compressor upside down onto the driver's side inner fender. It helps to use some safety wire to hold it over to the side to keep it from falling down. I've done this many times. I don't disconnect any accessory. I just lay them all over to the side. When you do pull the engine out, it helps to lift the front of the engine up some too. Do the same (front high) when you go to install it. If your slave cylinder doesn't still have the plastic piece to hold the plunger in, the safety wire comes in handy for this too. Holding this in makes it a lot easier to install the engine and greatly reduces the chances of damaging the slave cylinder.

 

[DrCharles]

Finally heard back from the shop (who sent out the heads to a machine shop in the city). Both heads are cracked in at least one cylinder

By the time I have the cracks repaired, guides/seats as needed, then resurfaced, I'll be into them for nearly as much as a pair of rebuilt heads. And no guarantees that they won't crack somewhere else!

Rebuilt heads are $1200 a pair. So my repair bill just doubled.

The only good news is that the mechanic says the cross-hatching is clearly visible in the cylinders and the piston tops are in good shape. Maybe the 186k mile odometer reading is real.

Anyway I will be keeping this IDI forever now! I got 22 years of occasional use from my late father's '84 F-150 that I inherited in '96, so this one will hopefully last the rest of my life.