Here is what that CHUFF noise in the exhaust means

[Banks7.3IDI]

Alright...thanks! Is the turbo pretty straight forward on coming out? I didn't check but I hope it is...and how do I remove glow plug connectors that have broken insulation? That is what I was worried about...because I don't have the money to continue to keep breaking more and more things or finding more and more things and replacing them...need my baby on the road sometime soon! haha

 

[vegas39]

Alright...thanks! Is the turbo pretty straight forward on coming out? I didn't check but I hope it is...and how do I remove glow plug connectors that have broken insulation? That is what I was worried about...because I don't have the money to continue to keep breaking more and more things or finding more and more things and replacing them...need my baby on the road sometime soon! haha

We didn't have to remove my banks turbo from my truck when we did my heads. The intake manifold and everything else removed right around it, good thing because my cousin in law said there was some kind of long bolt or something around the back that was holding it on.

I wasn't there when he tore my motor down, so I didn't see the process but I did however put the thing back together.

 

[icanfixall]

Uhaul sells complete glow plug wire harness but you really don't need one if just the plastic cover at the plug is broken off. Once thats connected to the lug there is no chance its going to ground on anything. Really don't know why they are made that way other than easy to pull off. Removing the valley pan, intake manifold and turbo is a must when doing the heads. Make sure the shop knows the depth the valves are required to be set into the heads and what the precups depth is too. Knowing how thick the heads are before they try to mill them is another very important thing. Factory they are 4.795 to 4.805 thick.

 

[Banks7.3IDI]

Well at the moment I'm not removing the heads, just doing lifters because I found that a good amount of 7-3IDI owners had my same problem randomly surface and it turned out to be lifters. So just pull off the glow plug harnesses and then I could slide the intake manifold right out? If so I'm doing it. How do I remove the broken ones though? nothing really to grab onto..

 

[icanfixall]

Just grab the metal connecter to remove the wire from the plugs. If needed a pair of pliars will help but squeezing the neatal connecter may have the opposite effect when attempting removel.

 

[Banks7.3IDI]

Okay sweet, I'll be doing that after school ends today, getting somewhere! should have the manifold off today and be down to the pan, that should come out rather easy, then down to the lifters.
once it's all torn apart should I turn the engine with a breaker bar to the crank to move the rockers or will I be able to visually see if the lifters are crushed or worn out? They're 17.99 each so I'm not replacing all 16, just the ones that have issues.

Lemme Know!

 

[Banks7.3IDI]

Well all the glow plug connectors are off but the manifold still won't come out....it looks like the turbo's in the way, does that mean that comes off too? because that sucks...and do I have to remove the upper coolant hose? By the way, the glow plug connector insulation on 5/8 is totally destroyed..what is a good fix? I don't have money to keep replacing stuff as I go..

 

[typ4]

I doubt its the lifters.

 

[icanfixall]

Its a terrible idea to replace only the bad lifters because you will be back in there to replace the others. I have never seen just one or two go bad and nothing else. But when your strapped for funds its easy to see why you do only what needs to be done.

 

[idi_econoline]

Hey, guys. My engine has had a chuffing, thunking miss for a while now. What's different here is that both my heads got a "full recondition" by a quality local block and head shop specializing in diesels. Only8,000 miles on that head work!

Hydro-idi and I theorized it's a bad injector (new Delphi BBs at the same time), but the temp gun shows all cylinders stay within 20-30 degrees of each other. Also ran nearly every concoction possible through the system.... no change.

So, ordered new lifters from RockAuto, which will arrive Monday.

Really? Valve issues? Can't even imagine pulling those heads off again........

 

[IDIBRONCO]

From my experience, YES! 7.3's have issues with the valve guides, not the valves themselves. It seemed to usually happen from 120,00 to 150,000 miles. Some earlier, some later. I've seem a couple that had been driver too far and had been grenaded from a dropped/broken valve. I've also seen a '92 or '93 factory turbo 7.3 that had 305,000 miles on it before it happened. It seems like good maintenance helps, but they all seem to do it after a while. Our solution was to have our machine shop install bronze valve guides. Even if you have a "full valve job", it will still happen with the harder guides. 6.9's didn't seem to suffer from this issue and it's only the exhaust valves. You will hear a chuffing or popping noise in the exhaust. Anything from the intake is not the same problem. Problem: turbos tend to muffle this noise. You can check by removing the valve covers and looking at the insides of them. There will be a residue on the valve covers that isn't from oil. It will look "carbony". This is because as the guide wears and the valve leans to the side, exhaust gasses will slip by the valve and probably burn a little bit of oil. Since the cylinder has so much pressure at this time, the residue will collect on the bottom of the valve cover as well as on the spring, rocker arm, and valve.

 

[gatorman21218]

A compression test will tell you real quick. My #5 ex valve guide went out at 295,000.

 

[idi_econoline]

OK, valve covers come off before I drive it again. Again, it has been thousands of miles since these symptoms started. Even a Ford IDI-owning fleet mechanic heard it, but he didn't mention anything about valve guides. Stumped him.

Between the tight quarters of my van's engine compartment and the fact that I stuck my HGs on with Hylomar, this is going to get ugly.... but must be done... At least I should be able to find which valve without pulling both heads. Thanks much for that good news!

Stay tuned..... thx for reviving this thread, otherwise I'd've never known this until after the valve dropped.

 

[icanfixall]

For those thinking about removing rockers, lifters or cams these pushrods are the best buy I have ever seen. then you don't have to worry which end is up or down...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130887107138?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_245wt_971

 

[Banks7.3IDI]

Well, I haven't been able to get on here the past few days...but after getting it all put back together the jarring around gave me a new problem....return line kit time..

But other than that...it still knocks. Maybe a cam lobe? I don't think it's a worn valve guide because there's no carbon build up under the valve covers and it happened immediately. So brings me to a new dillemma.....how to check and see if it IS INDEED a worn cam lobe.
could I just take the valve covers off and turn it on to watch the rockers? Or is it not that obvious.