In 2000, I bought a 1992 Chevy Silverado with a turbo'd 6.5 diesel engine. This was going to be the truck that would tow our 29ft. trailer across Canada. After having it a few months we realized the extended cab did not have enough room for the kids, and I was disappointed with the power it had, so we sold it.
Fast forward to 2007, I was interested in trying out biodiesel, but I didn't have a diesel vehicle. My son-in-law knew this and was selling used vehicles in Strathmore. They had just received a 1991 F-350 Dually Crew Cab with 500,000 Km on the odo, and a big steel deck with tool boxes. The frame had been stretched 10" to accommodate the deck. It had a 7.3 IDI with an aftermarket turbo on it. It had been used by the Hutterites for a crew that cleaned pig barns. It smelled like it! The dealership just wanted to get it off the lot, so for $700 including tax it was mine.
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It overheated on the drive home. My son was driving it to my house in Calgary. Poor kid, every vehicle of mine that he has driven has broken down on him. After refilling it with coolant and getting a boost because of dead batteries, it made it home.
I knew nothing about diesels at the time, but I learned fast thanks to the great people at Oilburners. That truck was what really started my diesel addiction (see sig. file below). I still have that truck. My daughter borrowed it to haul a trailer full of stuff to renovate her house in Nelson B.C. when it overheated again. This time it blew the neck right off of the radiator! She wound up renting a U-haul truck to haul the trailer. I had to recover the truck which was over 200 Kms away. After installing a new radiator, I realized that it had also blown a head gasket.
So, I loosened the radiator cap and gently drove it home! That is when I really started developing respect for these engines. After tearing the engine down I figured out what probably happened. The truck had most likely been overheated before. Probably because of a rad leak. The engine had been rebuilt. All 8 cylinders had been resleeved!
But the radiator had not been replaced. Instead, someone put some rad sealant in it, which sealed/plugged up the rad, and also plugged up the oil cooler! The overheating had also cracked one of the heads. :-( I bought an old 1985 6.9 for $500. that had supposedly been rebuilt (NOT), and put it in, while I rebuild the 7.3. The bottom end was good, and after replacing the heads, a set of piston rings, cleaning and resealing the oil cooler, the 7.3 went back in.
I removed the seats and shampooed the carpets, had the ozone machine in it, but could never get the smell out. It still smells after this many years!