Promise... the build

Selahdoor

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Ok, I'm getting kind of a late start to this, but better late than never!

Almost two moths ago, I brought this little beauty home. It was given to me free, by a friend from another forum that has nothing to do with trucks.

It is a 92 f250 XLT Lariat. 7.3idi na, and E4od

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My driveway is VERY steep. It was wet and muddy and snowy and cold. It took me two days to get it up the driveway to where it is. Since I wasn't sure of the brakes or transmission, I backed my other truck right up against it. (This pic was taken about a week after the snow finally melted.)

The next day, I established a good solid anchor point, further up the hill. Then I used a steel cable to tie the truck to that anchor point. It isn't going anywhere until it can do so under it's own steam, and has reliable brakes.

I'll be making a few more posts to this thread, before I am finished for the night...
 

Selahdoor

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First thing... I wanted to do something simple, to get the confidence up.

This truck had sat for about 5 years. Since it was last started. The more I looked, the more I found things that needed to be fixed. So, yeah, start with a simple one, and get some confidence going.

I decided to replace the ignition tumbler.

The ears had been broken off of the one that was there. And it was difficult to get the key to turn to the different positions. Let alone be able to see where it was supposed to be. LOL

This is what it looked like. Some of the steering column cover has been removed already.

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Underneath the column, there is a pin that you push in. I have that circled in red. Then you turn the key to the run position, and you pull the entire cylinder out.

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It didn't come out right away. I had to fumble around with getting the key turned to just the right position, then because the 'ears' weren't there, I had to use a thin screwdriver to pry it out enough to get ahold of it.


Here's the new key tumbler installed.

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Selahdoor

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Next up was the brakes.

The MC was bone dry. I figured that had to be a leak. Filled it up and let it sit over the weekend, to see where any leaks developed.

Went out a couple times to pump the brakes, to encourage any leaks that were there, to show up. Finally went out and looked over everything.

The only leak I found was at the back of the MC. Down the front of the vacuum dashpot. Looks like it has leaked there for a very long time.

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Unfortunately, the brakes were still very much 'frozen'. I went around and bled them all, until there was only clear brake fluid coming out of any of the bleeders.

Jacked up the rear end, and broke those loose. It didn't take much, and soon they were spinning freely.

The front ones, I completely disassembled, R&Rd, and reassembled. They STILL stuck for a while. Frustrated by that after a few days of working on them, I finally just put it in 4Wlo, and drove it backward and forward until they stopped squealing so much.

Well, I think it will stop. Still going to leave my other truck at the bottom of the driveway, the first time I let this one go more than 20 feet... There is a cliff on the other side of the road from my driveway. If a vehicle got away from me in the driveway, and would not stop, it would end up going straight over that cliff, and be gone forever.
 

Selahdoor

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Now it was time to see if I was ever going to be able to get this beast started.

I cleaned up the battery terminals. Added some synthetic grease to keep them from corroding. Then set them on the battery charger.

To my surprise, they held a charge. They even held up to an extended session of trying to get the engine to start. I had to put one battery on the charger and leave it overnight. Then put the other on the charger the next morning, and leave it on most of the day. Then I could try to start it. I did this for most of a week.

In the meantime, I checked the oil level, and found it was a gallon low. Filled that up.


For the longest time, it would just almost start. Using ether, every once in a while. Yeah I know. Don't judge me. It had been sitting a LONG time... LOL

I hadn't been in here in a long time. Decided to come back and give it another try. Immediately was glad I did. Got some good advice just by searching and reading.


Decided to replace the return lines.

Didn't buy a kit. I bought new hose. Injector clamps. (Better than those pliers pinchy things they give you in a kit. And better than standard screw/gear type clamps. gear clamps.) And some 5/8"OD x 7/16"ID Viton O-Rings. And built my own.

It finally started!!!

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That video was done about 5 minutes after it started. (I know I said 3 minutes in the vid.)

It had warmed up by then. You can see it was still smoking.



Next, I replaced the glow plugs.

Glad I did, because what was in there were 7 autolites and one motorcraft.

The motorcraft came out like a charm. The autolites were all ballooned, and difficult to get out. Good thing I did that when I did. Had they been in there longer, they might have broken off or something. Then it's head removal time.
 

Selahdoor

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Going off a cliff could get a little exciting.
In that very first pic, that slope is not an optical illusion.

Well, not in the way that it seems like it is more than in real life.

It is actually less than in real life.

And most of my driveway is like that. LOL Exciting is certainly a part f the vocabulary around here, when it comes to fixing vehicles.

I have learned how to anchor any vehicle good and solid, over the years. That truck truly is going nowhere until I want it to.
 

Selahdoor

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I decided the day before yesterday, to do a compression test.

I removed all the new GPs.

The second from the front on the driver's side, was kind of wet. Oil or fuel, I don't know which.

The third from the front, same side, was loose. Finger tight. And I KNOW I tightened it down, just like all the rest.

The third one back, on the passenger side, was wet, as well. The rest were all dry and tight.

I found out my compression tester gauge only went up to 300. That won't do. So, I swapped the gauge out for the only other one I had that might work. Goes to 5000. LOL

All but two of the cylinders went right up to what looked like 500 or very close.

The other two looked like they could be 400 or just below, or just above, I couldn't really tell. Those were the two that had been wet.

I've ordered a 500lb gauge that should be here by the end of the week. I'll swap that gauge onto the compression tester and try again.
 

Selahdoor

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Had a look at the IP timing marks today.

The mark on the IP itself is almost ground away. Looks intentional.

Found what looks like a small remnant of the mark.

If I am correct, the IP is sitting very slightly retarded.

Maybe 1/5th of the width of a dime.
 

Selahdoor

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It has started easier and easier as time has gone on.

But that lope is still there.

It's not just a "rough idle". It's a LOPE.

Did a video of the cold start this morning. Look for yourself.

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There is no light for the glowplugs. It used to start clicking when they had finished their cycle. Now there is nothing. But they are obviously working. Sucker started like it had just gone to town and back, and was being re-started.

The lope shakes the truck so much, the hood was falling down.

The smoke is white. It billows a lot when the engine is cold. Once warmed up, the smoke dwindles to what you saw in the first video, but never actually goes away.

It is acrid. Will choke you if you get near. Not sweet. So, not coolant.
 

Selahdoor

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Now... These are my thoughts at the moment.

I went ahead and bought the return line kit. So I could get the copper washers. I haven't found any real information on those washers. Part number, etc... would be nice. But since I struck out on those I bought a "standard" brand kit for those.


I am going to the junkyard tomorrow for some parts.

One part may be an IP, if there is one there.


I am gathering the stuff, to make my own injector 'pop' tester. Have to get one part welded tomorrow.

I have an extra set of injectors. I will test those. Then I will remove mine, and between the two, I will make a matched set.

I will do the compression test again, at the end of the week,

Between testing for air leakage in the lines, (why there is a loop of clear line there at the fuel filter. I'll be putting in other clear lines just for testing, then return the regular lines.)...

Setting the IP a little advanced instead of retarded...

And replacing the injectors...

I am hoping to get rid of that lope, and get the engine to run well and reliably.
 

Selahdoor

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By the way, I had a discouraging moment the first time I got it started.

Put it in gear... And nothing happened.

Drive, 2nd, 1st, reverse, didn't matter. NADA, nuttin, zip, zilch.

Thought about it that night... put three quarts of trans fluid in the next day, and now it works.
 

YJMike92

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Your making progress.
Sounds to me like you have some injectors stuck at cold start. When you get some known good injectors you will have a better idea. A more accurate compression test will be will tell you a lot more. How old is the fuel? Fresh fuel would be a must for me.
 

Selahdoor

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Your making progress.
Sounds to me like you have some injectors stuck at cold start. When you get some known good injectors you will have a better idea. A more accurate compression test will be will tell you a lot more. How old is the fuel? Fresh fuel would be a must for me.
The fuel is maybe 15% old fuel. The rest is about ten gallons of fresh. I also put plenty of cleaners in there as well. I was thinking there is not just old fuel in those tanks, but algae and who knows what else, as well.

Once I have this rough running fixed, I'll get it on the road and run through the fuel that is in there. The cleaners and old fuel, alone, IMO, could be the cause of half or more of that smoke. We'll see, once it is running only fresh fuel.

Here is the blowby...
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The engine was warmed up enough, that the radiator would burn you if you touched it. Yet you can still see the smoke back there. Maybe THAT smoke, is the fuel? And the rest is from other problems?

My gut is telling me the compression test is going to be ok. Maybe not the best, but probably not the cause of this problem.

I think balanced and working good injectors will be the majority of the solution. With either a timing change on the IP, or a complete change of the IP will be most of the rest of it.

This, of course, is just speculation until I actually get into the doing of it...

One other possibility that I have started to wonder about, is valve train problems. I just want to get everything else sorted out, before I dive into those possibilities.
 

nostrokes

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You could do the tranny fluid or diesel kleen in the filter trick and see if it starts to clear up some, but I think you're on the right path so far. Maybe let it run until you burn out all the fuel then start over with fresh fuel again?? 5 years is a long time to sit with not knowing what was in the old fuel.
 

Selahdoor

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You could do the tranny fluid or diesel kleen in the filter trick and see if it starts to clear up some, but I think you're on the right path so far. Maybe let it run until you burn out all the fuel then start over with fresh fuel again?? 5 years is a long time to sit with not knowing what was in the old fuel.
Agreed. After the compression test, replacement injectors, and then IP timing tests, I plan on filling the filter with diesel kleen, and filling the tanks with fresh fuel.

It just seems logical to me to concentrate on the mechanical issues rather than the fuel, until I have it on the road. (Since it does run on what is in there.) Once on the road I can run it through a few tanks of fresh stuff, and see what happens.
 

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