rebuilt or by a new motor

[hvykvy]

okay guys i need some advise. i have a 89 f 250 with 220000 miles. my goals are that i want to put a turbo on it but. i want to rebuild the motor first but i dont no if it would be cheeper to rebuild it or just by a new motor? help please

 

[towcat]

before discounting the mileage of the motor, check the blowby first. warm it up first, shut it down and pull the oil filler cap. fire it back up and observe the amount of smoke coming out of the filler. take it off idle and see if the smoke goes away. if not have somone slowly rev it up and watch the amount of smoke decrease. report back with your findings.
i like good used motors myself.

 

[hvykvy]

the milege doesnt bother me won bit its still got plenty of miles left. i just want to rebuild it and do a turbo swap on it. but i dont no ware to start at for engine rebuild kits and parts

 

[opusd2]

Check those things out, sometimes an engine can seem to run forever before needing a rebuild or replacement. Maybe get the oil analyzed and see if there is bearing matter in it but a visual inspection of the oil will show larger chunks as well.

And as far as the choice between the two, if you are a competent diesel builder with attention to details, have a strong torque wrench, have the patience to do things right, etc so forth and so on - then do it yourself. But if you don't know of a good machine shop, don't want to purchase the good parts or take the time to do it right, then just order up a new one. But either way, if you are going to have a new engine, then give it a freshly rebuilt and timed IP and injectors as well as GPs. It's all part of doing the job right.

 

[hvykvy]

i understand and i know the motor still has life in it but i juast wanna rebuild it cus i can and i have a machine shop i have built diesel motors. i a, trying to get some help on wat are the best parts for the 7.3 and puting a turbo on

 

[towcat]

you're thinking gasser tech here. stop. these motors don't need rebuilding unless there's something wrong. if you are working in a engine machine shop, you should be getting the same parts magazine like I do. you can get a kit for a little under 1k less the turkey pan. pump and injectors will leave you sitting on your ass as far as the cost goes. which shop do you know over there?

 

[hvykvy]

ya i know its probly not time for a rebuild but sense im going to be puting on a trubo i wouild like to freshin up the motor a litle do some balancing get some head work done make a little more power. i know a lot of shops. speed freeks inc dyno tuning, robs auto machining, diamond diesel, richards dissel, chapetas maching, jerrys machine shop. the list is never ending of the shops i no.

 

[towcat]

Ted Yamashiro moved out there years ago, I used to work with him and usually get ahold of him via his cell. I don't know the shop he works with as a result but he is one of the best in the business.

 

[hvykvy]

i will have to ask around. do you have any recomendations on wat do do i wanna try to make a good amount of power

 

[towcat]

i will have to ask around. do you have any recomendations on wat do do i wanna try to make a good amount of power

you will need to get with russ/typ4 or gary/icanfixall on that. I like dropping in stock motors, put on a nasty pump and injectors and beating the crap out of it

 

[hvykvy]

ya how would a new motor run do you have any ideas

 

[hvykvy]

im sorry i ment to say how much would a new motor cost

 

[towcat]

there's no such thing as a "new" motor. there are new heads, but you will have to rebuild the block. sonic checking is a must or 8 sleeves is manditory. whoever does the work better know what he's doing. these motors are abusable but very exacting on the tolerances on machine work.

 

[opusd2]

It sounds like your intent on just getting a different engine to "plug n play" instead of just seeing what you have and making it work. Chances are your engine is in good shape, if not you will know it right away. If you want, take a look at your bearings in the lower end, they will tell you a lot. But once again, it's up to you.

If you want to find a replacement motor, there are plenty of sources out there.

 

[icanfixall]

Gees... If only there were some "new" blocks out there somewhere we would reallt be in good shape. About 18 months ago Ebay had a new motor for sale. It had been used in a school for years. The motor had never been run but... It had been taken apart too many times for me. The threads can't take the tightening and loosening. They just plain wear out. But anyway.... Adding a turbo can cause some head gasket problems although I ran my original 89 7.3 for many miles and never had a head gasket problem with a Banks sidewinder wastegaged turbo. I boosted to 11 lbs and pulled heavy all the time. So, the gaskets worked for me. Others it didn't . I recommend the ARP head studs because they areso very much stronger than the stock head bolts. They are 220,000 psi compared to 153,000 psi. Just run a set of the Mahle anodised top pistons. Mahle was the OEM piston and still are a great piston. You can get them either low comp or standard comp. They also make the rod and main bearings. The 7.3 block had some problems with thin cylinders. The flex and that hurts them badly. Its called cavatation and it eats away the cylinders from the coolant side. Then it leaks into the cylinders causing all kinds of hell. Ususally sleeving all 8 slugs is the best option. There are several good types of sleeves too but... A machine shop needs to know what they are doing first. I personally feel the sleeves should be a 2 to 3 press fit. That means they should be 2 or 3 thousands larger than the block bore. Then frozen in liquid nitrogen and installed with strongbacks to be held in place till they normalize. There must be a step on the bottom of the cylinder for the sleeves to stop on. Otherwise they will drop down into the crank. There is another sleeve that has a lip at the top and the block gets releived for it. I like that idea best but its more difficult to machine. Get the hardest sleeve material you can find. It will last longer but the rings will take longer to seat in. Line bore the crank. Balance everything. Porting the heads is a tuff job. I have done it several times and it takes some patience to do. I use new aftermarket heads for this. They are better than the OEM heads because they have a thicker base. They are ruff in the ports thought. Not much cam options available but some are trying a few designs with good results so far. Don't think you will get hp much over around 250 to the rear wheels. Banks no longer is supplying our motors with turbos. I talked to them 2 days ago and they have 2 kits left in inventory. After that they are done but will support those sold for 5 years from sale date. Fed law requires that. Ask Typ4 about a better turbo that is suported in the aftermarket sector. Banks just wont help with any parts internally to the turbo. Boosting past 12 lbs without an intercooler will get you nothing so if you plan on 13 or higher boost numbers install an intercooler. Hypermax sells a really nice cooler. I have one and will install it someday. They also sell a great turbo.