Strange finds in valve cover and glow plug hole

[IDIBRONCO]

You know, if you want to drive the truck and you also want to drive it in the meantime, you can put the 6.9 in place of the 7.3. It will work just fine until you have the 7.3 gone through. Unless you're making pretty big boost numbers. 6.9s aren't a bad engine. They just get a bad rap from "big power" people.

 

[Cant Write]

Reading the earlier pages about screamin’ Jimmy’s had me going down memory lane. My dad drove scraper building I-90 in SD in the early 60’s. Straight from him....

“Euclid S-34, 12-71, muffle broke off. When Detroit 2 cycle blower started to scream, it did produce horsepower that was noticeable.”

Said he ran it 3-days with no muffler. He’s sure that is the source of his hearing loss. No cab on it and he said you ate a lot of dirt.

He said around Vermillion turnoff, I can only assume I-29 junction in today’s time (forgot to ask) he said the ground dropped 3’ in a mile. They had a hard time finding dirt and you had to go a long way to get it. He said you weighed 100-ton and could do 44mph.

His scraper was a 6-wheeler with a tractor and gooseneck style scraper trailer. They always used push-cats to help cut.

Thanks for fueling a good talk with my dad!!

 

[Cant Write]

Regarding the 6.2/6.5’s I’ve heard of hacks just bending the injection lines to get to the valve covers. Or just revving the engine until it spit or embedded the GP tip.

I’m sure the 7.3 in my van is much quieter in every way than the 24v in my ‘02.

I miss the ALH sound of my TDI’s, my BHW engine is much quieter.

 

[redandblacksmith]

As it stands right now, the 6.9 i have is incomplete and I cant hand turn it. May have run when it came in, but it sure wouldnt now. Clean and oily under the valve covers, though, and the injectors look good. Pump looks good too, so far. Picking up a 5/16, 12pt to pull it today. I have some hope.

 

[redandblacksmith]

Figured I'd update. Ive been able to work in neighbors' barn, out of the weather. Big change from working on the inch and a half gravel driveway. Got everything down and cleaned on the way, head bolts loose and ready to pull in the morning. My friend set up some rigging in the trusses to help me lift it out of the truck.

Getting the head bolts loose was funny, had to stand on the frame inside the engine bay to get enough leverage on them. Glad Im as small as I am.

 

[redandblacksmith]

Well, another update. Have been cleaning and looking over things. Heads about done, replacement valves are in and lapped. Compared them to the originals and there arent any major differences on the sealing end I could spot with dial calipers. In fact, they seem to be in better shape at the seal. They seat well and hold back mineral spirits completely. Really good news.

Time for the bad. I was cleaning the block today and it mostly looks good, except for one spot by the number 1 cylinder, just below the locating dowel and the large rectangular coolant passage. There is some deep pitting in the fire ring area just outside the bore. I cant afford to take it to a machinist and cant pull the engine where the truck is anuway, so it just has to go back together like this. Not ideal. Not happy about it.

On the bright side, the gasket I just pulled doesnt seem to show damage or leakage from that spot. I thought of this after I left the garage so I havent been able to look at it again -- maybe the pitting was caused in the past by a head gasket failure that allowed coolant to flow from the coolant passage to the fire ring? Am I right in thinking that this is more likely if the pitting doesnt connect to the bore?

 

[redandblacksmith]

Also, theres a lot going on here. All the intake valves had pitting at their tips and at some point, the number 1 and number 7 intake valves smacked the **** out of their pistons.

 

[Rdnck84_03]

I would run a straight edge on it and see how flat the deck is. I don't remember what the allowed spec is, off the top of my head I don't remember what the tolerance is.

James

 

[redandblacksmith]

Oh hell yeah, I have the manuals. I can check real quick. Thanks.

EDIT: Flatness spec is within 3 thou, else replace the block. I think it might be toast, but I guess we'll find out. I have to run it this way and if the blocks screwed then I guess oh well. Ill check with feelers tomorrow before I put it all back together.

 

[redandblacksmith]

Well, heads back on and torqued down. Heres a choice screenshot of me nosediving into the engine bay getting everything aligned

Hoping to have it back on the road by end of day tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Jesus Freak]

Well, heads back on and torqued down. Heres a choice screenshot of me nosediving into the engine bay getting everything aligned

Hoping to have it back on the road by end of day tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

My belly hurts just looking at it!

 

[redandblacksmith]

Going through my lifters, taking them apart and cleaning them up before putting the valley pan and intake back on. Looky what I found. Had a flat spot on it so I kept turning it and the rest of the roller suuuper messed up. Maybe thats what made the initial noise I heard from back there.

From what I can see through the hole in the valley, the camshaft somehow doesnt look messed up. I know flat spots happen when the rollers stick but I wonder what caused that horrible pitting. Any thoughts?

 

[KansasIDI]

Going through my lifters, taking them apart and cleaning them up before putting the valley pan and intake back on. Looky what I found. Had a flat spot on it so I kept turning it and the rest of the roller suuuper messed up. Maybe thats what made the initial noise I heard from back there.

From what I can see through the hole in the valley, the camshaft somehow doesnt look messed up. I know flat spots happen when the rollers stick but I wonder what caused that horrible pitting. Any thoughts?

Probably just got stuck. Did your truck ever sit for a long period of time?

Even still, I can’t seem to keep lifters in these trucks. But I keep them absolutely screaming… Had to do lifters on my 6.9, as one started ticking. A little while later I blew a head gasket, and found one head to be warped completely out of spec. So I 7.3 turbo and 5 speed swapped my 86 Bullnose, and never looked back. Whole different truck after that. Still needs quite a bit of work…

I currently have a ticking on my 7.3 which is a very light, almost clicking sound. Not like a glow plug controller though, which I don’t have anyways…
I am at this point convinced it is an exhaust leak, I have dug into the exhaust some, replacing manifolds, but no luck with that. New injectors. I have noticed that it doesn’t tick with the engine cold… and it doesn’t always tick… but usually it does, if the engine is warm. Never when cold though…

And I put lifters in it, at the time thinking it might be a lifter tick. I was evidently wrong. Lifters were one of the few things I did not replace in my engine, when I half-ass rebuilt it. But anyways, I found one lifter to have some scratches on the roller, and a hard spot in the roller… so I’m still glad I replaced them. I soaked the new lifters in oil for a month (only a few days is necessary) before putting them in the engine.

 

[XOLATEM]

Any thoughts?

check all of the lifters and all of your cam lobes...

Now is the time...

Got my fingers crossed for ya...

 

[redandblacksmith]

Oh yeah, bud. I just went through all of rhe lifters for the passenger side bank, took them completely apart for cleaning and reassembly. Luckily that was the only one in bad shape.

Going to go through the drivers side tomorrow. More and more glad every day that I got that parts motor.