Is my IP headed south? - Diesel Forum

ClassicFordGuy · 03-09-2007, 09:32 AM

Last couple days when I park my truck I get a puddle of diesel fuel under the engine. Its dripping off the oil pan, front of the bell housing and the turbo crossover pipe. I looked around the IP and noticed the valleypan was wet with fuel but I can't see where its leaking from, I'm guessing somewhere under the IP. Where does the valey pan drain go to? Would fuel draining through that hole in the back of it go all over the oil pan and bellhousing?

If it is the IP leaking does that mean I need a new one? I am assuming I have the original IP and injectors and I am about at 119K. The truck still runs fine and I get about 16/17 mpg city.

I am planning on taking a 200 mile round trip in a few days and hoping this job whatever it may be can wait till after that.

Thanks,

-Rob

cdnsarguy · 03-09-2007, 12:15 PM

It would drip off the adapter plate for the trans, down over the starter/bell housing. There is a drain hole under the IP for the main shaft seal (see my gallery) but there are several other plugs/seals external so any of them could be the leaker. If it is the original think rebuilt unless you can get just a seal replaced. The one on the advance arm is replaceable.

OkieGringo · 03-10-2007, 03:01 AM

Check the triangular shaped cover for the fuel screw on the passenger side of the IP. The screws might be loose or the rubber gasket might be "Headed South". Also, check the steel line from fuel filter to IP connection. There is a rubber o-ring type connection there that might also be "Headed South". However, with 119k on the IP, it is getting very close to "Rebuild Time"/"Heading South". IPs usually only last 100k-125k miles. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smokin.gif[/img]OkieGringo

ClassicFordGuy · 03-11-2007, 12:28 AM

I did turn up the fuel a few months ago so I may have weakened the seal for the triangular plate, if it's not that seal it must be leaking from somewhere underneath. Since a rebuild is probably in order do you guys know of a place to get rebuild parts or a rebuild kit as well as a place to buy or get directions on how to rebuild a factory turbo IP? I recall reading that an IP rebuild can be tricky but I'm cheap and stuborn and refuse to take any of my vehicles to a shop for anything other than alignment and tire balencting so any do it yourself rebuild advice would be great.

Thanks,

-Rob

LMJD · 03-11-2007, 07:50 AM

[ QUOTE ]
but I'm cheap and stuborn and refuse to take any of my vehicles to a shop for anything other than alignment and tire balencting so any do it yourself rebuild advice would be great.

[/ QUOTE ]
You might want to change your mind on that one since you need about a $10,000+ test stand to do about a dozen or two calibrations, set and check umpteen clearances and internal adjustments, and on and on. I've got a Stanadyne 6.9/7.3 complete injection pump overhaul and step by step test stand calibration manual, and to sum it up, other than a few external repairs, there's reasons diesel truck shops send pumps out to a local IP/turbo overhaul shop.

Greg77 · 03-11-2007, 10:45 AM

Rob

I'm stubborn like you are, I hate paying shop rates that rising a lot faster than the products I produce. But this is one of those times take off your pump and take it into a good local shop and get it rebuilt or shop around and get a rebuilt on line. There are some good on line diesel shops that are way cheaper in price than my local one. I've been in my local shop and seen his equipment. I know what he does when he goes thru a pump and he has thousands of dollars in test equipment to test it when it been rebuilt.Your cost for parts alone is probably going to be as much as a rebuilt pump because pump shops are going to get a much better price on parts.Also how are you going to know which parts are bad unless the part is scored? Most diesel pumps run on thousands of an inch in tolerances. When you get done rebuilding your pump you still won't know what you have, and you may end up tearing it down several times to get it to work. This is one of those times to spend $300 to $500 bucks, get something that should last a long time and with diesel at $2.50 to $3.00, it will probably pay for it self in fuel savings over a couple of years.

Greg

arthurgoboom · 03-11-2007, 01:46 PM

There's a thread in the 6.9 or 7.3 forum somewhere about a guy that rebuilt his own pump. It worked out great, but he had like 20-30 hours in it if I remember correctly, and between buying the parts he needed and having a diesel shop calibrate the pump, it cost him $290. The $110 he saved, divided by 20 hours = $5.50 an hour rate. I'm assuming if we have these diesel trucks, we make more than that at whatever jobs we have. Moral of the story is, drop the pump off at a shop, go to work, pick it up a few days later, you'll be money ahead AND probably have a bit of a warranty.

bigmk01 · 03-11-2007, 11:46 PM

The adapters on top of the injectors for the return lines have 2 o-rings under each of them that on 2 of my previous trucks after 150K miles needed replaced. They are a cakewalk to change.

KevinIH73IDI · 03-12-2007, 06:45 PM

would replacing those o-rings fix my problem with it smoking real bad when cold and breaking up at higher rmps? i just took it to the dealer today and they said it was timed dead on i have another pump but i was hoping to save that until later.. or should i just use that now?