In a previous post i described this truck pretty completely. I received many good comments and was lead to look into cavitation and coolant additives.
the bad news is,
1. the guy that owns the truck did not know about the additives.
2. he does not know anything about how the previous owner treated the truck (it had 200,000 on it when he got it, now it has 238,000 miles).
the good news is,
1. he has flushed the system twice in the 38,000 miles he has owned the truck - used the correct coolant (low-silicate ethylene glycol), but without the additive SCA.
**he flushed it because he replaced the water pump, then flushed it again when he replaced the radiator. this could be good or bad.
2. it does not have white smoke
3. it does not have excessive coolant loss
4. it does not have excessive coolant or water coming from the tailpipe.
i am going to go look at the truck again and get the VIN number (forgot that the first time). i will also take the radiator cap off and look for oil residue, and drain a little oil off the pan to look for coolant.
if the truck is right on the verge of having a cavitation issue, but it does not have the problem yet, and i am very diligent about checking and changing the coolant and adding the additive, is everything fine? or is it the case that the cylinder wall can be so thin that even with the additive from now on, i will soon have a hole in the cylinder?
by keeping the coolant fresh, has the current owner helped to prevent cavitation at all?
starting to get worried that i might be about to make a dumb decision.
By what I understand most coolant has the additive already in it, you just have to recheck and add SCA when the primary additive wears off over time. It's called "supplemental" for a reason.
Maybe that is wrong, can someone confirm/deny that?
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1986 F250 2WD Super Cab XLT Lariat w/ 1996 front clip. Dually bed & van rearend (2" wider, allows spring clearance). 6.9 w/ approx 120,000mi. Banks non-wastegated turbo system, Beru ZD1A glowplugs, Delphi BB injectors, Kenworth pyrometer, vac/boost gauge, electric water temp/oil psi/voltmeter mounted in dash. 3" Mandrel-bent open exhaust. C6 trans, 3.54 gears. Okiegringo idler pulley. R134a A/C conversion. WMO/diesel blend in one tank.
this truck has just been dropped in price to $3000 because i did a bunch of research here and elsewhere and convinced the poor guy that owns it that without records to show that the previous owner added the SCA to the coolant he could be sitting on a near-dead truck.
Now that truck is real nice for being so old and having 238k miles, really drives nice, has a great tranny and such, but i cant afford to make a purchase with no records present.
the guy has been super honest about everything and full disclosure of a lot of stuff he didnt need to tell me. he owns a shop. he took the radiator off yesterday and had it examined by another shop that specializes in cooling systems and they found oil residue in it.
clearly, oil residue in the cooling system is a symptom of a cylinder that has been damaged by cavitation. but it could also be several other things.
IS THERE A WAY TO EXAMINE THE OUTER SURFACES OF THE CYLINDER WALLS TO LOOK FOR SUB-CRITICAL CAVITATION DAMAGE?
obviously, you can use a cylinder-specific pressure test to look for damage that has actually penetrated the cylinder walls (watch the coolant rise...), but it would be nice to be able to see the extent of non-penetrating damage.
anyway, if anyone else is interested in the truck and has the ability to deal with the possibility of this damage, i can put you in contact with the guy, the truck is a good deal at $3000, if you can deal with that issue.
I read on here that machine shops experienced in the 7.3 IDI know where to drill holes in the water jacket to inspect the block, then place plugs in the holes later. That pretty much requires the engine to come out and be totally rebuilt though...
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1986 F250 2WD Super Cab XLT Lariat w/ 1996 front clip. Dually bed & van rearend (2" wider, allows spring clearance). 6.9 w/ approx 120,000mi. Banks non-wastegated turbo system, Beru ZD1A glowplugs, Delphi BB injectors, Kenworth pyrometer, vac/boost gauge, electric water temp/oil psi/voltmeter mounted in dash. 3" Mandrel-bent open exhaust. C6 trans, 3.54 gears. Okiegringo idler pulley. R134a A/C conversion. WMO/diesel blend in one tank.
NO---it wont be fine--because--if theres only a small pinhole---youll never see that loss--but the wall is weak--and it will only take one episode of heavy loading--or sustained high speed--to break the wall--its happened to guys on this forum--and the only warning will be when it goes BANG!!!!!!esp is its the turbo engine---more cyl pressure!!!!!!!the only true option would be to pull it--teardown--and sleeve all 8--and rering and put it back together--the pistons prob arent wore--and you would have new walls--cause if it blows--you got nothing---and i dont bs--better to hear the truth now--than later--dr king--oil in coolant--is the cooler bad--not hole in cyl wall---
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94 f250 idi turbo sc e4od alum fac rims 149,289 --dana 60 frt with posi--10.25 rear w/posi--shouldnt get stuck!! ats turbo 3" parts on--what a diff from stock turbo!!!!!--- also 96 F250 with 305,000 is fixed!!-- 7.3 rattler-also 85 6.9-needs new engine!! tired!!
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