hello all. guess i figured out my no start problem. after trying everything that i was told to try or check, i finally took ziggs last bit of advice and tried using some starter fluid. still no start.
then just for autolites and giggles, i drained a bit of oil out of the pan and guess what i found? coolant [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/depressed.gif[/img] lots of it.
i guess i kinda knew it all along but just didn't want to face it. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img] this is probably the reason i have read mel's head gasket article and 2 other HG articles that i found atleast 20 times each. i'm not sure who authored the other 2 , i think maybe one was from the warden? the other i have no idea, it has alot of pic's and the 7th page is not complete yet.
i'm absolutely sure i have the confidence and know how to perform the HG replacement after studying these three articles. big thanks to mel and the other guys who wrote them. big thanks also to everyone that tried to get me back on the road again while i was dealing with my no start problem.
now just a few ?'s
would coolant in the oil have affected my piston rings or bearings or anything like that?
what else should i look for or check before tearing the motor down to save time and $ in the long run? i am mainly concerned about the bottom half of the engine.
any tricks or words of advice would be greatly appreciated.
i am probably going to start on my new little project this week or next weekend. just have to trailer it to the bosses shed.
thanks.
rob
The head gasket replacement has its own challenges, but I would do a list of What if?
What if it is a cracked head?
What if it is a bad head gasket & cracked piston?
Your boss won't want this truck in his shed for months? Will he?
In the best of times, it sound like more than a week, costing more than the price of a head gasket.
Good Luck
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'93 F-250 IDI, 4x4, K&N, no soup bowl, stock, with 265,XXX miles 5 speed, 3.55, kind of new LUK clutch, runs great, starts great, it is great. The truck is getting old.
These are tough motors. The longer you wait to repair it, the harder the coolant/oil mix will be on the bearings. I just redid one for my nephew who got in a hurry to do his HG job. Take it slow and CLEAN, CLEAN, & CLEAN surfaces. When you redo the gaskets, use plain water as coolant until you're sure there are no leaks. I run a good quality oil for about 500 miles and keep an eye on it for discoloration then change it and the filter. I just check the heads with a magnifying glass for cracks between the valve seats. When the heads are out, I pour gas or diesel in the ports to see if the valves are sealing good. If not the fuel will leak easily past the valve seats.
Coolant is bad on bearings but I would imagine if you fix the head gasket problem you will not have too much further damage. Before you tear it down though, do a cooling system pressure test and see where the leak is....will tell you more...might tell you if the head istelf is cracked or the block is. The block almost always cracks at or near the frost plug by the block heaters on the 85 and earlier 6.9s. It is a rare problem on newer models unless something has locked up the engine(ie something's gotta give...usually the conn. rod) Head gaskets leak from the back and front edges of the block usually. Are you saying this thing will just not start at all? If so, you might want to check for compression. Low comprerssion can be caused by bad headgaskets, worn pistons, cylinders rings or bent rods. If you are on a shoestring budget you can do like Rick said and just check teh heads visually, but most here will recommend a pressure check and magnaflux ata reputable machine shop. Most will also recommend no or very limited milling. AERA specs should be followed to avoid further damage.
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J.D.'s Fords: 1986 F-250 6.9 diesel Solid State Glow Plug System 3.55 gears C-6 2WD 178,960 miles.... it still runs pretty good!
Wishlist H-max turbo, T19 tranny,
1989 Ford Ranger ga$$er, non runner, soon to be donated or scrapped!
thanks for the responses. i got a coolant pressure tester today and i'm pretty sure that both HG are trash. i was reading a post by mel on another site where he said "pressurize the system, bring piston to TDC, valves closed and if it is the HG, coolant will come out of the glow plug hole when you remove it. by the time i tried this i already knew the HG were gone, i just wanted to see what would happen. when i tried to bar the engine over to get TDC, that sucker wouldn't move for nothin. could i have hydrolocked the engine? if so how do i fix this?
thanks.
rob
Sounds like it may be hydrolocked. Remove the glowplugs, and connector to the IP solenoid (FSS). You should be able to turn it over and create gushers.
If you pressurize the cooling system and get coolant in the cylinders, you could also have perforated cylinders. Make sure you check the cylinders closely before putting everything back together.
Perforated cylinders or cavitation in teh liners is possible but very very rare on a 6.9. More likely on early PSD and 7.3 IDIs especially. Head gaskets are usually trash on a 6.9 by 150K miles on teh originals...so I would start there...and hope that it's that and not a cracked block or split heads...if it is...I see it getting very expoensive for you...very fast!(best psychic voice) But good luck...it really most likely is just the head gaskets.
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J.D.'s Fords: 1986 F-250 6.9 diesel Solid State Glow Plug System 3.55 gears C-6 2WD 178,960 miles.... it still runs pretty good!
Wishlist H-max turbo, T19 tranny,
1989 Ford Ranger ga$$er, non runner, soon to be donated or scrapped!
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