I am pretty sure I have a bent connecting rod, and I want to get my truck back on the road as cheap as I possibly can. Would I be ok to just replace connecting rods and have the crank ballanced. It does have 265,000 miles on it, do I need to worry about piston rings right now. Valve job while it is out? I have never used plastigage before and was told I would need to use it- how hard is it to use? Thank you for your suggestions and help.
Need rebuild advise
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What makes you think the connecting rod is bent, please be specific so we can help you and get you going in the right direction.
Stevo
Stevo
Long story short- the fitting where the dip stick goes into the oil pan came unscrewed, one piece one the ground the other in the oil pan. I called up a mechanic and he said to put a rag in the hole and limp it in to him. I did this and the crank sucked in the rag (a t-shirt) It wrapped around the crank in between the connecting rods. 3000$ and a new clutch later I get a truck back that has a noticeable vibration between 2600 and 3100 rpm. The last thing that happened was a pop then loud ticking like a lifter and lots of white smoke. I installed baby swamps shortly after I got it back from the mechanic and Jonothan thought that mabe I didn't tighten down the injectors enough. I re-torqued the hold down bolts and don't think that is the problem. Mabe the copper washer slid down and I din't install an injector correctly. Lots of different possible senerios, but I fear the worst- a bent connecting rod.
that is correct it had the vibration before the babys. As for the mechanic being liable, I dont know. He said there was no way to see if a rod was bent or tweaked. To him it appeared to be ok. And the rag in the oil pan- He was stupid to tell me to do it, and I was more stupid because I did it.
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OK here's my .02,if your going to have to go in there you are probably looking at a total disassembly. You need to have all the rods and Crankshaft checked at a reputable machine shop. The problem is with this amount of miles is you may get by with rings , bearings , replace the bent rod if in deed this is what is wrong and a valve job. The flip side is you won't know the extent of the rebiuld until you get in there. The machine shop should be able to get you a rod, if not let me know and i can get you one.This so called mechanic should have his rear kicked for telling you to do the rag thing and in my opinion he should be assisting with the problem possibly by paying.
Stevo
Stevo
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2,021 Posts
[ QUOTE ]
OK here's my .02,if your going to have to go in there you are probably looking at a total disassembly. You need to have all the rods and Crankshaft checked at a reputable machine shop. The problem is with this amount of miles is you may get by with rings , bearings , replace the bent rod if in deed this is what is wrong and a valve job. The flip side is you won't know the extent of the rebiuld until you get in there. The machine shop should be able to get you a rod, if not let me know and i can get you one.This so called mechanic should have his rear kicked for telling you to do the rag thing and in my opinion he should be assisting with the problem possibly by paying.
Stevo
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Ditto what steve said.
Several of us have been in the same position. Complete rebuild, expect to spend 5-7k just depnding on what it needs.
I did the used engine. Picked one up at a local yard, tore it down (which voided the yard warrenty, but no way I was putting it in with out knowing the inside condition) for inspection a little of this and a little of that and all turned out ok. With all the extras I did, about 4k. Of which 700 were head studs. So used engine with good core, I have seen them from 900 to 1900, just gotta shop. Short block from IH, 4k.
We do not know how well equiped you are as for tools and space and what skill level so hard to point you in a direction.
The lower end of the PSD is very stout, can not imagine a tee shirt bending a rod but have seen stragner things happen.
Best adive I feel comfortable in offering, pull the engine out, pull pan and have a look. Pull heads and measure piston height above deck. If any of this is new to you, then 4-7k taking it some where.
I hope it turns out ok for you.
Rick H...
OK here's my .02,if your going to have to go in there you are probably looking at a total disassembly. You need to have all the rods and Crankshaft checked at a reputable machine shop. The problem is with this amount of miles is you may get by with rings , bearings , replace the bent rod if in deed this is what is wrong and a valve job. The flip side is you won't know the extent of the rebiuld until you get in there. The machine shop should be able to get you a rod, if not let me know and i can get you one.This so called mechanic should have his rear kicked for telling you to do the rag thing and in my opinion he should be assisting with the problem possibly by paying.
Stevo
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Ditto what steve said.
Several of us have been in the same position. Complete rebuild, expect to spend 5-7k just depnding on what it needs.
I did the used engine. Picked one up at a local yard, tore it down (which voided the yard warrenty, but no way I was putting it in with out knowing the inside condition) for inspection a little of this and a little of that and all turned out ok. With all the extras I did, about 4k. Of which 700 were head studs. So used engine with good core, I have seen them from 900 to 1900, just gotta shop. Short block from IH, 4k.
We do not know how well equiped you are as for tools and space and what skill level so hard to point you in a direction.
The lower end of the PSD is very stout, can not imagine a tee shirt bending a rod but have seen stragner things happen.
Best adive I feel comfortable in offering, pull the engine out, pull pan and have a look. Pull heads and measure piston height above deck. If any of this is new to you, then 4-7k taking it some where.
I hope it turns out ok for you.
Rick H...
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Thought i would see you post here rick /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif. as for the connecting rod, if that is indeed the problem, i went to international and paid 32$ and had to give up the core. IMO i would do a complete rebuild~ i know that 200k+ miles is not "alot" but it is not everyday you have to pull out the motor. if you didn't replace simple parts like a bearing here or ring there you could pay for it in the next 100k mile after the rebuild as opposed to replacing everything and getting another 200k-300k out of her. but it is not my money. when i pulled my motor i spend 2500 and that is still hurting the pocket book to this day 3 months later. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
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when i pulled my motor i spend 2500 and that is still hurting the pocket book to this day 3 months later. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
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LOL, That’s funny Andrew, I'm going through that right now. Rods, bearings, rockers, head studs, Ele fuel system, pistons, rings, head gaskets, Exh manifold gaskets etc. etc... The best advice I can give while I'm looking at my engine on the stand is to do it right the 1st time and if you can't maybe a used engine might be a cheaper option.
If you need a rod let me know I’ll send you one of mine (the good one). Some prices for ya: For a package of piston rings (for 1 piston) was 35 bucks ea. I think a set of main bearings was 45, the rod bearings were about 8 ea, head gaskets were about 100 bucks a set, and you WILL need new head bolts or studs, do not re-use the head bolts, I’ve already been down that road.
Good luck and if you have any ?’s just ask.
JIM
when i pulled my motor i spend 2500 and that is still hurting the pocket book to this day 3 months later. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
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LOL, That’s funny Andrew, I'm going through that right now. Rods, bearings, rockers, head studs, Ele fuel system, pistons, rings, head gaskets, Exh manifold gaskets etc. etc... The best advice I can give while I'm looking at my engine on the stand is to do it right the 1st time and if you can't maybe a used engine might be a cheaper option.
If you need a rod let me know I’ll send you one of mine (the good one). Some prices for ya: For a package of piston rings (for 1 piston) was 35 bucks ea. I think a set of main bearings was 45, the rod bearings were about 8 ea, head gaskets were about 100 bucks a set, and you WILL need new head bolts or studs, do not re-use the head bolts, I’ve already been down that road.
Good luck and if you have any ?’s just ask.
JIM
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Nathan, to answer your plastigauge question, it is easy to use. Plastigauge will only tell you the main or rod bearing clearance, it won't help you find a bent rod. You can use it to tell the general condition of your engine without pulling the crank. It comes in a paper sleeve about an inch wide with a plastic cord inside. The sleeve is marked in increments that will correspond to the width of the cord after you use it.
To determine the bearing clearance, find a Plastigauge (there are different clearance ranges) that you think will cover what you are looking for-probably .003-.008 range. Pull the rod/main cap and bearing, place the plastic cord on the crank (parallel to the crankshaft), replace the cap and torque it down. Do not turn the crank-it will wipe out your plastigauge. Remove the cap and use the scale on the plastigauge sleeve to determine your clearance.
I also kinda doubt a t-shirt would bend a rod, unless you left one on top of a piston during a rebuild! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/depressed.gif
To determine the bearing clearance, find a Plastigauge (there are different clearance ranges) that you think will cover what you are looking for-probably .003-.008 range. Pull the rod/main cap and bearing, place the plastic cord on the crank (parallel to the crankshaft), replace the cap and torque it down. Do not turn the crank-it will wipe out your plastigauge. Remove the cap and use the scale on the plastigauge sleeve to determine your clearance.
I also kinda doubt a t-shirt would bend a rod, unless you left one on top of a piston during a rebuild! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/depressed.gif
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Jim I would go with Felpro head gaskets, like from Autozone or Oriellys or what ever you guys have "Up There" Were you pricing the IH OEM head gaskets at 100 bucks? I had them and did like them and went with the felpros and head studs.
Rick H...
Rick H...
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Jim Were you pricing the IH OEM head gaskets at 100 bucks? I had them and did like them and went with the felpros and head studs.
Rick H...
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They are the IH head gaskets at 49 bucks each. So you did or did not like the stock IH gaskets?
JIM
Jim Were you pricing the IH OEM head gaskets at 100 bucks? I had them and did like them and went with the felpros and head studs.
Rick H...
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They are the IH head gaskets at 49 bucks each. So you did or did not like the stock IH gaskets?
JIM
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No I did not. I thought going OEM would be best, but on one of them, the fire ring fell out before I could get it mounted, so threw those aside and went and got felpro blues.
Rick H...
Rick H...
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I thought going OEM would be best, but on one of them, the fire ring fell out before I could get it mounted, so threw those aside and went and got felpro blues.
Rick H...
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Thanks for the heads up, I'll take a close look at them and maybe compair them to the Felpro's.
JIM
I thought going OEM would be best, but on one of them, the fire ring fell out before I could get it mounted, so threw those aside and went and got felpro blues.
Rick H...
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Thanks for the heads up, I'll take a close look at them and maybe compair them to the Felpro's.
JIM
There is not enough supporting information to back up your theory. With the information given, I'd be more likely to side with swamp. The smoke is fuel running past your injector, and possibly you may have bent a rod from hydrolock. The vibration is from the $3000 clutch. Let me know if I turn out to be wrong, as it would be the first time, other than the 39028347529485729357 times my wife talks about. Scott
Thanks everyone for your help and advise. Tinscout I hope you are right. Mabe I need to fire it up with the valve covers off and unplug the injectors one at a time and see if the smoke clears up. If I hydrolocked it what are the symptoms of that? Is a bent push rod all I am looking at there. Mabe I can go to sleep tonight dreaming about only having a bent push rod instead of connecting rod.
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