The death of a diesel engine

Rot Box

Explorer
Something to note that may not be common knowledge, if the engine has an oil cooler and there is trash in the oil the best course will be a new one. At the very least it will need to be thoroughly flushed, but there is no guarantee that it is ever completely clean.

This is very good advise. I have seen two brand new engines wiped out because of this problem. The cores are very difficult to clean out completely I would remove it clean/inspect it thoroughly.
 

WKCwith5

Adventurer
Sorry for the issues. I am getting a price from a local ford dealer on a transplant this week. We all so have a call in to the Int dealer. Both offer national warranty. I will hopefully have some real cost to share on the transplant we need to do.
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Sorry for the issues. I am getting a price from a local ford dealer on a transplant this week. We all so have a call in to the Int dealer. Both offer national warranty. I will hopefully have some real cost to share on the transplant we need to do.

Much appreciated.
 

24HOURSOFNEVADA

Expedition Leader
Martyn, Have you called my friend? He gets Ford parts at discounted prices. And again, my driveway is always open to you (At least there's no snow).
 

truck mechanic

Adventurer
If I was me, and most of the time I am. I would rebuild. Dont bother trying to take the pan off, the motor has to come out to pull the pan. I do them all the time for rusted pans. its not as bad as it looks.Most of the time I can have the motor on a stand in 6 to 7 hours. If you want a run down on r&r let me know. As for why I would rebuild, you know what it needs when you pull it apart, replace just what it needs and put it back in. I cant say I have ever seen a 7.3 fail that soon milage wise and I have seen some preety beat plow trucks. I know I am thousands of miles away , but if I can give you any info, just let me know.
Paul
 
Hey Martyn, sorry to read about your situation. A couple of things came to mind when reading your thread.

1. A rebuild might be the cheapest option - just replace whats broken

2. 7.3 PSD's typically last forever - your failure was a fluke?

3. A swap might be the fastest option - swap-in/swap-out

4. 12v swap probably isn't a reality considering your finances

When considering #2, it seems that a doner swap is a pretty safe bet if you can find one that's not beat up. Also, unlike a long block or rebuild, you know that the doner engine runs before you do any work. TIP: never buy a doner, unless you already know it runs.

With how quickly a swap can be done, you're that much closer to having your company show vehicle back in the game. And you know we all want to see what new things you guys have up your sleeves.

Good luck with whatever path you choose.
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
A local diesel mechanic picked the truck up Friday evening and took it back to his shop.

We talked today and it looks like the turbo ingested something. One of the blades on the turbo is broken and the others are bent.

The computer said all the cylinders were good, and a compression test on all cylinders came back good.

We are hoping that the intercooler trapped all the broken pieces and what ever hit the veins.

He'll scope the cylinders out to see what's going on inside the engine before we move ahead.

I like the way this mechanic works, he's very logical, very diagnostic and test oriented. What he is doing makes a lot of sense.

I'll keep you posted.
 

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Abel Villesca

Explorer
I know it would be a small blessing, but I hope that your engine troubles are limited to the turbo and intercooler (you'd have to replace that as well, correct?).
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
As bad as it sounds, this is potentially very good news. A turbo and an intercooler is a quite a bit less than an engine. Here's hoping!
 

Shiryas

Adventurer
I'll add my hopes to the turbo/intercooler problem as well.

Glad you found a good local mechanic also, sounds like his diagnostic methodology is top notch.
 

Rot Box

Explorer
Good to hear the compression checks out okay. I have had two friends that had similar problems but weren't as lucky. Both of them sucked in a boot from the intercooler/intake on their 7.3's and wiped out the bottom end. Look into these when you put it all back together http://www.mrbobsdistributing.com/ford.htm they are not cheap but should provide peace of mind imo.

You should be able to get all the junk out of the intercooler and now might be a good time to consider an aftermarket turbocharger. Best of luck!
 

Mike S

Sponsor - AutoHomeUSA
Martyn, looks like you dodged the big bullet, that's great. MUCH cheaper than a new engine. This is also an oppty to upgrade the turbo, if you are so inclined.
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Talked to the mechanic again today. I think I misread his earlier e mail. The compression check has not been done yet. It will be done tomorrow. So I'm waiting on that to see what the verdict is.
 

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