Greetings everyone!

My mechanic noticed 1 loose and 1 broken off driver side head bolt today. He's not familiar with diesels or this engine - but was pretty surprised its actually running so well, considering. He advised I track down a new set of head bolts and attempt to replace (and torque) them 1 at a time.

My questions (this is a new truck to me, and I'm just beginning to learn basic mechanics, so please bare with me):

• 1) How serious is this and is anyone else suprised the engine hasn't melted down, blown out its coolant or oil, or mixed the coolant with oil yet?
• 2) How serious is this issue - should I park the truck until I get the new bolts in?
• 3) What are the chance I have blown the head gasket and how would I know?
• 4) Do you think I have destroyed anything with this condition? Should I do anything else BEFORE or AT THE SAME TIME I install the new bolts?
• 5) Should I have the head pulled for any reason?

What would you do? Thanks in advance for any assistance!

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Background for anyone that cares...
I'm new to the forum and have already found a wealth of information here. I'm also new to diesels, fords and basic mechanical knowledge. I've already learned a lot browsing through this forum; and wanted to say thanks for helping out guys like me. I'm 32 and hate that I never learned how to work on cars and I'm doing everything I can to learn now.

I've had my '84 F250 6.9 for 2 weeks now. I absolutely love the truck and want to do everything I can to hang onto her for the long haul. My plan is to replace 1 part at a time, and begin doing body/paint work myself to get her back into her formal glory. I've so far replaced the brake booster and master, new brake lines, new brakes all around, new belts, new fluids. I'm also starting to restore the body work and worn interior parts.

I recently started a landscaping business (after 15 years of corporate IT work) and this is the truck I wanted and plan on keeping for my work truck.

Any other questions? I'm happy to share.

 

arp makes stud for for the 6.9 best u can get these motors are plain simple like a apple 2 they just keep chuging along

 

The arp kit with make you fart an inch too long when you see the price but your problems will be over as far as head gaskets go.
Oh and welcome to the forum and that is 1 sharp looking truck you got there!

 

joe f350 - Ok, I found the ARP kit. Now I need to find the cheapest dealer (huge price range on this kit). Thanks for the fast reply!

"they just keep chuging along"... and this is what I like to hear!

 

last i heard 243-250 was bottom basement, when i got mine 11/2 years ago they were 191 from here but like anything the price went up

F911 Bolts Chrome Bolts, Stainless Steel Bolts, Metric Bolts, Socket Head Cap Screws, Grade 8 Bolts.

 

84-6.9L - Yes, I see that now! $215-$350!!

Problems over with head gaskets? Do you think my head gasket is bad because of the 2 broken bolts? How would I know? ...Are bad head gaskets common on this motor?

And thanks for the kind remark. I fell in love with her the first time I saw her (then heard her, then drove her).

I hope she is as shiny as yours some day! (VERY nice ride yourself)

 

Break the bolt> Head gets loose> Gasket goes bye-bye....


I'm gonna replace my bolts with ARP studs.... No price is too high for peace of mind.

 

For future reference, here is the ARP stud kit 'joe f350' and '84-6.9L' are referring to:
Desc: ARP Head Stud Kit Diesel Ford, 6.9L International (Hex Nuts)
Mfg part #: 150-4069 or ARP-150-4069
Price Range: $215-$350
Mfg Website: main site and part page
Install Directions: PDF

 

It would be hard for me to belive the head gasket is not damaged if even one head bolt is loose or broke, but I have seen weirder stuff. I would park it until it is repaired.
If you are not running a turbo the stock bolts work fine.

I seem to remember that all arp studs that fit these motors are not equal in strength, but I could be wrong.

 

FJ welcome to the darkside lol welcome to fte!!! There are a lot of great people here very knowledgable and welcome aboard once again =)

 

The ones i linked to are the 200k psi ones. True you may not need them being NA. Another choice would be going to a local CAT dealer with the bolts and getting grade9 yes thats grade9 bolts. You will need 34 of them, just so you can compare price with the studs. We use them on "farm stock" pulling tractors running over 70psi of boost. The issue is the 6.9's have 7/16" bolts and they tend to strech, they fixed the issue with the 7.3's by changing to 1/2'' bolts

 

Well bummer. My biggest fear is this is just the start of lots of engine repairs if I'm already into the head gaskets... no? I'm wondering if it would just be cheaper in the long run for me to locate a re-manufactured engine or take my engine to a local machine shop for re-manufacturing? My point is if I'm paying to have the heads pulled and gaskets replaced I wonder if it would be smarter to just have it all done once. I REALLY wish I knew how to do this stuff myself.

 

Nah head gaskets aren't hard they are just time consuming. The gasket MIGHT be good, but if one bolt is broke and one is loose the haed may have been dancing on the block and pounded the gasket a bit, once you do the gaskets they should be good. You can try bolting them, and if your in a warm climate run strait water in it for awhile and see if it uses any, or see if you get oil and water mixing. By just changing the bolts you may have a half day into it and can do it yourself. If it leaks you already have the bolts bought so your only out time and a set of valve cover gaskets.

 

Welcome to the forum, fj2u.

Sounds like quite the change of pace for you.

If you have the head redone, you need to loosen the bolts in a correct sequence to prevent cracking it. Ideally, you should break the torque in stages (one quarter turn per bolt for example).

You can put ARP head studs in, but unless you plan to turbocharge it some day, its an overkill but will hurt nothing. The studs themselves won't be easy to install without removing the heads since the ones at the back of the engine near the firewall interfere with the cab and firewall. Lifting the cab off the mounts slightly can get around this. Normally an in frame stud install involves lowering the head into place with the rear studs already floating in the holes of the head.

The head gaskets might be ok if you leave them in, or they might fail within a few weeks of replacing the bolts. There's no reall way to be sure, but if you are able to remove the broken stems and simply replace them, you have little to loose if you just run it as is. Once a head gasket starts leaking, you will some warning signs.

First you have bubbles in the coo
lant, then you have the recovery tank start to fill and not want to drain,
then the tank fills rapidly with coolant or foam,
and eventually it makes a mess.
All out caboom blowing of a gasket doesn't happen often but can still happen.

With diesels, you want to correct a head gasket issue ASAP because once combustion gases can escape past the fire ring on the gasket, it will erode the mating surfaces of the head and block. This can happen even in the early stages when you barely notice any bubbles in the coolant.

Do you know the history of the engine? or if the head gaskets were redone recently?

I'd be curious to see the condition of the broken stems. It could give some clues as to how recently they snapped. If there is any rust in the break then it could be an old fail. If its a fresh break with bright orange flash rust, then it may have been a recent incident. All relative however, since local climate among other things can affect the appearance of the break.

 

Well, looks like I'll be ordering a new gasket kit.
After doing some research, it looks like a lot of you on the forum recommend Victor Reinz gaskets.

For future reference, here is the Victor Reinz gasket kit I will be ordering:
Desc: VICTOR REINZ HEAD GASKET SET - FORD TRUCK (6.9) DIESEL 420 V8 1983-1987
Mfg: Victor Reinz
Mfg part #: HS3789
Included Gaskets: 2 head, 2 exhaust, 2 valve cover, 1 water outlet, 16 valve seal, a few misc. gaskets
Price Range: $100-$200
Mfg Website: main site

From what I read here I can source them through a local Carquest. I also located them online at autopartswarehouse.com and autozone.com.

...I also read that I will need the Valley Pan (aka Intake Manifold?) set:
Mfg: Victor Reinz
Mfg part #: MS15968
Price Range: $75-$125

Again, I can source this through a local Carquest. I also located them online at autopartswarehouse.com and autozone.com.

For those that prefer Felpro, I believe the Felpro part numbers are...
Head Gasket set: HS8891PT or DHS8891PT (here and here)
Valley Pan (aka Intake Manifold) set: MS96038 (here and here)

Hopefully I've got these part numbers right!
I hope this helps someone else out in the future...