Brain are you thinking he got a poorly balancered reman tc ? I have done a little research into t.c. rebuilds and seen that there are a few different ways they are balancing them. Some builders are balancing internal components of the tc before even building it and then balancing it again after being welded up. But places like Dacco appear to be only balancing after it is built. Anything you could share on the subject would be appreciated since tc are interest of mine. I am one of them freaks that when I talk to tc builders I ask them what type of balancers are they using. It seems like most rebuilders just count on the fact that the parts were balanced at time of manufacturing.

 

This is where I need to clarify a couple of things better - text is fickle that way:

Without further testing, fueling or tuning would have been feasible - but with the testing I've done, I must rule those out on Stinky.

The PERDEL readings go to zero when the idle validation switch is open, but no change in the way the truck runs. For some reason, AE won't even look at PERDELs in this scenario - this is when I wish I had Y2K's Ford scan tool, it will read them while driving.

Bent pushrod or rocker arm? I can check that one off the list. I recently had the VCs off for two weeks while I surveyed everything.

I called the local custom diesel shop (they've had to deal with Stinky before) to give them a heads-up that Stinky was on his way. They said it's probably an out-of-balance tire or a bad U-joint... I wanted to burn the phone. They must not have heard me when I said it was Stinky.

 

I'm not 100% positive about the 7.3 Harmonic Balancer, but there should be a "Timing Mark" on the inner and outer hubs. These timing marks should line up and not be off from each other. If they are off, then the rubber is starting to shear and the Harmonic Balancer will need to be replaced. There is no substitution for the viscous damper, they are by far the best to use vs the rubber. They are pricey, but the best you can get. I'm looking at one for my truck down the road. Check your balancer and see if you can locate the timing marks or do a visual to see if the rubber has deteriorated in any way. Timing marks not in sync or bad rubber means the Balancer has to be replaced. Vibrations are the most difficult things to solve. Good luck.

 

I hope so... because if it gets tougher/more expensive than this, I'm over my head.

 

would a bad/out of spec H.B., cause the lpop to leak?

 

I always try to note when the change happened and did the vehicle receive any work that could have caused the problem. If your truck didn't have a vibration after the trans and TC, I wouldn't think it would be them. So I would lean towards the Balancer or Injectors especially when you can feel it sitting. I would be looking at the Balancer because it's the easiest to get at.

 

Whuh? Where'd that come from? Do you have an LPOP leak? On the ground or internal?


I'm seeing this thread has focused on the harmonic balancer, so we might as well chase this horse down and beat on it a while - like many of my other threads.

 

Its why i asked. The H.B. is mounted in front of the LPOP, thus, the question. If the H.B. is outta whack, "could" a lpop be comrpomised?

To answer your question tome...nope. Replaced with melling 208 and installed an OEM H.B. 100k ago. Figured, since the oemlasted the first 100k, might as well replace with new

 

I have never noticed a timing mark on the harmonic balancer.

Can anyone come up with a reason one would be there?

Pop

 

There is a timing mark on the outside of the outside ring. I haven't noticed if there are marks on both the inner and outer that would serve as a way to make sure the two pieces are properly indexed and haven't shifted. It would make sense, though. If the ring shifts, the timing mark on the outside of it becomes kind of useless.

 

Isn't the timing mark kinda' useless, no matter where it is?

What could it ever be used for?

Pop

 

To adjust timing, Marv! There's a gun that flashes a light really fast like a strobe. You point it down at the hole exposing a small window to the crank timing mark and you adjust the distributor....oh wait....

Never mind......

Stewart

 

It's nice to line up if/when you are pulling pushrods/rockers, to seat them the easiest, at least for me, no pressure from the rockers to lessen one being slightly off. Even with the hydraulic lifters, I have seen pushrods bend when torquing the rockers, if they were slightly out of alignment.

 

Exactly right.

 

I spent some time with some 7.3L mechanics in my area - and there are very few troubleshooters. Most are parts swappers, with no idea what to do with an intermittent problem.


I learned enough tests to conduct to give me hope for finding the problem myself. I'm going to...

• pull the inspection plate and shoot some HS vid of the recent work on the TC and FP while I run it up to 1800 RPM.
• mark the inner and outer ring on the harmonic balancer, to see if they drift in relation to each other - plus I'll take some HS vid of that at 1800 RPM.
• get a pry bar and pull the flywheel back as far as it will go (gently), then pry the HB forward as far as that will go. This is called checking the end play - just a few thousandths are OK, but something like .030 inches is the end of the line for the engine on that build. I don't know the actual threshold on end play, so I'd have to consult the book if it's in the double-digits.
• inspect and pry on the motor and transmission mounts - maybe even shim the angle on the transmission as a reverse-shimming of the carrier bearing. That involves lowering the transmission cross brace - yuck.

My Saturday is booked up with Stinky yet again. I want this done before the Ebola Apocalypse. Have you stocked up on fuel, food, sani-wipes, and a deck of cards?