I don't think it needs it, there was zero blow by but... I have completely torn down my motor for an oil pan gasket except for removing the heads, pistons, cam shaft, crank shaft etc.

Sense I have torn it down this far should I go ahead and take it to a machine shop and have them put in a gear head cam shaft (suggestion from Bonanza 35) and do the piston rings, have it honed, main/rod bearings, freeze plugs etc.

Here is my teardown thread if you have not seen it. More pics here Pg7.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...al-w-pics.html

 

I would...You've come this far, why not! It's only money!


Your cam looks like mine did, I had one lobe that just didn't look right. I bought a 2002 with 160k no cylinder ridge and its at the machine shop now. When its done I'll pull my 99 apart to get the coveted forged rods out...


If you got the money, do it.

 

Im with stupid^^^^ lol....seriously though, what he said

 

I'm not the expert here - so this is just what would go through my mind in your situation: If there is significant wear on the lobes, I'm this far into it and I don't want to do it twice. If the lobes are just discolored, but all else is well - I don't want to do unnecessary work. I'd install an oil bypass filter to slow down the wear, though.

 

In your third picture, the lobe to the left, I have two on my cam that are identical.

 

If it were me, yes since you have it this far.

 

Thanks for the opinions. Money is tight as I have spent most of what I have saved at this point and may need to borrow some (hint mom and dad)

I can't find the gear head site to see what a cam will cost.

If all is good from machine shop, am I able to reuse pistons or is that just dumb? I have forged rods in the block already from factory.

Rough estimated cost???

Also is ARP a good decision? Not planning for 500hp just reliability as I will keep this truck for a very long time.

Thoughts on oil cooler? Mine looks real clean.

Note: truck has 215K miles

 

Hi Scott! I am with the people that say bite the bullet now. I have tried to enhance the photo to get more detail and included it. As JetDoc said, the lobe to the left of the connecting rod does not look good based upon what I see; however, these are tough old engines. As Tugly suggested, an oil bypass filter or equivalent would not be a bad idea now or at any point for you and anyone reading this.

Could you post a couple of pics of the rest of the cam with as many lifters as possible so we can see the overall condition.

 

Good job on blowing up that pic! I will get more and turn the motor over for better visibility.

So, today I went to a highly reputable powerstroke stroke diesel shop here in Reno T&A Performance to get a recommendation for a machine shop and after talking to them and telling them it's all apart for a pan gasket yet I'm this far the new stuff I'm putting in it They told me in the trucks that they have done with 800hp have never touched a cam shaft. Told me to leave it alone no need to go any further and said "if it aint broke don't fix it." You have done everything right and call it good. I just would hate to not go the extra mile, but I'm looking at another 2-3K dollars. IDK

 

That may be good advice. I don't know if the 800 hp statement is applicable. To me it is a wear issue....

When you take the new pics, send them to us and let us see them. Some of the experts on here will eventually weigh in. Also, show them, the reputable powerstroke folks, the picture above and any that we highlight in the future.

 

Ok, will get pics probably tomorrow. I have the motor all wrapped up to the point it may take an hour to unwrap it. Might be getting some rain and not taking a chance.

 

Its not dumb, as long as the bore will clean up with just a light honing, as opposed to an overbore. Definitely new rings though. I don't know if they make them for a 7.3l diesel, but check out Total Seal gapless rings. They definitely seal better then traditional rings. I used them in 2 gas motors that made more power then they otherwise should have.
I would polish the crank and rods, and have everything balanced. Balancing is one area where nearly all stock mass produced engines leave a lot on the table. Balancing won't nessecarily make more power, but it will make the engine smoother, and increase longevity.

It might also be a good time to investigate the benefits of various coatings, such as thermal barrier coatings on the piston tops, and a friftion reduction/anti-scuff coating on the skirts.


ARP is good stuff. Probably a good idea fir things lime head bolts and rod bolts.

With that much mileage, and the time/effort to pull the motor again, along with your stated desire to keep the truck a long time, I think now is the time to just do it. At 215k, you're probably more then halfway through the motors expected lifespan, plus those cam lobes don't look the greatest.

I suspect what they meant was that they never had a need for a performance cam; meaning simply that the stock lobe profiles allowed them to make the power, not that a stock cam is invincible and should never need replacing for wear.

 

Valuable information and thank you. I know now is the time but money is the killing factor. I believe I'm already at 5.5k from Riffraff alone. 2-3K more is going to be hard.

I will try and get picks tonight or tomorrow I think a food bug got the best of me.

 

You had better check around if you are thinking of balancing the rotating assembly. Not a lot of shops have the capability to balance a 7.3.

 

Finally got to it. So here are some shots of the cam starting from the front of the block working over each piston rod and counter weight.