Hey guys, so here's the deal: my 1990 7.3L has a stuck valve or something wrong with the valve train ( we pulled the valve covers and confirmed this). The guy working on it said that my engine could last a while the way it is with stop and go city traffic, but it's a lot more risky to drive it at sustained RPMs that highway driving requires.

I need to drive 515 miles to visit my best friend in the entire world on her birthday...my only vehicle is the 7.3L...is there any strategy I can use to make my motor not grenade itself, such as driving 60 the whole way there, or stuff like that? I need to see her and I think a rental car is out of the question...

Any input would be appreciated!

 

You confirmed you hav a "stuck valve or something"??? That's not what I call "confirmed".
I drove mine for about a year with a bad guide and the exhaust chuffing away like a steam engine.

 

You'd get a lot better information if you confirmed what's wrong. Ask the guy working on it specifically what's wrong, then maybe we will have some specific advice.

The way you've left it I recommend budgeting to either permanently abandon the truck when the engine blows up and take a taxi the rest of the way, or have enough money on hand to have it towed home when the engine blows and enough to buy another engine.

 

I'm getting the heads replaced in the next week or so, so I would prefer to not drive the thing into the ground...

 

Sounds like you answered your own question. Rent a car in the meantime.

 

I don't think I can. Mom always told me that you can't rent if you're under 21 and Enterprise's website confirmed that...

 

Content deleted due to inability to express on topic opinion within forum guidelines!

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

Discretion is the better part of valor. A phone call is going to have to do. I'm certain such a close friend will understand your situation and at your age, a week may seem an eternity, but you really will make it.

I'm guessing the truck would live again, but at what cost if you did further damage?

 

I don't want to know how much it would cost if the piston hit something from the valve train that decided to fall in. I'll text her and tell her 😔

 

Good call...... Just do your "business" by hand until you get the truck ready to travel...

 

If that happened it would be much cheaper to buy another engine.

 

Sticky valves respond well to MMO at recommended dosage in both the gas and oil.

 

I tried sea foam already :/

 

Seafoam is not Marvel Mystery Oil. That said, I don't personally expect much from ANY additive or treatment. YMMV.

 

My uncle has a chainsaw?

No seriously, try Marvel's. IF it is simply a stuck lifter or similar, it will likely do the trick.

Remember, in BOTH the fuel (6 ounces per 10 gallons, whatever it says on the bottle, and 1 quart in the crankcase oil. It usually doesn't take too long to do its magic either.

The reason it smells like it does btw, because Marvel's has a penetrating oil included, wintergreen. It really works for this purpose. It's some kind of light oil and solvent, so it dissolves gum and varnish and free's rings etc.