How durable/reliable are these Pre-PowerStroke Diesels ??
#18
01-17-2015, 07:04 PM
I've got one 7.3 that I've lost the water out of twice, and another time I had it so hot it started popping, I run it for 50,000 miles it had over 200,000 on it when I got it. 30,000 miles was towing 15,000+lbs. It needs a valve job now that is why I pulled it out. I'm going to rebuild the heads and stick it in my tow truck
#19
01-18-2015, 12:09 AM
Well the reman company does not have a clue on how to install sleeves is the main reason. I also am starting to think the 7.3 block can not take sleeves to well, when they cut out all the block to install the sleeves it is so thin it cracks.
The first engine had two sleeves that had dropped down into the block about an 1/8 inch on 1 and 3. It cracked the block between 6 and 8. The head gaskets were not installed properly, the head bolts punched new holes in the gaskets. Intake bolts were stripped out. Some of the head bolts were loose. About 1 pint of clean assembly oil drained off the head bolts onto the tray we laid them on when we removed the heads.
The second engine had a strange vibration from day one. It also made a very strange sound when we fired it up after installing the engine. It had a very high pitched rattle to it that hurt your ears inside the small shop. I also had oil pressure issues with it. Hot idle oil pressure was almost nothing. At 9700 miles the crank broke while driving down the road at 45 MPH empty.
Engine 3 cracked the block between 1 and 3. All the sleeves were below the deck of the block. Several of the sleeves were out of center so bad in the cylinder that it had scraped aluminum off the skirts of the pistons.
Bad or no quality control is why I think they keep blowing up.
That 6.9 hauled those loads for 20 years and 300,000 miles.
When I get the 6.9 back in it I bet she is gonna haul a lot more of them.
Don't everyone put 9200 pounds of rock on their 250?
The first engine had two sleeves that had dropped down into the block about an 1/8 inch on 1 and 3. It cracked the block between 6 and 8. The head gaskets were not installed properly, the head bolts punched new holes in the gaskets. Intake bolts were stripped out. Some of the head bolts were loose. About 1 pint of clean assembly oil drained off the head bolts onto the tray we laid them on when we removed the heads.
The second engine had a strange vibration from day one. It also made a very strange sound when we fired it up after installing the engine. It had a very high pitched rattle to it that hurt your ears inside the small shop. I also had oil pressure issues with it. Hot idle oil pressure was almost nothing. At 9700 miles the crank broke while driving down the road at 45 MPH empty.
Engine 3 cracked the block between 1 and 3. All the sleeves were below the deck of the block. Several of the sleeves were out of center so bad in the cylinder that it had scraped aluminum off the skirts of the pistons.
Bad or no quality control is why I think they keep blowing up.
That 6.9 hauled those loads for 20 years and 300,000 miles.
When I get the 6.9 back in it I bet she is gonna haul a lot more of them.
Don't everyone put 9200 pounds of rock on their 250?
Those 7.3s weren't Navistar 7.3s, not at that point. They were "Hackjobs" that most certainly didn't meet any specs that Navistar had on their engines.
Basically, if you've got a shop that doesn't care, you get an engine that isn't right. And it doesn't matter what the original engine is -- anything can be 'rebuilt' so far out of spec that it's amazing it even turns over.
On the other hand, take a 7.3 which is rebuilt properly and it should be able to work just as well as your 6.9.
I just had my 7.3 rebuilt, a couple thousand miles ago. I took it to a quality local rebuilder, and paid less than I would have for a off-the-shelf reman engine(close, though), and the thing runs /great/. Loads of power, little blowby, little oil usage, and feels great. Also no ticks, knocks or anything that *aren't* fuel related.
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