Injector cups??
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Cross Lanes, WV
Injector cups??
97 f350 powerstroke slightly overheated while driving. Discovered antifreeze level was low. Got her cooled down. Topped off antifreeze. Drove home and parked. Next day engine wouldn't crank. Pulled valve covers, removed glowplugs. Cranked engine and water blew out one cylinder. Signs of water in oil and oil in water. A local mechanic says it's likely a bad or leaking injector cup. Agree?? / Disagree?? Any thoughts?
Thanks, Brian
Thanks, Brian
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Well if I remember correctly when an injector cup cracks it will introduce fuel and or oil int the water system because they are a higher pressure. Now when you have water in a cylinder that's leading me to think that's a head gasket issue, but you can run a few tests I'm sure to be pointed in the right direction. Id first start off by running it for 5 minutes to see if the bottle is pressurized
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2009
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From: Plankinton, SD
I don't know if I'd be running it if there is water in a cylinder. I'll let more experts chime in as how to diagnose this. Doesn't sound real good to me though, could be head gasket like steve mentioned.
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Well after a cold start and ran for a few minutes will determine if the head gasket is junk. But if it's not and it fills a cylinder when the trucks off then the pressure from the hot system while off I'd agree to being a bad injector cup
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Jim has everything you need to do that project, not sure if he still has the cup tool anymore. Shoot him a pm, the most expensive part is buying the tool, the cups are dirt cheap
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Elder User
Joined: Aug 2009
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last I heard he will loan you the cup tool by mail. ask him i think he still does that.
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From: Silver Lake Dunes, MI
Best way in my opinion would be to pull the injector in the hole that had coolant in it and look for coolant at the cup. If you don't see any pressurize the cooling system. And see if you can see where its coming from.
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I agree with that.
I've been reading alot on the 6.0l powerstroke as I have one torn down on an engine stand and I remember reading the prefered way to check injector cups is to drain the coolant and pressurize the cooling system with regulated air and then spray down the injector cup with a soap water solution and see if bubles appear. I'm guessing air seeps out of a crack more so then a fluid. Like said, referenced from the 6.0L powerstroke.......
Or I guess you can pull out all the glow plugs, fill up the anti-freeze, pressurize the system over night and slowly turn it over the next morning by hand to see if coolant pushes out of the glowplug hole if enought has leaked out. If you find that then heads come off and get them checked for cracks and headgasket job.
With coolant in your oil, I'll lean to headgaskets/cracked head.
Hotshot
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Though it would be a simple test to check the cup ,I have never heard of a cracked cup leaking into a cylinder . If it were deformed enough, it may leak past the injector tip .The cups are surrounded by coolant in the head . If you do a compression leak down test , you can pinpoint where the leak is by listening where the air leaks out (exhaust, intake ,c case ,or cooling system ....
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From: North East Ohio
The copper washer on the bottom of the inejctor does a great job of sealing the injector and cup from the cylinder. Basically, the bottom edge of the sleeve is pinched between the cast cylinder head and the injector, sealed up with the copper washer on the injector tip.
I simply can't see how coolant would get from the sleeve into the cylinder, unless you are missing the copper washer AND the sleeve blew.
My vote is bad head gasket or cracked head.
I like Tim's suggestion. Pressureize the cooling system (don't drain it, keep the coolant there) and inspect all the sleeves. If you find water in the cylinder after doing this, but none comes from the sleeves, I guess that tells you where to look.
Good luck.
I simply can't see how coolant would get from the sleeve into the cylinder, unless you are missing the copper washer AND the sleeve blew.
My vote is bad head gasket or cracked head.
I like Tim's suggestion. Pressureize the cooling system (don't drain it, keep the coolant there) and inspect all the sleeves. If you find water in the cylinder after doing this, but none comes from the sleeves, I guess that tells you where to look.
Good luck.
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