When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I contacted the company I bought the valves from and they replaced the valve without question.
Still looking for the information on the head dowel pins, do the heads need 2 pins per head or only 1?
I stopped by the machine shop yesterday and they said I did need 2 dowel pins in each head. Unfortunalty they did not have any extra pins in stock so I need to find a set. Where would one go to by cylinder head dowel pins?
It is a good thing I do not rely on the Van for a living, I would have been broke months ago. I finaly got around to ordering the head dowel pins, should be here in a day or so. I have to install the replaced valve and new dowel pins. After looking at the large pile of part in the box I am kind of scared to put it all back together, don't know if I can remember where everything goes.
I put the long weekend to good use. I finished building the engine and it now rests in the engine bay attached to the transmission. Still have a long way to go with connecting everything. And I have to put the front of the truck back together. Did not get much in the way of photos not much to tell. I just followed the manual. Took a lot longer to put in than it took to pull out. I was able to put it in place with the valve covers on but it was a very tight fit. And the engine holding jig is a must for van body style trucks.
As I put it all together I did rotate the engine to make sure all the valves operated properly. Once the glow plugs went in I could not overcome the compression so I removed all the glow plugs until the end so it could be turned over. Filled as many passages with oil as possible to help it start up easier, we will see if this helped. So far not any extra parts.
Cool! Congratulations! I just went back through your entire thread. Did you buy all new pistons? Or just the one? What did you do to the cylinders? How did you decide what size rings to buy, etc. Assuming that your engine failed because of "dusting" would you post some pictures of the inlet side of your turbo? I hate the van air filter box. I am thinking of moving the under the hood battery to next to the frame rail battery to free up some space for a F series aftermarket air filter box. What do you think?
Thought I had covered all these questions but will cover again just in case.
I bought a whole ford engine rebuild kit from RiffRaff. The engine was boared 0.030 over to clean up the cylinders. I ended up with the machined pistons because Clay did not have any stock 030 pistons. The machine process takes the lip of the piston bowl off as this is thought to be a weak point.
I will try to get a snap shot of the compressor as you can see the teeth have signs of contamination. I have though a lot about the intake but will probably stay with stock and make sure it is sealed.
If you don't mind, why do they think that the lip is a weak part of the 7.3 piston top?
(Hmmm... I searched for images of piston tops for the oem 6.0, 6.4, and 6.7 pistons and they look the same as the oem 7.3 to me. Although there are some aftermarked 6.7 piston tops which look more like your machined 7.3 piston tops.)
Again thanks for posting your rebuild including the diagram of your hoist adapter for van engine removal.
I was told that the lip of the bowl is thin and when subjected to the cumbustion pressures and temperatures gives a weak point for a crack to start. By machining off the lip there is no longer a spot of thin material. I would not have bought the machined pistons if the stock ones were available as I do not plan to modify this engine past basic upgrades.
the point of the lip is to hold the fuel in the right spot and not wash the walls with fuel and keep combustion smooth.
i have never seen a lip fail but have seen a piston split in two.
Well, it is done(for now). I have finished the install and started the engine(yea). I have to admit that as nice as it is to access the turbo from the rear I would still rather put this engine in a truck body. I have to aplolgize to everyone up front, I did not get any pics. I have accepted a new job in Nevada and have to report to work July 1st. So this is a rush job.
As time goes on I will be able to answer questions and maybe do a little better write up but for now I need to be breif and work through the issues. First off I have one part left over. I have always had good luck with putting things back together but this one has me stumped.
As you can see it looks like some kind of ground. Can't remember taking it off, can't remember where it goes. If anyone can give me some clue as to where it goes I would be very greatfull.
The next issue is that after I had run it for about 15 minutes off and on I took it for short 1 mile drive. I pushed the engine a little to get it warmed up and very quickly I noticed very large amounts of white smoke billowing out of the exhaust. At first I thought it was just burning off the oil from the build process but it didn't stop until I returned to the driveway and let it idle. The smoke pretty much goes away at idle. I started the truck this morning and there was not even a hint of smoke from the exhaust. Please provide any thoughts on where the smoke is comming from. My thoughts are turbo. I took the turbo apart last year and have a sneaking suspission that I either put it together wrong or the seal is shot. I did not rebuild the turbo at that time. I am going to remove the turbo and inspect to see where there is oil and where there is non. This may tell me where it is comming from.
Lastly does any one have a break in procedure for the 7.3? It has new pistons, rings, bearings, valves and a fresh bore.
This is what it says in my 2002 7.3 Owner's Manual:
"BREAKING-IN YOUR VEHICLE
There are no particular guidelines for breaking-in your vehicle. During
the first 1,600 km (1,000 miles) of driving, vary speeds frequently. This is
recommended to give the moving parts a chance to break in."
When I broke my 7.3L engine in I drove from Sacto. to L.A. on I-5 varying speed from 45 mph to 55 mph. But my guess it would be best to vary that even more, by adding in town stop and go driving.
I will look under and around my van this weekend and snap a picture if I can find where that ground goes. I am sure you have already looked at engine to frame, frame rail battery to frame, starter to frame, body to frame. You know that the body is insulated by rubber mounts from the frame, so that a ground is required there. The engine is also insulated by rubber mounts from the frame, so a ground is also required there.
As to the smoke, what were your symptoms prior to your rebuild? What caused your piston failure do you think? Are the inlet vanes on your turbo "dusted" from a faulty air filter box?
I don't recall, did you ever drop your steel tank to look for delamination?
