Saw a couple guys on last night..... Just assumed this would get started.

Anywho...... I have $557 worth of seals, gaskets, bearings and the like sitting next to me as I type this. Going to try my hand at building a Powerstroke Saturday morning. Anybody wants to come hang out with us at Dave's is welcome. Assuming Dave doesn't have issues with that

Chapter is pretty slow lately. How's everybody doing?

 

My plans saturday are to sandblast the rest of my 1960 frame, prime and paint. Then start putting together the front end. I did not realize how slow I am and how much I am learning in restoring this truck. I seem to do a lot of looking and thinking, I am really good at looking. I am now at the point of fabricating some metal on the inside of the step. First time fabricator. I have made and repaired other equipment but the truck is much more difficult because I want it to look nice when I have it painted. Speaking of painted, does anyone know of a good painter near the Hot Springs area.

EC

 

I had the site up last night but ended up side track working on a computer issue.

What time are you getting started Saturday? I can hang out til around noon, then we've got some kind of polish family reunion to go to at 1. Yes, I'll be the pollock covered in powerstroke oil.

 

I'll probably get over there about 8. Got some small parts to recondition and need to stop by AZ and get a pack of plastigage, so it'll likely be 9 or after before we're started n earnest.

Sounds like a cool project EC. I could point you at a couple decent sprayers in Cabot, but I know virtually nothing about Hot Springs. Been there maybe twice in the last 25 years.

 

OK my AR brethren, I have been conned into working on a PSD once again Some history as I know it:2001 F350 7.3/auto. The truck has been sitting for over a year since it died while running down the road. Always heard when that happens to replace the CPS first, no help there. Did a little testing as far as I know to check things on a PSD, it has fuel pressure to the filter housing, checked the Hipop pressure and it was zero. Filled the Hipop resevoir and the pressure came up, truck started and ran like crap. Lots of blue smoke, a serious fuel knock, and would slowly accelerate like it had very little power. When I shut it down to put the Hipop sensor back in the head, it wouldn't start again. I know this sounds crazy, but I can screw the guage into the port where the sensor goes and it will start, take the guage out and put the sensor back and it won't even hit even with the sensor unplugged
I know someone else had been working on it before it quit. The owner said the guy had replaced the injectors with a set of used ones that came out of a good running engine. I don't think it ever ran right afterwards.
Not sure what the hipop pressure should be, but this one varied anywhere from 1500 to 3500 PSI.
A little advice and maybe a few pointers would be greatly appreciated.
I know... back away slowly and turn and run, run long and hard

 

I've been meaning to ask you this for a couple of days/weeks now. I'm assuming all of those parts are for the '96 you were talking about picking up? FoMoCo used the same 7.3L block/heads from mid-94 through 2002? Heck, is/was it the same block from the beginning of the 7.3L? I know the heads are different...but the block/lower end? I do wish you the best of luck with the motor build. Still say now would be a great time to upgrade to a smaller more efficient PSD.Holy smokes...you must be extremely bored I wouldn't run away from a PSD, but then I'm twisted a little different than most. I thought the HUEI system has have 2500 PSI high pressure oil before it will fire the injectors...but that might be a 6.0L thing. Are you sure the CPS is good? Sounds like your bleeding HPO somewhere if the thing will try to run with the gauge in.

 

All direct injected 7.3's use the same short block. 94-03. Actually they use the same heads too. The major differences are from the intakes up. I am going to use my heads since they have the correct intakes already installed for my turbo. I'll also pull my newer cam to use in the 96 block, but only because it's newer. The profiles are the same.

Jeff. When the Injection Control Pressure sensor is removed the computer uses a default input value in order to fire the injectors. If it runs without the ICP and doesn't run with it, that suggests that the sensor itself is the faulty part.

At idle anything above 750 psi is considered good. If the pressure flux you mentioned is happening at idle you might check the Injection pressure regulator. It's bolted to the front cover right next to the high pressure pump. A little below it on the drivers side. Typically when the pressure hops around like that the little tin pal nut that holds the body on the regulator has come loose and it letting the magnet slide around.

Also, there are 8 ports in the high pressure oil rails. Four in each head. The one with the ICP sensor, and the two for the high pressure oil lines are used, but you can put your pressure tap in any of the remaining 5 and use your gauge while the sensor is installed.

The blue smoke and knock might not be anything...... it takes an incredibly long time for the fuel and oil systems to fully prime on these motors. Like, up to 50 miles worth of driving long time to get the High pressure oil fully purged of air. That being said, if everything is working correctly it should clear up enough to drive within 5-10 minutes of idling.

If it doesn't clear try tapping on the injectors with a rubber mallet to make sure they are fully seated and recheck the torque on the injector hold down bolts. They don't take much.....like 18 ft/lbs I believe.

 

I better stop and buy more beer!!

 

Scott, it wouldn't start even with the sensor unplugged, when I screwed the guage back in it fired up The pressure didn't jump around, it just would run at 1500# for a minute, go up to 3500 for a few seconds, drop to 3000 and hang there. I pulled the regulator, the plunger was stuck, freed it before I filled the resevoir. Not sure but think it was running sort of like this for a week or two before it died completely. As you all know, I know nothing about a PSD, not real sure I want to know anything about them.
This truck belongs to the logging contractor my wife works for, otherwise I would have refused to even look at it.

 

Ok guys, my wife and I went to Sardis last week and a little orphan followed us home. I'll post the pic that has my truck parked next to it so the post won't be totally off topic.



Here's a pic of the first thing to get changed:



Had those rims sitting behind the shop for like 8 years. Guess I knew I'd get a Chevy they'd fit some day.
Not getting rid of the Ford...it's mine, the panel will be for Lynn to drive when I get the brakes fixed.

 

Love those old panels.. was looking for one for a while. A 54-56 Ford of course, but all of those panels are cool.

Looks like a pretty straight one too. Whats under the hood?

 

235/6 and a 3 on the tree. Was thinking Duramax...NOT!
Actually, I've got a small block 400 and turbo 400 trans I've been dying to drop in something...maybe...(wait for it)...someday.
There are some rust issues, but it's by no means the worst I've seen and we should be able to handle them. Front cab corners, above the back fenders and the bottoms of the rear doors. Still pretty sound for 60 years old.

 

Did it have the original 16" wheels on it ?

 

No, it had some weird looking 15's. The wheels themselves have a modern look to them, but they have the clips to except the period correct GMC hubcaps. You can see the caps in the second pic.
Lynn's tastes run more to the aluminum rims, so that's what we'll be running.
The guy put a couple of tires on it to sell it. They're brand new trailer tires and they'll fit my utility trailer, so I kinda got a bonus and at least they won't go to waste sitting in the corner of the shop.

 

I was just curious , a friend is restoring a 54 half ton .