1985 F350 7.3l 4sp 1 ton truck

This is an update to this thread https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-sticking.html

So after putting a new starter on the truck thinking this one had gone bad also because of a sticking ignition switch, it still would not crank and being frustrated I decided to try and pull start it. Big mistake. Busted 3 universal joints and I would not doubt bent a rod. So I got under and did what I should have done at first and tried to turn the motor over by hand. I could turn it backwards but it would only turn forward to a certain point then stop dead.

So I came in and started doing some reading and low and behold come across the dreaded hydro lock. Did a little more reading then went out and started pulling glow plugs and turned it over by hand. Fluid shot out of no. 8 cylinder. Thinking at first it was diesel fuel I put the glow plugs back in and it started right up. Proceeded to repair the universal joints. Got them done and went to try and start it again and BAM,,,,,, same thing. So I pulled the no. 8 plug again and blew the fluid out and then it hit me. I remembered the truck running hot the other day and putting about 2 gallons antifreeze in. I had just assumed it was fuel blowing out. I did check the antifreeze again and it's low.

I know there has been a lot written about it but I had never read much about it. I had replaced the 6.9 with a 7.3. This problem has happened twice before but the truck would run great for about 4 or 5 months. So I just suspected it was starters burning up because replacing with a new one would fix what I thought the problem was. But I guess it has just been getting worse and now I'm to this point. So hopefully it will help someone someday if they have similar problems.

 

Probably a head gasket.

 

Really ? What makes you think that Franklin. As you can tell I'm no mechanic but know enough just to get by sometimes

 

You said fluid shot out of the cylinder, and you had to put anti-freeze in it. So the fluid that shot out was antifreeze correct?

That means antifreeze is getting into the cylinder. That could be a headgasket, but it also could be a crack in the head or the block also. You had better hope it's just the headgasket.

Did I miss anything in what you said?

 

One other possibility. Diesel engines are hard on coolant. If the coolant is not regularly changed and tested for LCAs, it is possible for erosion/cavitation to happen inside the block.

This happened on my 7.3 about 3 1/2 years ago. Same issues, same cylinder hydrolocked. Pulled the head, head gasket looked questionable, replaced it and ran it a few days and then the same thing. Pulled the head again and found a small hole in the cylinder wall. Only way to fix that is to either sleeve the block, or find another block. I ended up getting another block and doing a full rebuild. $4k later I have a new engine.

Only way you are going to know what your problem is is to pull the head. If you know someone with a borescope, then maybe you could take a look in the cylinder with the glowplug out.

One other thing. Since it was hydrolocked, it is possible that you bent the #8 connecting rod along with the broken U-joints.