Hey all, first time posting and looking for advice.

I picked up a 94 E350 15 passenger van with the 7.3 IDI. It hadn't run for a few years (I'm told 4ish) but I was also told it ran when parked. The engine had taken on some water along with the oil during that time. There must have been 2 gallons of clear water before the sludge/emulsified oil started coming out of the pan. I flushed it a couple times to get most of the gunk out and when I checked the oil level before I started, it was very high and the air cleaner showed signs of overflow. I pulled all the glow plugs as well (F'ing autolites but thankfully, only one broke and a good pair of vice grips, a lever and a hammer got the core out.

Now I have an engine that wont turn over. I can put a breaker bar on the end of the crank and pull as hard as I dare but I'm afraid I'll break something before she lets go.

Basically I'm wondering if is worth digging deeper and where I should go next. I want the engine to drop into my 87 bronco eventually but I'd like to get it going in the van before I remove so I can test the transmission and a few other things.

Some side notes: the radiator looks to be in decent shape and still had some old coolant. There was still a significant amount of oil in the engine. Both of those make me think it probably didn't overhead and weld itself together. The serpentine belt was still on as well and all the accessories still turn. (I popped the belt off to remove any extra resistance)

Thanks for reading.

 

If you've got rust in the cylinders, you may have a problem.

I'd pull all the glow plugs, and then try moving the crank. Try working it back and forth if you get to a stuck spot.
If you can get it to move all the way around, you've got a shot. Otherwise... time to tear it completely down and pray that the cyl walls aren't pitted too badly once you get the rust off.

 

Sadly, all 8 plugs are out already and it doesn't even try to move.

 

i'd try a 50/50 mix of acetone and atf down the cylinders through the glow plug holes and let it soak for a few days

 

That's how I got that one nasty plug out. I'll give that a try. If I can get it to turn, maybe there is hope.

 

Lets hope so! how did the old engine get filled with water?

 

Another mystery I'm afraid. It had a broken window and was sitting in a yard for 4ish years. The broken window is the one behind the driver's door. The cover for the engine on the inside was off but I didn't see any direct routes for water to get in. Oil cap was still on under the hood, air filter opening still pointed forward. There is significantly more rust on frame at the front then the rest of the van...but it was pointed downhill so maybe that's all it is.

Given that where I live is essentially a rain forest...I suppose a significant amount could build up over time just from humidity. I fed the cylinders about 4 quarts of ATF/Acetone so we'll see. I'll let you know in a day or three if it does anything.

 

I bought a cheap $100 80's 460.. that was stored inside a shipping container for a few years... engine was perfect.. except for cylinder #1.. was full of water and pitted.. whole engine was trashed..would've needed to be bored over .30.... and how water made it into just the one cylinder is beyond me.. engine did not have a blown head gasket or anything and was stored inside..it would turn over 3/4 way and stop because of the rust and crud in the cylinder

 

I'm concerned that this is the case in one or more cylinders but I'd like to at least see it partially turn over before I commit the time and effort to removing it from the van. If it's totally seized, I might as well just buy a junkyard one that is already out and at least looks like it works. It's going in a bronco eventually to replace the suspiciously weak 351w and C6.

 

Have any pics??

 

Not of the van yet but if you want to see anything specific, I can make it happen. Lots of the bronco but I think this is the wrong section for it until I get the swap done.

 

Build thread. Everybody loves a good build thread

 

Just an update for those of you who read and offered advice. A week later and she still is totally frozen. Gonna work on dropping the engine over the next few days and see if it's salvageable. If not, the bigger radiator, a few various other parts and most likely the E40D is going on the bronco as a temporary fix until I can get a 7.3 in working shape. Might only be able to cannibalize the old block for injectors and such but it's always nice to have backups of those.

 

Well that's unfortunate. Be sure to take pics of the teardown