Sorry I didn't mean to bust your chops about the vacuum hose, it is a problem with the lean code but very unlikely to cause a misfire. I didn't want BigBair to get sidetracked chasing vacuum leaks for a misfire.

 

If it is a valve spring, can I replace it without pulling the head? I thought I would have to pull the head to do anything to it. As tight as it is getting to the back of the heads I can't imagine pulling a head with the engine in the truck. Re torquing them is where I see a major issue.

I appreciate any and all input you guys have!

 

On the back of the engine it will probably suck big time but it is possible to replace a valve spring without removing the head. The valve will need to be pushed shut and with compressed air pressurizing the cylinder and holding the valve shut through the spark plug hole the valve spring retainer can be removed and the valve spring worked on.

 

I am considering going ahead and changing the engine out anyway. I have a line on a REALLY low mileage one for a pretty reasonable price, and I could recoup some of the cost by repairing mine and selling it.

Any idea if a 2008 2 Valve 6.8 will be a direct swap? I know everyone says 2005 was the last year 2 valve, and it was only in the Excursions in 2005. Apparently Ford still put the 2 valve in e series vans for a couple more years.

My thoughts are that a 2008 engine should be plug and play. I wouldn't understand Ford changing anything on the engine when it was basically discontinued and only used in a niche market for a couple additional years. Thoughts?

 

As far as I'm aware of after the PI head change in 2000 the 2V V10's are all the same. The E series van's had the 2v V10 and I don't know if they ever got the 3V V10?

 

Looks like I'm going to go ahead and pull the valve cover today and see what's up. Either way removing the head or pulling the engine appears to be a huge PITA on the Ex.

I'm not sure what the compression should be like on this engine but I assume with 140 psi on the other 9 cylinders and no bottom end noise it's probably worthwhile to just repair this engine without pulling it rather than replacing even with the high miles.

I haven't found much along the lines of removing a head while the engine is still in the truck other than bank 2 is apparently easier than bank 1. Has anyone here successfully R&R'd the head on bank 2 with the engine still in the truck? Hopefully it's only a valve spring without a bent valve and I can change it without removing the head.

 

A little more searching and I found this thread on swapping an E series V10. Hopefully I don't end up going this route but there is a TON of useful info in it.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...2000-f350.html

 

Update- looks like I did have a valve spring fail on cylinder 9. I pulled the cover and the lifter was laying loose in the head. I have connected air to the cylinder via my compression gauge hose and it does hold the valve closed. If the valve was bent by the piston it probably wasn't struck too hard. I can hear a constant air leak though. Honesty I'm not sure if I should expect it to seal 100% without the spring holding the valve Sealed tight.
And everyone loves pictures-






Is it possible to install the valve spring and reinstall the rocker without removing the cam? That would make this much easier.

 

Not sure but the screwdriver trick might work for you.

 

Thanks! I'd be willing to bet that will work for the rocker arm. Any suggestions on installing the new valve spring?

 

Has anyone used one of these tools before? OTC 7928
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002STSMQ?vs=1

 

That looks intriguing, must push up on the cam and down on the valve spring?
I used this

On the 2.9 engine that replaced parts that are on my shop floor and i'll be darned if I can remember where I got it or what brand it is, maybe a Rockauto purchase? It was on an engine stand with all kinds of clearance though...

 

Excellent pictures of your engine problem! The valve keepers are still in place and the spring isn't completely gone so I would think and hope the valve never got down far enough for the piston to connect with it...

Edit, honestly for the miles on the truck the top end of the motor is incredibly clean!!!

 

Yeah. Hopefully it works pretty well. It should arrive tomorrow. I need to visit the local stealership today for a valve spring.

Hopefully mine stays under the hood and I don't experience that luxury with this one. Lol

Yeah the keepers are still on the valve. I didn't know how close the tolerances are with the piston in these engines though. The valve droops about 1/4" even with air in the cylinder. After I have air pressure on the cylinder I pull up on the valve and it seems to seal to the head pretty well.

There isn't really any sludge on the top end. Just some carbon buildup. I was told it was meticulously maintained and still have no reason to believe otherwise.

 

I finally got the valve spring installed today. I'm not wishing that job on anyone, but if you do have to do it the tool mentioned above will work. The one I received would not work straight out of the package. I had to hit it with my angle grinder a couple times and open it up enough to be able to install the valve keepers. There is a small tab on the bottom of the tool that is supposed to align it with the valve spring. After multiple attempts and not being able to install the keepers I removed the spring and compared the opening in the tool to where the keepers go and it was blocking them from going in. Sorry no pics during the process but here's a couple pics of my modified tool.




Honestly the hardest part of the job is getting the valve keepers back in. With the tool in the way there is enough room to touch the valve stem with 1 finger. That's it. I put a little grease on the valve stem, a little in each keeper and a little on my finger to hold it until it stuck to the valve stem. I'd say the count was anywhere between 200-250 attempts and I finally got both keepers in at the same time. I'm glad that part is behind me now.

Unfortunately My valve cover gasket set hasn't landed yet so I cannot say for sure that my problem is fixed. I believe is should be though.