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A Newbie’s Reflection, Thank You, and Replace/Reseal Thread: HPOP, UpPipes, Fuel Bowl, Turbo
Alrighty all,
Before anything else, I wanted to give a huge THANK YOU to this forum and all the members of it. The support here and amount of data/how tos was the reason I bought a 7.3 over those other brands. There is no way I would have been able to do it or actually get the ***** to start the project without you all. So first, thank you.
Here is my thread to document and reflect on my work the past few weekends. After a boat load of research on here, youtube and other internet websites as well as a kick in the rear from a few members after I got a quote for $2,600 from the local Powerstroke shop, I decided to do the work below myself:
Tools/Misc
Napa oil filter (didn’t get gold, should have)- $20
Shell Rotella T4 (didn’t get T6 because I had 2gal of T4 laying around. Will switch next change- $14/Gallon= $70
Gasoila – for fuel bowl reseal (didn’t use, as it didn’t come in time. Have it now just incase)
HPOP Line Tool - $13 HPOP Quick Disconnect Hose Removal Tool for Ford 7.3L 99-03
Diesel Tech Ron has the bent tool, I’d say his is better
Notes on Parts:
•Got the new Fuel bowl cap because my current fuel filter is an all in 1 deal, I have read that the separate ones are better. Plus it makes future filter changes cheaper.
•HPOP O Ring Kit doesn’t come with Engine fitting replacement rings. These were kind of a pain to replace in the old fittings, I would consider just ordering 2 new fittings as they are about $10 a piece HPOP Line Fitting - Cylinder Head - Riffraff Diesel Performance
•Hoses – I have heard that the Powerstroke hoses are only $50 at the International dealer. Check on this and it might save you $100 if you are replacing both. I know I should have.
•IF YOU ARE DOING AN EBPV DELETE – RiffRaff DOES NOT include OR EVEN MENTION the outlet housing or the fact that you shouldn’t reuse the old bolts for the housing. This isn’t their fault, but it would have saved me 2 weeks and a bunch of stress. You can’t reuse the housing 12 pt bolts, you need to get new ones. I went to my local International dealer and found success, but you can also get them through DieselOrings.com
•Guys say you don’t need the “EBP Pedestal Actuator Isolator Pigtail”. I believe them, but I like to keep things “tidy” Its up to you.
•In retrospect, I might have gone with the International UpPipes. While my job went super easy, just took time, I wish I would have done it really right. This may be just so I can say they are IH. It may also be because I may want to upgrade the turbo or wheels at some point. Not sure if the IHs will be better.
The Research:
This is what made the job doable and fun. I literally knew where and what everything was on the job. I credit the amount of time I spent researching (probably over 40 hours) to the success of this. That may seem excessive to many of you, but also in that was all the different threads and “rabbit holes” I went down just learning about the truck. I came into this truck not knowing ANYTHING about a diesel. I just wanted one. I know basically how the truck works now and what maintenance I will do going forward and maybe some mods I can do on what I have already done. Another reason for the large amount of time spent was that I couldn’t find that many step by step “How Tos” on the forum. I knew about what to do from all the threads and a few DieselTechRon videos, but when I found the step by step resources at Riff Raff, Diesel O Rings, and Guzzles, it put me to a new level of confidence. I now have these manuals printed out along with others that I plan on using. They all have a permanent spot in a folder in my truck, just in case. Here is what I used:
Now onto the work. I started the Saturday of Memorial day weekend. I laid everything out, prepped the parts and truck etc, as you can see below.
I started taking everything on the top of the motor off and didn’t really encounter any problems or speed bumps until the Exhaust Back Pressure Sensor (EBPS). The nut on the tube would just not budge. This literally took me an hour or better. There isn’t much space between the radiator fan and the front of the engine for wrenches, not to mention two of them, one holding still and the other trying to loosen. I took the serpentine belt off and even took that nice big hose off. It was squishy, i.e. not under pressure. I even saw Diesel Tech Ron have this hose off in one of his vids. Well, I am sure you are all laughing now, because an 18” stream of coolant came shooting up as I removed the hose. Gave me a nice face wash. That was dumb. Put my thumb on the hole and put the hose back on. After some time, short little turns here and there, I am not even sure what I did differently, got the nut to loosen.
When draining the oil reservoir a Mityvac worked well. It’s a little small, drained the tube of oil 3 times. No biggie. I read another guy just used a long soap container dispenser to get the oil out of the housing. That would be cool. This worked though and now I have the tool. I haven’t bled brakes since high school, I understand I can do that with this, if I need it.
Next was the bolt holding on the HPOP. This was a real bear by myself. In fact, I couldn’t do it by myself. It took another 45 minutes of trying to get that 95 ftlb bolt to loosen. Each time the motor would turn. My buddy made it to the house and all he did was put a little pressure on the serpentine belt and I was able to break it free. Simple simon, 5 seconds.
Also, to those who want to know about that big washer, and if it will fall into oblivion... It won’t, or at least mine didn’t when it came off of the bolt. That was scary, though. I even tried to make sure I had it on the nut, but it did get stuck in the opening and fell off. I was able to retrieve it with an extending magnet tool. (those are worth soooo much more than $1.99!)
So, the CAC, Spider, electronics, Fuel Bowl, and HPOP are now out. On to the Turbo… All I will say is… Marmon clamps. I hate marmon clamps. Why? Because I don’t know how they work… (more on this later) LOL. Getting the exhaust down pipe off was ok, pretty straight forward. I after loosening the nut, I jarred it loose with a flat head. The clamp from the turbo to the collector was a bear. It seemed welded on there. As we all know, with the tiny amount of space and fact that I was already laying on top of the motor for 4ish hours, it was a little challenge, but finally got that off. Lifted the Turbo out, got the pedestal out and then we were on to removing UpPipes.
I’ll go ahead and say it, removing these was fairly easy for us. Really, we didn’t have any problems. Yes, it was awkward, but the removal was very straight forward. Manifold bolts came right out. Driver side collector bolts came out. Zip zip and we were in business. So then it was on to putting the new pipes in. Again, with two people, this was pretty straight forward. Follow the how to’s and you are right there. The only note here was that there was one bolt we couldn’t torque to 21 ft lbs. I think it was the rear driver up pipe to collector. There is just no space to get a torque wrench in there. I did it by “feel”. If you had a mini torque wrench or one with a swivel (wouldn’t this make it inaccurate??) you could do this, but I didn’t. As is mentioned everywhere, I left the pipe to manifold bolts loose for fitting to the turbo later.
Going back to the “Parts” section, another reason why I would possibly have done the IH pipes is that when I got the Dormans, they looked like crap. I know (I hope) at the end of the day it wont matter, but I put 3 full days of work 2 weeks of waiting and hard earned money into this, I know its something that I will never see, but it may function better, might be the right thig to do….
Day 2!
Moving on to the HPOP and fitting reseal. The HPO fittings were a bear to reseal, I actually didn’t do these, my buddy did while I worked on cleaning the threads on the HPOP “serviceable” plug. Again, after the fact, for $10 a piece I may just buy a set of them and save an hour or so. I think it took him about 10 minutes a fitting. Anyhow, I was cleaning out the old Loctite in the threads of the HPOP. This took an hour or so. Everything I read said, “Make sure there is NO OIL or NO old Loctite left in the threads before you reseal.” So when I hear that multiple times, I try to do the best job possible.
So this is where I thought of you all when I was doing it, I thought, “Either my FTE bretheren will crucify me and tell me I just ruined the threads, or they will hail me.” I went for it and used a .45 acp brass brush from my gun cleaning supplies to get most of it out. I didn’t have a dentist style pick so I bent a nail and clamped it in a vise grip and VERY CARREFULLY picked away any remaining Loctite. This really did the job. From here, not much more than to follow the directions and sealed her up!
Also note: since I plan on keeping this truck for quite some time, I think I would have rather just purchased a new HPOP and installed it at this time. That way, I have a spare, I know the new one is sealed up. I don’t know, maybe this job will last 100K miles and I will be fine. I hope so.
So where are we, ah, yes, Turbo and Turbo pedestal reinstall. Nothing much to see with the pedestal, bolt her on and torque it. Then to the turbo. THIS… is where my stress came from. EBPV delete. Like I said, I did a lot of research for this, and nowhere, did I see, “Buy the housing and bolts” or “..drill out the pins, remove the valve and use freeze plugs to plug the hole…”.
I am not much of a fabricator, but I can also make a lot of stuff work, but the question is for how long? As in, how good of a permanent job can I do? I’d say I am pretty average. I usually go with tried and true methods that are harder for me to screw up. So we spent ½ a day looking for ¾” or 20mm freeze plugs to no avail. I was worrying about how good they would work. Yadda yadda yadda. I decided to call it quits and order the new housing. (Remember – forgot to order bolts as I thought they would come with! But no…)
Fuel Bowl reseal: I didn’t have and could not procure any “gasoila” or thread seal for the fuel bowl. Is this online order only?? I ended up just not taking off the fittings. I never had a leak anyway so I hope I didn’t mess too much with something that works. I followed the reseal directions, pretty straight forward. I did order some thread sealant so I have it on hand, if the bowl develops a leak, I’ll take it off and reseal.
HPOP and Fuel Bowl IPR reinstall: Put IPR back in the pump on the bench, pretty easy. I used Vaseline to hold the HPOP gasket on the pump while I put it on the engine. I hope this is ok, I think that’s what another member did. I tried looking for “gasket glue” etc but couldn’t find any. Again, pretty straight forward here, plug and chug, in reverse order. Oh by the way, when tightening the fuel bowl, I did turn one of the fittings that I didn’t touch or seal. Hope that doesn’t leak.
Put the plate that holds the EBPS back on with some high temp and oil resistant gasket maker. Also took the tube out at this time and pushed a wire through the tube. Man was that thing filled up! I probably should have youtubed it earlier, and used the string/wire and drill method to get a better clean, but I think I did ok. Also the sensor itself was caked. Gently tried to remove some of this with a wire.
I soaked and cleaned the tube nuts with WD40 and brake clean and got them spinning so that reinstall of the EBP tube was easier. A new tube is like $45, a little steep in my opinion, if it was $20, id get a new one. This is something I can do later if needed.
With that all back together, I went to put some padding on the passenger side fuel line. Got that put on and the fuel bowl reinstalled. I didn’t take the fuel line off… I should have and reinstalled the Vinton ORings I bought. Oh well, It wasn’t leaking before, hope I didn’t do something to make it leak now.
And that was it until the next weekend when the Turbo housing came in.
Fast forward 6ish days. Go to Menards to get some 12 pt bolts, 8mmx 60mm I believe, and they don’t have them so I get some crappy hex bolts. Called the area Ford dealerships: 1. They don’t carry the bolts 2. The bolts if they were to order them are $8 A PIECE!! 3. They will happily sell you some crappy kits with some bolts for $42. Unhappy with the situation I think about putting them on but first go to the local International dealer (They said they couldn’t tell over the phone), they hooked it up, all 7 bolts for $13! WIN!!
So, I plop the ORings on the Turbo pedestal, and then the turbo, get ‘er bolted down, and then start working on the collector to turbo connection. Holy hell… Marmon clamps. I had trouble just getting the clamp over the collector and turbo while it was loose. Then it seemed impossible to get the collector to line up with the turbo, while keeping the clamp on both, again by the way, this was without the bolt through the clamp. So I finally did the bungee cord thing, this worked great. After an hour or prying, squeezing, swearing, etc. I took the nut off of the clamp and fed the bolt though the one end and into the sleeve, easily putting the clamp on the collector and turbo. I was dumbfounded. 2 minutes. I thought I had tried that before and didn’t have success. I know I dropped the nut twice . It seemed like the stars aligned and it just wanted to happen.
Attached the down pipe to the turbo and then started attaching the spider plenumns. I washed all of the boots with simple green and even used some non chlorine brake cleaner. Is this the right stuff to use? I was a little nervous using brake cleaner on the rubber, hope it doesn’t degrade it. Started putting the CAC tubes on. I had some trouble getting the boot to CAC tube to stay on, it was almost like was bending the tube in as I tightened it (I don’t think I was bending it, but the boot was slipping), but this did give me problems. I am still somewhat worried about it. Got all of the electrical connections back together, intake, filter etc.
At this time I changed the oil in the truck and filled up the oil reservoir with my most ingenious method: I did develop and will be patenting this btw. (I know someone smarter than I has probably has done it before but what the heck, why not have some fun)
So… I think this is the moment where I am ready. Am I? Ready to turn the key? I am probably forgetting some other stuff that I did, but I unhooked the battery charger (note, I had the charger/battery tender on the batteries all day) and cleaned up the tools, blanket etc off of the truck. Got my camera ready (SPOLER ALERT: this was my first mistake) and went for the crank.
Turned the key on to fill the fuel bowl once and twice and then gave her 15 seconds of cranking.
Stopped, put the chargers on the batts, waited 2 minutes, then went at it again cranking 15-20 seconds– Nothing
And again
And again
And again
Yet again
So I did this 5-6 times. This is normal I thought, “Ok, I am normal, maybe a little on the longer side I can deal with that. I am still in the normal zone”. I checked the oil reservoir for oil 2 times in between there btw, sure enough, oil 1” from the top, checked to make sure all electrical plugs were plugged in. Check.
Tried cranking 5 more times for a total of about 11. I couldn’t help myself, so I pulled the fuel bowl lid off to check for fuel. Well fuel came flowing out and onto my clean block. Whatever, I have fuel. I try cranking 4-5 more times, for a total of 15+. Now I am pretty worried.
So I started taking off all electrical connections. I took off the HPOP hoses at the block – I see oil, good. I know that air bubbles can build under the ICP, but I don’t see how to take the ICP off at this point. The mounting bracket and fuel bowl and oil reservoir are in the way. I don’t see any other leaks, all fuel connections are good and tight. WHAT THE HELL!? I didn’t see a gap between the HPOP and reservoir. The little *****, could it be the little ***** in the fuel bowl and HPOP?!?! No way, I double and triple checked they were in..
So I start reconnecting electrical connections. Maybe one isn’t on tight. The IPR collar seems a bit loose when connecting that plug (it moves from side to side. This worried me from the start.) so I tighten the tin nut a little more, still a little wobble. Then I realize that when I deleted the EBPV I capped a plug that looks JUST LIKE THE IPR plug. I notice this and a smile immediately comes over my face. Sure enough, the plugs are REALLY close. I cap the other plug with the EBP Pedestal Actuator Isolator Pigtail and start putting everything else back together.
Very eager this time, I turn on the camera video (note: after the 12th initial crank session or so, I stopped filming because I thought it was bad luck or something). I turn the key and it cranks over for a second, two seconds, three seconds…
Then a fire
Then two fires THEN SHE FIRES UP BABBBAAAYYYYY!!!!
And this 7.3 starts running smooth as silk. Like she’s supposed to. No smoke, no misses. STRONG! I am freaking out. Feeling like Thor, Leonidas from the 300, all that is man. Heck yes. I leave her run and warm up. The old lady went to run an errand before this last revelation, as she knew I was pretty tense, I video the truck running and send it to her. She comes home and we go for a ride.
Pure awesomeness.
So, what took me so long? 3 days, really? Well, the shop I got a quote from said 9.5 hours. I figured it would take me double that. It turns out it was a little more due to delays.
But it was the things like not knowing which socket to use (a 3/8th socket or ½?, a deep with an extension?, two extensions? Etc) the EBPS tube being stuck, the motor turning when trying to loosen the HPOP bolt, getting off a Marmon clamp from the Turbo to collector, the trick to getting that same Marmon clamp back on, not knowing what to do to delete the EBPV, running to 6 (Farm and Fleet (again), Menards (again) Autozone, OReilleys, Advanced, Napa) stores to try and find freeze plugs, not ordering the turbo housing right away. It was the little things that took up so much time.
I tried to get a Milwaukee power ratchet, like Diesel Tech Ron has, I would have easily spent the $150. Infact I looked at multiple stores – Harbor Freight, 2 different Menards, Farm and Fleet etc and none of them had one. This really would have saved some time or at least made it easier (and more fun!).
So, I did have a couple questions:
Questions:
•Waste gate solenoid seems to be loose on the front of the spider, even though the bolt is tight. Is this normal/ok?
•Tin nut keeps falling off when I drive (just after a few miles). I read that the IPR is threaded ½”x 20 fine thread. Can I get a nut for this and be ok? I could get a whole IPR reseal kit with another tin nut, but that’s like $20. Come on. A nut at the hardware store will be 20 cents…
•Can you crank the motor over with the battery charger/tenders on the batteries?
•How do you stop the motor from turning over for applications such as taking off the HPOP bolt? Can you wedge something somewhere and not ruin anything? Pics would be appreciated.
•When do you get new CAC/Plenum boots? I didn’t see any cracking. They all seemed bendy enough.
Again, thank you all. I can’t wait to tear into the cooling system and get after that this year… Oh yea, and I also have an alignment issue that I need to address…
As for the tin nut on the IPR I degreased it & put some high temp silacone [RTV] on the nut & threads to help from vibrating off,Riff Raff Plenum & CAC boots are more robust & less likely to blow off so I changed them while it was apart,Good Job I bet it feels good to learn all about Your truck.
Should have purchased a topside creeper makes life easier.
I definitely thought about it; however, I don't have a garage. I didnt want it to just sit outsite and I know the boss wouldn't have wanted to be looking at it next to her flower pots....
z31freakify Great job man I love this kind of threads, sure bet it runs like new again huhh??
I definitely appreciated your ideas on the turbo housing. The bolt, washer and nut would have definitely worked or at least I think I could have done that. I dont know how it runs compared to a new one, but I definitely love driving it! I think it does run a bit better. I ve run about 1/2 a tank through it, but it seems like fuel mpgs are a little worse. but I wont take too much from just 1 tank. I'll keep you all up to date
crop harvester As for the tin nut on the IPR I degreased it & put some high temp silacone [RTV] on the nut & threads to help from vibrating off,Riff Raff Plenum & CAC boots are more robust & less likely to blow off so I changed them while it was apart,Good Job I bet it feels good to learn all about Your truck.
Its nice to know (generally)how it works. Hmm, RTV on the tin nut. I do have a tube of it from the oil reservoir/EBPS bracket, that seems pretty permanent though. Is my idea of just a regulay 1/2" nut not a great one? Just hand tight?
I could do new boots, if they were cheaper, I would, but I need to get the truck to an alignment shop and figure that out. Tires have some pretty odd wear and I'll need new ones before winter.
Walleye Hunter That was a lot of work, congratulations on it.
Thanks, It is pretty gratifying. Looking forward to the next project actually.
In regards to the top side creeper, I made my own from a picture a saw online. As you can see below, it is simply 2 pieces of 2x12 screwed together then bicycle hangers from Home Depot spaced far enough apart to go through the front tow hooks. This allows me to move from side to side and lean over the front easily and stores in the rafters/attic of my garage when not needed. The 2x12 was scrap and the hooks were about a dollar, so for 2 bucks I made my life much easier.
Your questions:
•Waste gate solenoid seems to be loose on the front of the spider, even though the bolt is tight. Is this normal/ok? I believe it is somewhat normal for the solenoid to be a bit loose, I know mine was. Although, when I did a big modification/tune up session like you just completed I removed the tubing and solenoid altogether and came up with this look.
•Tin nut keeps falling off when I drive (just after a few miles). I read that the IPR is threaded ½”x 20 fine thread. Can I get a nut for this and be ok? I could get a whole IPR reseal kit with another tin nut, but that’s like $20. Come on. A nut at the hardware store will be 20 cents… You can try and source a new nut to fit on the IPR, but I think your best course of action is the method Crap Harvester posted.
•Can you crank the motor over with the battery charger/tenders on the batteries? Not sure if this is good or bad, but I know I have done this with other vehicles I have worked on and it has not been a problem in the past. I have not on my truck.
•How do you stop the motor from turning over for applications such as taking off the HPOP bolt? Can you wedge something somewhere and not ruin anything? Pics would be appreciated. There are several methods here, a breaker bar on the crank pulley bolt and use the ground as a stop, a method to keep the belt from turning, etc...
•When do you get new CAC/Plenum boots? I didn’t see any cracking. They all seemed bendy enough. This was one of the first things I did and it made a noticeable difference. The RiffRaff boots are much thicker and robust and eliminate the oil from permeating through the boots like the OEM do. Bendy is OK for now, but you want good and solid seals between the boots and the rigid parts. I would advise on getting the T-clamp set as well as the boots in the future. Look at the plenum inserts from RiffRaff as well, they are a good insurance for a small price.
Nice work sir! I know when I did my first big tune up back in 2015, it all went very well and the truck was a different animal.
In regards to the top side creeper, I made my own from a picture a saw online. As you can see below, it is simply 2 pieces of 2x12 screwed together then bicycle hangers from Home Depot spaced far enough apart to go through the front tow hooks. This allows me to move from side to side and lean over the front easily and stores in the rafters/attic of my garage when not needed. The 2x12 was scrap and the hooks were about a dollar, so for 2 bucks I made my life much easier.
That's a nice work platform. I'm thinking about having one around for the driveway.
The topside creeper is different. It has its own frame and suspends your body over or above the work. Your body can slide way to the back end where you can easily reach the turbo and such without smashing the top girll or other connectors and hoses.
Also MUCH easier to go back and forth to the toolbox for other tools, rags, etc.
That's a nice work platform. I'm thinking about having one around for the driveway.
The topside creeper is different. It has its own frame and suspends your body over or above the work. Your body can slide way to the back end where you can easily reach the turbo and such without smashing the top girll or other connectors and hoses.
Also MUCH easier to go back and forth to the toolbox for other tools, rags, etc.
Here's an interesting pic of a model.
That looks nice...and so does that ladder thingy.
Even when using a short ladder to get up there it feels like it's ready for me to lean just a little farther so the ladder can kick out and away.
I guess I should have explained my post a bit more, although if I had the ad of the top side creeper would not have been shared.
I did not want to pay for a top side creeper and I definitely don't have the space to store one. So, I made the work platform as a cheap alternative to the creeper.
I've wanted one for a long time and couldn't stand it any more. I like the one pictured above, and not just because of the girl . It has the single beam down the middle that can wrap around the tires and give you more left and right mobility. Also folds up a little flatter to take up less space. Costs a little more but why spend that much for a creeper and be frustrated.
Found it at KT performace for $294 free shipping no tax
06-09-2017, 01:20 PM
. It has the single beam down the middle that can wrap around the tires and give you more left and right mobility. Also folds up a little flatter to take up less space. Costs a little more but why spend that much for a creeper and be frustrated.
