Turbo drain was a pain, tube not long enough to fit in grommet securely (think it's off a non-wastegated Banks), ended up using a larger grommet with some tubing and hose to extend it. Good enough I guess. I'd like to modify the intake valley pan to have a more secure or positive seal for waterproof and such but this works since I'm in crunch time. Tomorrow may not bring much progress but Friday maybe I can get it running. I'm a bit concerned about the downpipe, looks pretty far from the turbo but I haven't wrestled it around much or loosened the lower connection.

I have the Saginaw brackets and a pump I rebuilt, the hardware is floating around here "someplace safe" so I need to find that. If anyone has pictures of a V-belt Saginaw van setup please provide pictures so I can have some idea how it goes together. Also, what high pressure hose do I use? Van? Truck? Some other model? Also have a Borgeson steering shaft with the pure luxury vibration isolating rubber lower joint I need to install, since I stole the steering shaft out of this truck for the 460 truck I've been driving. I'd like to get all the steering bits sorted before putting the rad support back in. I'll try to get a little more done tonight, catch a few hours of sleep, 12 hour shift again tomorrow, then I'm off so it's work on truck until it's done and hit the road.

 

It's in, it runs. Fired up quick and easy, purged air quickly. One injector is a little wet around the return cap, I'll reseat that and see how it does. Biggest issue is an oil leak that I thought was the filter at first. Turns out the rear oil cooler header is weeping oil. No visible coolant in oil or vice versa. Against my better judgement I did not use any sealer on these gaskets, the style I got was metal with a rubber sealing ring around each port. I just thoroughly cleaned the mounting flanges and installed dry. Thought, wow, nifty gaskets but apparently a bad idea.

Autozone has the gaskets in stock, regular paper gaskets with the small bead of sealant. I'll install these with aviation permatex around each port. I removed the power steering bracket, moved the pump forward out of the way, and removed the steering shaft. Coolant is draining now. I think I'll pull the block plug too to try to avoid coolant in the new oil. My plan is to pull the cooler out the front through the power steering pump area to inspect and clean flanges on that and make room to inspect and clean the block sealing surface. Is this a good way to do it or even possible?

Aside from that I just need to install the headlights, grille, bumper, and set the timing. Almost there.

 

I couldn't get the oil cooler out easily but I got it moved to where I had good access to clean the sealing surfaces. Unfortunately I couldn't wrangle up a second set of hands as it was really tricky to do the gaskets in the truck. I'll let it cure overnight and check in the morning, if it leaks I have another set of gaskets and will get help to install it with more precision. Just a few odds and ends left in the morning, hoping to leave for vacation tomorrow night... Hopefully no more surprises.

 

I put 57 miles on it today. Seems to run well, feels more torquey down low than the 6.9. How much of that is from the extra displacement vs the cam I don't know. Above 35 psi cold idle, 15 psi hot idle, 35-40 psi at much above idle. No coolant in oil or vice versa, no external leaks, looks like oil cooler is sealed up. I'd like to get another 200 miles on it and change the oil then tow north. I also noticed EGT seems slightly lower than I recall with the 6.9. Curious if that will carry over to towing, would be very nice as this has been EGT limited.

 

With 130 miles on the engine I changed the oil and headed north. The engine performed well, no failures. I took it easy keeping EGT at 1000* pulling.grades, occasionally hitting 1100* momentarily. Even with this self imposed low restriction it did not slow terribly on hills. Other observations:
Not as much smoke when getting into it, whether that's from the extra displacement or an accelerator cable/bracket not allowing full travel I don't know but I suspect not full travel as two hills I found myself with the pedal to the floor and EGT barely over 1000*.
Unloaded the truck seems faster and more torquey.
Also I'm worried about a tap or tick I'm hearing. It's sliggt and hard to hear over the diesel clatter (which is quiter than the 6.9), but definitely present. It developed over the 500 mile tow. I think it is not present under decel though. Oil pressure has been dead on steady and unchanged since the first run. Could be an exhaust leak from the crusty manifold flanges, worried it's cam or lifter related.
Aside from that it had a slight coolant leak from the upper radiator hose, resolved by tightening the clamp at the radiator.

 

Haven't looked into the noise, no failures this far. Oil pressure is steady, oil is finally starting to get a little dark but not black as I'm used to seeing. Have not noticed any signs of metal of the dipstick. I'll try to pull the valve covers and check rockers and pushrods in the next couple days. If I find nothing obvious I may pull a few degrees of timing to quiet it down and try to pinpoint the noise if it persists.

I did have a minor issue with the boss refusing help or instruction, jackknifing the trailer, letting most of the smoke out of the clutch and stalling the engine many times. This apparently went on for about 15 minutes that it took me to walk back to the truck despite telling her on the phone to wait for me to get there. After that abuse I think I hear another noise or a louder noise. Performs fine though, maybe I'm being paranoid. Clutch is not slipping or chattering though I'm sure my nearly new flywheel and pressure plate have lots of hot spots, starter still works, transmission seems fine. I need to check ujoints though, feel a slight vibration now.

12.68 MPG one direction, 12.66 MPG the other. 18.56 MPG driving around unloaded. I'm pleased with the MPG. Engine seems to have more torque down low. Double overdrive could be feasible now for unloaded highway driving. 20 MPG might be realistic.

 

Also discovered a nest of some sort last week. Used the truck that morning, fortunately no fire.



I haven't had time to pull the valve covers yet, soon. It did spring a coolant leak yesterday. I caught a whiff of antifreeze stopped at a light and thought, ah, how nice to have a new engine and not worry that a random smell of something is my vehicle. Stopped a short distance later and noticed a drop of antifreeze... Typical. It was the hose from the head to the heater core (coolant filter in my case) leaking at the clamp on the head. Tightened it and it stopped dripping, coolant level was still well above the tubes in the radiator. A few miles drive home last yesterday, then this morning I find a puddle of antifreeze and the same hose leaking. Replaced that section of hose and put a new clamp on it. Minor issues are fine I guess. I have noticed on the 6.9 this particular clamp needs to be tightened periodically though. Maybe there was something to the old crimp style clamps.

 

nice looking nest.

 

 

MPG update: 17.75 MPG over 412 miles of normal mixed driving.15.75 MPG over 193 miles of highway at mostly 75 MPH. RPM definitely kills MPG, sweet spot seems to be 50-60 MPH on two lane blacktop for 18+ MPG.

 

Even my 86 with the 6.9 naturally exasperated none turbo, 4-spd gear box 3.55 diff and 272K miles,
and keep it in the 50 - 60 MPH range I can hit 20 - 21 MPG. Unloaded.
Push her 65 and beyond, then it drops.
In the winter with the crappy winter fuel, it drops down to 18 MPG.


Charlie

 

I just finished my 12,000 mile trip to the Yukon, and RPMs were the key to MPG. I'd now argue that getting a turbo was the worst thing for my fuel economy, because it affords me the ability to go faster and accelerate quicker, which makes it really hard to limit my RPM's.