I'm pretty much sorted with the advice I've gotten in another part of this forum from Dave and Max Capacity, and from Gary on the Bullnose Forum (thanks fellas), but I thought it couldn't hurt to see if anybody here had anything else to add.

I bought my Effie (BigBeast) at auction 33 years ago from Elcom, the state electricity utility in New South Wales, Australia. They had a dirty big tank of creosote bolted on the back, which they had been using up in the Blue Mountains to rot proof wooden power poles ...apparently she was the only vehicle at the time capable of getting such a load up into what was pretty rugged terrain.

I currently use her just for trucking in building materials, and getting into the bush to areas where lesser vehicles can't go to get firewood for my wood heater; though I do intend someday to go around OZ in her!

Currently though she's not going anywhere, being sadly broken down for three months now, which is why I'm here, shamelessly trawling for advice on how to resuscitate her.

Three months ago, she had been running a little rough for the last few days and drinking more coolant than normal (head gasket?), but still going reasonably well. The day before, I'd gone out and got a load of firewood; but then next morning, without any other warning...she was dead.

The engine had cranked normally for a few seconds (with LPG, it takes about six seconds of cranking to get the fuel through the converter and into the engine); then it was like the load came off the starter motor, because the cranking note changed, as though it had suddenly sped up. I thought at first the starter motor had stripped its gearing; but then found that the engine was indeed still turning over. You could explain the increased cranking speed by a sudden loss of compression, perhaps; but I tested for that and got 125 psi on seven and 115 psi on the eighth. There was also for a while a sound which I couldn't localise, though it seemed to be somewhere at the rear of the engine--not a sharp sound like metal on metal, but sort of a chuffing noise (air coming in through the broken EGR vacuum tube or the loose inlet manifold gasket, or a head gasket?). It stopped eventually without me doing anything to the engine.

I checked the spark (orange and not super strong, but nothing new there--leads and dizzy cap are the originals, 38 years old). It's not easy with LPG to check that fuel is getting where it's needed, so I just shot some go juice into the air cleaner, but same result--not a single cylinder fired. Pulled the ignition plugs, which had been in there about ten years. They were surprisingly okay, though one looked a touch wet (oil), and another had some slight rust. So I started pulling more stuff off.

The innards of the fuel and air hoses, air filter and inlet manifolds were wet (and I do mean wet) with black oil, which I took to be residue from the LPG conversion process (liquid to gas). I drained the LPG converter (about a tablespoon full of oil), and was later advised by the techosavants on the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forum that it was more likely blow back due to either worn rings, a dodgy PCV valve or poor vacuum. The bolts fastening the upper inlet manifold were mostly little more than finger tight, possibly compromising said vacuum, and the lower inlet manifold had white gunk in the port serving the cylinder with the slightly rusty plug, possibly explaining both the rust on the plug and the loss of coolant.

The tube connecting the EGR valve to the lower inlet manifold was broken clean off, and the tube running from the Thermactor air pump (removed actually, with the line capped upstream of the air bypass valve, though this cap had actually fallen off) also had a big hole rusted in it.

What was most disturbing was that the majority of my pushrods were bent, two of them badly. I cranked the engine again, and all appeared to be lifting and falling, meaning hopefully that the hydraulic lifters were functioning as they should? The compression test had also indicated that I had sticking valves (non sequential or irregular step increases to maximum pressure); so I can understand the thinking that would have me remove the heads for further inspection. I'm feeling really uncomfortable about that, however, due to what I've realised through the FTE forum is the superficiality of my understanding of matters mechanical. I have taken a head off once before (series 2A Landrover); but I can see now that I was blissfully ignorant of so much...it was a wonder that the engine ever worked again.

Here is where I am at the moment...

My Effie died of a combination of ills: (1) poor spark ; (2) an air filter clogged by blow back; (3) low vacuum; (4)bent pushrods (6 at least, a couple badly) shortening valve operation. These factors weren't enough to stop her when hot; but were enough to prevent starting when cold. Does that sound plausible?

The bent valves could perhaps be explained by over revving the engine (possibly up to 5000 rpm) especially when I was younger and a bit of a hoon (140 kph along dirt tracks); but that would mean I've had bent pushrods for decades. Is that likely?

My thinking is as follows: just replace the pushrods, gaskets, ignition leads, dizzy cap, air filter, ditch the emissions crap and block off the holes, get her going...then convert her back to petrol and run a few bottles of valve cleaner through her to fix the sticky valves issue.

Puhlease don't tell me I have to take the heads off!

Postscript: firstly, apologies for the length of this post. Secondly, slight change of plan: a leak down test will be done if I can find affordable kit. Thirdly, photos will be added if I can get that organised. Fourthly: entirely understand if you'd rather go fishin'!

 

I'll guess that your timing chain has skipped a few teeth, allowing the valves to hit the pistons, and thence bend the pushrods.
As an aside, is the truck Right Hand Drive?

 

Many thanks for taking the time to read through all of the above, Beanscoot. I reckon I must surely hold the record for the longest post on FTE!!!

I had wondered about the timing chain. Is there any non-technical way, short of taking off the timing cover, of determining if that is the problem? And yes, she is right hand drive...you've got me puzzled though as to why that would be an issue?

 

You could take off the distributor cap and turn the engine back and forth a little to see if the rotor has a lot of slop before turning.
Also, you could bring the engine to top dead center, and see if the rotor is pointing at no. 1 cylinder. If the timing chain jumped a bunch, the distributor will be retarded.

Regarding RHD, I'm just interested to know if Ford made these trucks in that style for export to those countries that drive on the left. A lot of parts would have to be different.
Keep us posted what you find out about the engine!

 

I'll get right onto it. Thanks again, mate!

 

So I've put the dizzy back in and checked the rotor slop. There's 1, maybe 2 mm of play...is that normal? Number 1 cylinder looks to be near TDC (not sure if it's the compression stroke), and the rotor is pointing at number 1 ignition lead terminal, so that's good, right?

I looked down into the bore of the distributor shaft insertion into the engine block, and I see that part of the seat for the distributor shaft gear appears to be cut off parallel to the gear that it engages. Either that, or it's simply broken off. Any thoughts...?

 

That all sounds normal, but I can't think what else could bend the pushrods.
The only other cause, which I'm not sure can happen on this engine is what I did to my old Cadillac years ago. I bent two rods and broke one rocker arm because when I reassembled the engine, I had put a couple pushrods on the edge of the lifters vs. the center depression. This made the pushrods effectively a quarter inch longer or so, and there was no room for the extra length when the engine started.

 

Righto, I'll look out for that when I put in my new set of rods. I might have mixed up the order of two of the rocker arms, but I'm hoping that won't be critical. Use just oil on the ends of the new push rods, or would engine assembly grease be preferable?

Thanks again, mate.

 

Either oil or a little grease is fine.

 

Don't use grease; you don't want to plug up the tiny oil passage. Use something liquid, like assembly lube. Use gear lube if you want something thick on initial startup.

 

The smallest holes in an engine is probably the lifters. I've never seen grease plug up oil passages and I have never seen tiny oil passages.

But there are plenty of opinions out there. Sand is something we probably all would not recommend.

 

Grease doesn't immediately dissolve in oil, but it would seem to me that oil under pressure would dislodge grease.

 

Thanks, fellas. I've opted to go mid range in viscosity with cam lube from a great little Aussie company...Penrite.

If I do get BigBeast going again, it will mean that she will have been sitting there for around four months or so. Would the oil film in the cylinders have dissipated by then, or perhaps become contaminated by the humidity of the atmosphere? I've had the spark plugs out for a while. I've thought of squirting a little oil into each cylinder, but don't want to run the risk of getting it on my brand new iridium spark plugs. Would a brief spray of WD40 be better?

 

Oil does not evaporate. Maybe the thin stuff like WD40, but I do not consider that oil, more of a solvent vs oil.

 

I just wondered if maybe over time the oil film on the cylinders might seep down past the rings and back into the sump?