blown head gaskets?
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 893
Likes: 8
From: Lincoln, Nebraska
blown head gaskets?
the other day I get a call from my dad that he locked up the engine on his pickup. so the next morning i had to get up at 5:00 and drive 6 hours to get him when i get there we were looking at it and there was a bunch of water in the oil pan. He said that there no sign of anything wanting to let loose but all of a sudden it starts knocking and banging so he hit the clutch and it wanted to die he fit the throttle it idled fine and he instantly shut it off. So we had a hitch made to be able to pull it back. we got it back safely and it is in the garge. Do you guys think that is a blown gasket or is it much more serious then that? the thing that is weird it only has 145,000 miles. it is a 90 7.3 f-250
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,533
Likes: 2
CAVITATION
Good luck it sounds like the engine is a cavitation victim if there is oil in the water and the engine is hydrolocked your looking at replacing the engine. If the coolant additive wasn't added these engines usually die from cavitation around 162,000 miles if it the SCAs were never kept up. You can pull the engine out of the truck forsure strip it down and see but I bet shes a cavitation victim.
Good Luck
Good luck it sounds like the engine is a cavitation victim if there is oil in the water and the engine is hydrolocked your looking at replacing the engine. If the coolant additive wasn't added these engines usually die from cavitation around 162,000 miles if it the SCAs were never kept up. You can pull the engine out of the truck forsure strip it down and see but I bet shes a cavitation victim.
Good Luck
Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,897
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From: Northeastern Pa - USA
you could just pull the injectors out and see where the water comes out when you turn it over by hand - that way you will know which cylinder to look at. Either way you will have to pull the heads to get a good look at the gasket or the cylinder wall.
Just wondering - was he going down the road when it locked up or was it shut down for a while?
Just wondering - was he going down the road when it locked up or was it shut down for a while?
Thread Starter
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 893
Likes: 8
From: Lincoln, Nebraska
he was driving down the road 70 mph it never lost power just started hammering and knocking it wasnt the driveshaft when it was idleing it was still doing it he only let it idle for abour 3 minutes or so to check if he could see anything. we plan pulling the heads and seeing. he is a mechanic it the diesel area mostly on heavy equipment. seeing if any of you guys have had problems like this or heard of any with only 145,000 miles a good place to start. Just pull the heads or pull the whole engine. he does take very good care of the vehicles regular oil changes additives in the coolant and fuel especially in the winter.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,057
Likes: 3
From: gravel road ONTARIO
Just did them, in a 1990, pull glow plugs , find the cylinder no.
If you bring that cylinder to TDC and coolant comes out the hole you got a head gasket, if out the oil pan you got a CAVITATION problem, the cavitation always show up at bottom section of water jacket. OOPS sorry ,you need drain plug out of pan, and pressure tester on rad.
Good Luck should you accept the mission, I wish my dad was the mechanic and not me(his truck!)
If you bring that cylinder to TDC and coolant comes out the hole you got a head gasket, if out the oil pan you got a CAVITATION problem, the cavitation always show up at bottom section of water jacket. OOPS sorry ,you need drain plug out of pan, and pressure tester on rad.
Good Luck should you accept the mission, I wish my dad was the mechanic and not me(his truck!)
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 359
Likes: 0
From: ga
could somebodyexplain cavitation to me?
i have a 89 7.3 that i recently ran hot.we replaced the thermostat but i fear it was too little too late.the truck would run rough and smoke when first cranked but then it would smooth out.one day i moved it from one side of the yard to the other(about 1 1/2 minutes)when i shut it down and went to check the coolant the cap shot off from pressure(not heat).3 days later i tried to crank it and it was hydrolocked.i thought it was a head ghasket or head but ive never heard of this cavitation.could this be my problem?
i have a 89 7.3 that i recently ran hot.we replaced the thermostat but i fear it was too little too late.the truck would run rough and smoke when first cranked but then it would smooth out.one day i moved it from one side of the yard to the other(about 1 1/2 minutes)when i shut it down and went to check the coolant the cap shot off from pressure(not heat).3 days later i tried to crank it and it was hydrolocked.i thought it was a head ghasket or head but ive never heard of this cavitation.could this be my problem?
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Posting Guru
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Northeastern Pa - USA
dhag - if he was at speed and it acted up he may have taken out an injector with the hammering sound or a head gasket went out that fast.
4x4 - cavitation is an erosion problem inside the engine block. Caused by vibration from combustion of the fuel, it causes little bits of the block to erode and make a pin hole in the water jacket and cylinder area letting coolant into the combustion chamber (cylinder). BUT, if you ran it hot, i'd venture to guess a cracked head or luckily just a gasket.
4x4 - cavitation is an erosion problem inside the engine block. Caused by vibration from combustion of the fuel, it causes little bits of the block to erode and make a pin hole in the water jacket and cylinder area letting coolant into the combustion chamber (cylinder). BUT, if you ran it hot, i'd venture to guess a cracked head or luckily just a gasket.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Nutter Fort, WV
A head gasket can have the same symtoms as cavitation or the other way around as well.
If water gets into the cylinder, you will have water in the oil pan. Does not matter if it got there through cavitation or blown head gasket or cracked block.
If it is hydrolocked you can remove all the glow plugs, slowly crank the engine over and blow the water out the glow plug hole. Watch to see which one it comes out. Then replace the glow plugs and crank it up, it will run. It may blow all the antifreeze out if it is a blown gasket, leave the radiator cap loose. If you are not getting lots of air out the radiator cap indicating a blown head gasket, then I would start to suspect cavitation.
Last head gasket I blew put 30 pounds of pressure in the radiator in 15 seconds of running. This pressure also cost me a heater core.
If water gets into the cylinder, you will have water in the oil pan. Does not matter if it got there through cavitation or blown head gasket or cracked block.
If it is hydrolocked you can remove all the glow plugs, slowly crank the engine over and blow the water out the glow plug hole. Watch to see which one it comes out. Then replace the glow plugs and crank it up, it will run. It may blow all the antifreeze out if it is a blown gasket, leave the radiator cap loose. If you are not getting lots of air out the radiator cap indicating a blown head gasket, then I would start to suspect cavitation.
Last head gasket I blew put 30 pounds of pressure in the radiator in 15 seconds of running. This pressure also cost me a heater core.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 893
Likes: 8
From: Lincoln, Nebraska
pulled the heads off last night on the right bank looked into the number2 cylinder and what did we find. A cracked block a blown exhaust valve, blown blown gaskets. the heads and pistons all looked really clean not much black buildup on them at all.
Now we are decideding on an engine the original was not computer controlled they do have some that are computer controlled. How hard would it be to wire in a computer?
Now we are decideding on an engine the original was not computer controlled they do have some that are computer controlled. How hard would it be to wire in a computer?
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 577
Likes: 0
From: Peoria IL
If you put in a computer it would be a 94 or newer Powerstroker. You dont want to mess with that stuff. Put in a replacement 7.3 IDI with a turbo and you can get as much power out of it as a stock Powerstroker.
