This post may get a little long, as I try to respond to everything asked.

I can't see much from the rod, any color variations or anything like that. I think it was a flawed rod that couldn't take the extra power I was throwing at it. The other 7 rods looked great. From what I can tell, the center of the rod just shattered. It's not bent just below the wrist pin and almost looks like a clean break. The bottom of it is bent thougnb from rolling around in the block.

Engine removal wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got some good tips from guys that had pulled them before and had a couple friends there to help as well -- Jeff being one of them. We had the motor completely out in about 4 hours and spent about another 3-4 hours tearing it down to the bare block. I would have had it out earlier last week, but it took a while to get a hoist to the house.

As for the piston cracks, I've seen that quite a bit on other 7.3's that have been torn apart, most running bigger injectors. I'm sure it's the heat that's caused it, but oddly every piston I've seen seems to have the same small cracks in them at the same locations of 12:00 and 6:00. Some steel replacements would be ideal, but as of yet, nobody has any available. The best a 7.3 can do for now is a set of coated aluminum pistons.

Jason, I don't think that the metal pieces I found on the drainplug were a part of the piston. Through the help of the forum, I was able to track it down to a piece of thrust bearing from the turbo. You could even see exactly where the piece fit into the damaged thrust bearing on the blown turbo. The scoring on the piston is the #2 piston and IMO is directly from small pieces of metal getting in there from when the #1 rod let go, since they are directly across from each other. With an engine spinning at ~2200 RPM, it wouldn't take long for some metal scraps in the cylinder to do some pretty serious damage to a piston.

Kris, you hit on something that has already crossed my mind...I won't be paying for high diesel prices over the summer. That should help save some money. And yes, the black Jeep in the background of the pics is my Wrangler that I have mentioned before. It's now become my DD by default.

While my truck may still be running if I hadn't gone to Smokin, I think it would only be a matter of time before it eventually let go anyway. I don't blame the trip down there or anything that happened down there on the rod failing. I didn't drive it any different down there than I did up here at home. I guess I am thankful that it happened when it did though. Some friends and I are planning a big ATV trip out to Utah later this summer and we had planned to use my truck to haul the quads out there. It would have ruined our trip if the rod let go on the way out there.

Now, for what I'm going to do next...she will be destroked. I did quite a bit of calling around last week gathering info to decide what I wanted to do. From what I figure, it would probably cost just a shade more to put a fully built 7.3 in it than to destroke it. I could drop another stockish 7.3 in it for a little less than destroking, but I'd just be worried about it letting go again. By the time you add up rods, pistons, girdle, block, and machine work for a built 7.3, which is the only way I'd feel comfortable with another one, it's pretty dang expensive. And then I'm left with an engine that's still behind on technology and limited to ~550 HP. For that same money, I figure I can have a 5.9 that's ~630 HP, no worries of it failing, and plenty left to make even more HP if I wanted to.

Now the difficult part is going to be finding a 5.9 at a decent price. I need a 03-04.5, complete, with all accessories, from an automatic truck, and without too many miles on it, say around 60K or less.

Oh, and needless to say, I am going to have a bunch of 7.3 parts I'll be getting rid of.

 

damn jeremy... that's still just makes me sick to think about and even worse to look at...

 

Sorry to hear about your truck. Apologies if this is too soon but can I buy your ATS compressor housing off you if you are planning to get rid of parts please?

 

PM sent, Jeremy.

 

PM sent earlier today as well regarding parts.

 

Well, not really blow it up. Guess i kinda used the wrong words. I should say i'm harder on it now than i used to be, but the fact that fuel prices and expensive tires are still here, it's kinda hard to do that. I dont think i have much to worry about (knock on wood) about pushing the limit of my internals. If i had the money right now to do a engine conversion, i'd gladly give my engine to jeremy to get his truck back up and running, however i have a *very* good feeling he isnt putting a powerstroke back in. Although it is easier to sell a complete engine to gain back some money, and that's the only thing from keeping me from putting some injectors in this thing, to give it just a little bit of oomph.

Work hard, play hard.....

Edit- replied to this after only reading the last of Markadeck's post.

 

Jeremy,

Since no one else brought it up, i wanted to ask you whats up with the start pattern on the pistons. Is this the star pattern that the ford techs are looking for when they tear down for warranty work? Is it due to better atomization of the fuel?

 

Tim, the star pattern is what the techs look for, you are correct. I believe it's due to more fuel being injected and at a different time during the stroke, rather than better atomization.

Edit: give me a little time to respond to PM's about things for sale. I will get back to you though if you send me one.

 

Thanks, nah, you answered my question about fuel delivery not better atomization. I do wish you the best of luck destrokin.
tim

 

 

Jeremy It turned my stomach looking at your pics. I can't be there to help turn a wrench, but here for moral support. good luck!!

 

Indeed. I talked to him last week and got some great advice and info.

 

Call me up one day and let me know what he told ya. I was going to contact him or talk to him some at Spring Fling but i dont want to pester him.

 

Dude again I am so sorry about this

 

Well atleast now we will have a Destroked FTE member , I hope the swap goes well Jeremy and we get to see it at Smokin next year.