Fellas,
Here again with something new for you. I went to north sidney today so about a 1.5 hour trip and as hot as it is i found the truck to be running hot. It didnt get out of hand but it was running a letter or two higher, it usually runs at the "O" and it was on the "R" and "M" on the NORMAL scale. Well i got it home, let her cool off and went out to check the fluid level, it was low and i could see the top of the inner radiator, you know all the little openings and fins on the inside. Well i got out the mix and filled it up then started it up, and the strangest thing happened. SMOKE poured out of the tailpipe, and it burnt my eyes and nose like fuel would no sweet smell at all. I went to gas it a little and it didnt go away. Shut her down and I got out, the engine had been on for about 1 minute and i felt the radiator cap, cold so i unscrewed and it sprayed "THANK GOD" cold fluid everywhere with a lot of force. I noticed too that the overflow tank had been filled and overflowed while this was going on. I capped it after a top off and started again, the overflow tank was flowing over constantly. It emptied most of the fluid and the truck got really friggin hot so i had my dad spray a mist of water on the rad and engine compartment, it cooled off but only after the thermostat let go i am assuming.

I am voting the @#%@#@ thermostat but why all the smoke? it has never done that before except right at cold start and it goes away as fast as it came. I am freaking out fellas help please!!!

 

ooooooh....don't sound good. It doesn't have to smell sweet to have a blown head gasket.....I believe you have a blown head gasket and the compression is forcing the coolant out. If the radiator cap is left off i'll bet she'll be ole' faithful coming out of the radiator. Just as well with the heat from combustion entering the coolant it will make it run hotter as well. Haven't never seen this particular act happen on an IDI, but have seen it countless times on 6.0 powerstroke and countless gassers.

 

Well, at least you are sitting down when you read this...


Head gasket.


Sorry.


There is a slim chance that the thermostat allowed things to get hot enough to boil the coolant and that would also cause overflow of the recovery tank, but if it sat for a while and was not actually overheating at any point....thats pretty much ruled out.

Be careful not to directly hit the injector pump with cold water when the engine is hot or that might have to be replaced too. Steel internals, aluminum case, very close tolerances all make for a risk of thermal induced seizure. (aluninum shrings down on the steel internal parts)

Another long shot is if the intake manifold let go allowing water to get ingested through the intake ports of the engine. This only applies to 6.9 engines however. The coolant ports that could start such a problem are blocked off with perminant core plugs on the later 7.3 IDI.

Oh, and just in case anyone else doesn't know, its hotter than hell in BC right now.

 

SOAFB, Well yeah i left it off to see what would happen and it wasnt old faithful but she did pour out like a madman. Damn it man, i didnt want to hear this.

 

Well bro, what do it do here, how do i get that done? I really need this SOB and i dont have all the damn cash to give to the labor charges.

 

Well I'm sorry to have given you what you didn't want to hear believe me I hate badly for you. I would say I'd sell you one of the extra 7.3s I have cheap, but the problem is the freight would be outragous coming to you from South Carolina.

 

It can be done with the engine in the truck, but it can also be done faster with it out. I haven't done a ford IDI in frame but did a 6.5 turbo chevy in frame and it was not fun (that engine is actually smaller and has more room to work around). If it were me, I would pull the engine for the head job but it depents on what is easiest for you. In other words, if you are actually well tooled to pull a 1000lb-1200lb engine.

You could probably do a cheap head job if you ONLY replace the head gaskets themselves, and yes you can buy them individually. The intake manifold gasket can in fact be reused. Its not recommended, but is doable if it comes out without being damaged. Some RTV sealer is all it really takes after a thorough cleaning. Thats a good $100 knocked off right away.

I don't know about the exhaust manifolds but I'm pretty sure you can leave them on for the whole job. Otherwise, they (gaskets) aren't very expensive to replace.

Head bolts don't have to be replaced unless there is obvious damage. Make sure you have a way to clean out the bolt holes in the block though. Friction is your worst enemy when torquing down a new heard.

The heads are removed by loosening the bolts in reverse order of install to prevent cracks.

They also weigh about 100lbs each without a manifold hanging off it so some form of hoist is advised.

 

Sounds good david but i have to ask, has anyone on here tried the "thermagasket" or similar product? Just wondering as it might be worth the shot since the thermagasket is a money back guarantee. Let me know what you think. The link is posted in the first quoted word. Thanks fellas.

 

Well it might be worth a shot but if it works its only a temporary fix it might last 2 hours it might last two years but it is not a substitute for actual repairs. Either way you will eventually have to bite the bullet and tear it down. Depending on how much of a load u put your truck under, I doubt it will last long without further damage.

 

I would come help but Texas and BC are way to far apart.

 

If the head gasket was repaired, where did the air come from after the "repair"?

Compare how long the after repair and before repair test times were.

4.3 liter engine runs what, 8 to 1 compression?

With 22 to 1 compression in your diesel .....


Compression in the radiator is probably a head gasket.
The fuel smell could be from a mis firing cylinder because of low compression in that cylinder.

Fixing it by pouring something in the radiator, not likely.

Can you make or buy an adapter that will let you put shop air in the glow plug hole?
If you can, I will give you a test to figure out which head gasket and what cylinder has the problem.

 

As Dave already mentioned, the high compression is a big issue.

Not only will that make the repair unlikely compared to the jeep engine, but the high compression leaking past the fire ring on the head gasket will erode the deck surfaces of the block.

I've seen this happen in my engine and in my Dad's 6.5. In my case it wasn't too bad, in his case, he found a high temperature metalic patch material at NAPA to fill the surface pitting, then sand it flush by hand. 6 years later its still holding fine (being under pressure of the head clamping down probably helps).

Erosion like this is a reason a diesel engine should never be run with a leaking head gasket. In many cases, the engine will still run fine and still be reliable, but the damage can be done over that period.

 

well i am confused now, i went out this am and she started up ok and no smoke. Still have the bubbly radiator but that went away too as she warmed. I dont know what to think now. any thoughts?

 

On the 6.9 engine, leaks like that are not uncommon.
In fact many diesel engiens have leaks like that, sealed when cold or hot, but leak in between.

Bottom line, head gaskets are getting weak and starting to leak.

I have to wonder if an injector sticking open is what got you looking to see the bubbles in the radiator..

 

the bubbly radiator was found because i heard the bubbling in the overflow container. Then when filling the radiator i noticed a funny fountain that occurred while it was warming up. too strange.