"Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

[DanStokes]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

John - call Delta on the cam. They're in Tacoma, Washington. I've had great luck with them and I'll bet they can find a bit better profile. On the other hand, if Superior thinks is OK, that might be the best way to go.

Dan

[CTX-SLPR]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

Never messed with a 455 cover to try to adapt a gerotor but I have a gerotor on my V6 which would make it work on a 300/340/350 V8. A Rover cover might be a starting point as well for a gerotor pump of an already Buick type design.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

this is just one of those "thinking out loud" moments. I finally put an oil pressure guage on my new-to-me Buick motor and I am not impressed..... whatever I do will take a bunch of machining, but as the oil comes in from one side and goes out the other side, I'm now thinking outside the box for a solution.... and I do think a crank-driven pump could be the answer.... in any case, it will be a bunch of machine/fab work to make it work....

[milner351]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

Tonight I got the oil pan and timing cover cleaned. Got the oil pan rails "straightened" and shot the oil pan with a coat of silver - I'm painting this silver instead of the factory black so I can see where leaks are coming from, the black makes that impossible.

The gray goop is not easy to get off, but after cleaning in the solvent tank, wire brushing, and wiping with acetone - the sealer is finally all gone, and hopefully new sealer will seal completely!

No word from the machine shop - day 2 and counting.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

2 days to completely remachine and reassemble a motor?!!! boy are they slow ;D
seriously, how long until you get it back? any estimates?

[milner351]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

I've sent one email and left one voicemail.

I don't expect them to be done with anything - but at least knowing if they've looked at it - and if I should order the .020 over or .010 over pistons would be nice.

They are a busy shop - I will try to be patient.

At least the oil pan is painted silver - and hopefully flatter than when I started hammering on it last night :

[DirtyWhiteBoy]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

Looks like we have the same kind of luck, sucks to hear about the engine. It's gonna make a great truck tho. It will last forever for you.


You should have just left it alone....LOL Never heard that one! :


It will be worth it in the end.....That is what I keep telling myself anyway ;)

[milner351]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

Machine shop called Friday about 3pm -- unfortunately - the block is cleaning up at .030" over - #8 was worse than it looked.

SO - I called powerstrokeshop.com (Wabash ford in Indy) to order up the kit - and they'd gone home for the Holiday weekend.

So - I will be on the phone placing the order for the .030" over kit first thing Tuesday morning.

In the meantime hopefully the heads are getting a valve job. Since I already replaced the injector sleeves (brass) they aren't going to put them in the oven as usual - just in the big "dishwasher" which should be fine - they were pretty clean as is. Then they'll pressure check and crack check - and do the valve job.

They will need the pistons to finish hone the bores to size - then I'll have it all back - hopefully by the end of the week.

Unfortunately - we have to be out of town AGAIN next weekend - so I won't get to the assembly process until the following week --- very Ironic since we're on shutdown this week and I'll be home all week with time I could have spent assembling the engine! >

Oh well - I think I'll be putting a roof on the boat house instead.

In other news - I think I'm FINALLY on the right track with the pontoon engine! Based on a tip from one of the guys on the mercury (screamandfly.com) forum - I removed the fuel bowl air bleed jets - and backed the mixture screws out 2 turns from bottom. It picked up much better and will actually run pretty well now - but it still surges - and the #3 plug looks way way cleaner than the others - so - I think I need to go back and re-check the float levels on all three carbs to make sure the middle carb isn't running lean.... the surge could be a lean surge on the middle cylinder(s) showing the white plug - so maybe it's just the middle carb's float that is wrong.

I ordered a new prop for it - more appropriate pitch for the heavy pontoon boat. Once I get that installed and move the engine up on the transom a couple inches (it plows a ton of water now - hangs down too low) hopefully it will be 100% tuned -- I need it that way since the pontoon is going to be the transportation for the trusses from the boat launch to the boat house....

I digress.

Happy 4th everybody!

[milner351]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

.030 kit is ordered - he has one in stock in Indy - so it should be here in two days, then I'll bring the pistons to the machine shop and perhaps pick up the heads if they are done... we'll see. I have to call them and ask about the crank too, they make sleeves for both ends for the sleeves to ride on if need be. I'm a bit afraid of how much this is all going to cost - but - it's not like I haven't lived through paying back a melted credit card before. :o :

[Bamfster]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

Forgive my ignorance here...

Are all diesel engine pistons forged? It seems to me they would need to be ... or are they a completely different animal due to the application?

[milner351]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

Darned good question - based on the price of the rebuild kits - over a grand - I would certainly hope they are forged...
I'm making the same assumption you are - once I get the rods and pistons separated - I'll be able to tell for sure - they "look" forged based on the surface finish - and I would think they'd have to be to put up with the high compression / heat / boost / etc that these things go through.


The kit I ordered is a ford / motorcraft kit with Mahle pistons, heard good things about the kit. Hopefully the machine shop will do a good job finish honing the bores to the pistons - and she'll last a long long time.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

given the weather this week, I think I'd spend it on the pontoon boat

[dieselgeek]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

Darned good question - based on the price of the rebuild kits - over a grand - I would certainly hope they are forged...

I'm pretty sure yours are cast, not forged. Most diesels are cast, something about the requirements of the top ring having an "insert" ?

The actual combustion temps are lower than gas engines, and with lower RPMs (less duty cycle under heat), the diesel piston - while seeing more compression and weighing more- is not necessarily taking more abuse than a piston in a gas engine.

[dieselgeek]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

I found some good reading on the subject here: http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Arti...n_designs.aspx


Apparently, I was wrong, there are now some high performance applications where forged pistons are used - and two piece pistons as well. But it sounds like the ones in your 'stroke are cast, with a ring insert.

[mustang13]

Re: "Lee's Limo" 2001 F350 crew cab 4x4 diesel

Darned good question - based on the price of the rebuild kits - over a grand - I would certainly hope they are forged...

I'm pretty sure yours are cast, not forged. Most diesels are cast, something about the requirements of the top ring having an "insert" ?

The actual combustion temps are lower than gas engines, and with lower RPMs (less duty cycle under heat), the diesel piston - while seeing more compression and weighing more- is not necessarily taking more abuse than a piston in a gas engine.

tough to lean out, or spark knock a diesel, think thats why cast is good ;D.

Scott, have you ever handled or looked at a two piece piston from say a 3406 Cat or 4 valve Mack, they're very interesting.


John, when you go to fire this thing up for the first time after the rebuild, I want to be there to smash a bottle of bubbly over it's bow for good luck, this unit has gave you enough grief for two life times.