fuel in coolant/head question

[wildstang3]

So I posted about a month ago that I had fuel in my coolant on a recent trip back home, well I got back out to denver (hauled the truck back) and am going to tear into it tomorrow and even though im pretty sure its injector cups and or orings is there any way to determine if its a cracked head? I know I can pressure the cooling system and watch for leaks in the cups (with injectors pulled) but how would you determine if it was the head short of replacing the cups and repressurizing to find out its still leaking? Thanks Tyler

 

[twelch3]

More than likely it is just the cups leaking.When I had fuel in my coolant & replaced mine some of the cups were broken into multiple pieces.

 

[SIX_OHH]

I see want your wanting to see here...is it worth pulling the heads? If this is what your trying to determine then if you can afford it do it. Replace the gaskets and stud it if you can. its all in prospective of how ticky you are about your truck and how you run it.

 

[wildstang3]

Ya that's basically it I think its just cups but everyone I talk to says pull the heads, you need to check the heads. I guess I'm just worried ill get the cups done and still be leakin fuel in the coolant! Its my daily driver and I need it back!

 

[SIX_OHH]

shortcuts on 6.0s will come back and bite you in the ass.

 

[Tom S]

Only way I would pull the head is if I could not find a bad cup.

 

[wildstang3]

I have a 7.3 not a 6.0

 

[DEEZUZ]

I have a 7.3 not a 6.0

if thats the same **** head I think it is, his post are completely useless

 

[Arisley]

Naw, he's trying to help.

I agree with Tom, I would not want to disturb the headgasket seal unless I had to.

 

[SIX_OHH]

My bad i thought this was for a 6.0. In which i dont take shortcuts..7.3s is outta my league

 

[Big Bore]

So I posted about a month ago that I had fuel in my coolant on a recent trip back home, well I got back out to denver (hauled the truck back) and am going to tear into it tomorrow and even though im pretty sure its injector cups and or orings is there any way to determine if its a cracked head? I know I can pressure the cooling system and watch for leaks in the cups (with injectors pulled) but how would you determine if it was the head short of replacing the cups and repressurizing to find out its still leaking? Thanks Tyler

Is your truck still stock? 7.3's are not known for popping HG's unless you are running 40psi+ without studs. With 18 head bolts and 100+lbs per I would want to be really sure it was HG's before pulling them.

 

[golfer]

99.9% it's just the cups...we've only seen ONE cracked head (putting fuel into coolant)...and it was pretty in depth diagnostics to determine it...

(and you don't want to pressurize the coolant or fuel system without the cups or injs removed...you'll just piss the fluid (fuel/coolant) into a cylinder...giving you nowhere to find a leak).

The fuel "rail" is actually cast into the cylinder head...you can see a small (half round) 'bump' in the head that runs the length of eachhead...just above the valve spring area...but any leak in THAT part of the rail would put fuel into the oil...not into the coolant...

it would have to be an internal (the underside of that 'bump'< which is inside the coolant passages) crack in that rail to put fuel into the coolant...which you'd never see without taking a bandsaw to the head, LOL.

so, realistically...no...you're pretty much going to have to replace the cups...and then flush, flush, flush the coolant sys to get any fuel contamination out of the coolant before even diagnosing an (internal) crack in the fuel rail, where it is exposed to coolant....inside the heads' coolant passage.

 

[wildstang3]

Ya bigbore my truck is all stock with the excetion of the stacks and a chip that i use when im hauling (tow haul mode)

 

[Tom S]

99.9% it's just the cups...we've only seen ONE cracked head (putting fuel into coolant)...and it was pretty in depth diagnostics to determine it...

(and you don't want to pressurize the coolant or fuel system without the cups or injs removed...you'll just piss the fluid (fuel/coolant) into a cylinder...giving you nowhere to find a leak).

The fuel "rail" is actually cast into the cylinder head...you can see a small (half round) 'bump' in the head that runs the length of eachhead...just above the valve spring area...but any leak in THAT part of the rail would put fuel into the oil...not into the coolant...

it would have to be an internal (the underside of that 'bump'< which is inside the coolant passages) crack in that rail to put fuel into the coolant...which you'd never see without taking a bandsaw to the head, LOL.

so, realistically...no...you're pretty much going to have to replace the cups...and then flush, flush, flush the coolant sys to get any fuel contamination out of the coolant before even diagnosing an (internal) crack in the fuel rail, where it is exposed to coolant....inside the heads' coolant passage.

It is always nice to see you posting from the perspective of a shop where you get to see alot of trucks coming through instead of just us guys that own a truck and have to try and learn from other individuals.

 

[bluedevilslax]

I agree with tom on this one. I would only pull the heads if I couldn't find a bad injector cap. Unless you want to stud it.

 

[golfer]

It is always nice to see you posting from the perspective of a shop where you get to see alot of trucks coming through instead of just us guys that own a truck and have to try and learn from other individuals.

I try to post as much as possible...but since we adopted(8mo ago)...seems like there aren't nearly as many hours in each day...

Honestly wish I had more time to post, but I do stay logged in and browse through this forum on a daily basis...

Take care~

Dave

 

[C'roy78stroker]

Id feel certain its the cups. All the C7's ive seen come through the cat dealer i worked at turned out to be the cups. They were bad about that and blowing out the copper crush washer and pushing coolant out of the overflow tank with miles on them. Unless you got an oddball mishap like golfer said of course

 

[wildstang3]

I never posted after I did the work but I ordered the injector cup kit and tools from Rosewood Diesel the tool is amazing! I found two cups cracked and removed and replaced all of them in about four hours. Trucks been going strong ever since! Thanks again to Rosewood for their quick shipping and excellent products!