head removal question ASAP

Denver · Feb 28, 2013

See what Diesel Tech in Hemet can do for you. If all the other cylinders have good compression I would replace just that one piston and install a rebuilt head.

89 Stroker · Feb 28, 2013

if worst comes to worst, i will pull the motor but that's a last resort, gonna try n change the one piston

Bugman · Feb 28, 2013

89 Stroker said:
if worst comes to worst, i will pull the motor but that's a last resort, gonna try n change the one piston

You need to pull the motor to get the oil pan off and back on properly without leaks. If you don't have the money just button it back up and drive it. It may last a week or it may go thousands of miles, you never know.

89 Stroker · Feb 28, 2013

Bugman said:
You need to pull the motor to get the oil pan off and back on properly without leaks. If you don't have the money just button it back up and drive it. It may last a week or it may go thousands of miles, you never know.

deff not gonna do that, gonna just try through the bottom n see what happens, BUT the piston might still be good enough to use? i dont know

Bustedknuckles · Feb 28, 2013

89 Stroker said:
deff not gonna do that, gonna just try through the bottom n see what happens, BUT the piston might still be good enough to use? i dont know

You can pull the engine in 3 hours. Why would you lay on your back with oil running down your arms for hours when it would be way easier to pull the engine??? Trust me, i might be a duramax guy but i've pulled my fair share of 7.3s and its a piece of cake!

89 Stroker · Feb 28, 2013

Bustedknuckles said:
You can pull the engine in 3 hours. Why would you lay on your back with oil running down your arms for hours when it would be way easier to pull the engine??? Trust me, i might be a duramax guy but i've pulled my fair share of 7.3s and its a piece of cake!

i know it will take alot longer then 3 hours on this thing, oil getting on me is nothing, not gonna rip the front of my truck apart if i can fix it while its in

Bugman · Feb 28, 2013

It needs to come out. There is a cross member in the way to keep you from dropping the pan and getting it off. That along with needing the mating surface clean and dry when you apply the gasket material in order to get it to reseal the engine really needs to be upside down.

There have been people that have done it in the truck but like was said you will need to raise the engine which means that you'll need to pull the turbo and hope. Others have done it by cutting out the cross member and then rebolting it back in afterward. Both entail more work than pulling the engine.

morefuel · Feb 28, 2013

I would say slap it back together and run it. My dad did the same thing in his van and the mechanic said he would just leave the piston in with the screw still in it. Ran it for several thousand miles after that. It did tend to miss some when cold but ran pretty decent once warmed up. As far as i know it is still running fine.

morefuel · Feb 28, 2013

89 Stroker said:
i know it will take alot longer then 3 hours on this thing, oil getting on me is nothing, not gonna rip the front of my truck apart if i can fix it while its in

I believe all you have to do is pull the radiator and hood and lay the a/c compressor to one side. Shouldn't be all that difficult.

89 Stroker · Feb 28, 2013

morefuel said:
I would say slap it back together and run it. My dad did the same thing in his van and the mechanic said he would just leave the piston in with the screw still in it. Ran it for several thousand miles after that. It did tend to miss some when cold but ran pretty decent once warmed up. As far as i know it is still running fine.

its missing too bad to slap back together

Dantheman · Feb 28, 2013

Too many things could be wrong to put it back together. Could be a bent valve, cracked piston, or a bent rod. How does the injector tip look?

89 Stroker · Feb 28, 2013

Dantheman said:
Too many things could be wrong to put it back together. Could be a bent valve, cracked piston, or a bent rod. How does the injector tip look?

have looked at them close yet, rods are fine, gonna go to a machine shop soon n have em do a valve job, havent got the hose clam out yet, goonna do that soon

Bugman · Feb 28, 2013

If you are going to do a valve job on the one head you really should pull the other one and have it done also.

89 Stroker · Feb 28, 2013

Bugman said:
If you are going to do a valve job on the one head you really should pull the other one and have it done also.

i will wait untill something goes wrong with that one, deff not gonna get deeper into this thing then i already am

Dantheman · Feb 28, 2013

Did it have a miss or was it just knocking? You can tap the valve stem down with a hammer handle and listen to the sound. each type of valve (intake or exhaust) will have a similar sound. If it is very different then the head is a boat anchor. This is not a test that will tell if it is perfect but rather a quick test to identify a problem. If the valve feels sticky when tapped it is likely bent. I would think the rocker arm or push rod would be bent before the valve though. I dont see any obvious valve marks on the piston either. How do you know the connecting rod is not bent?

89 Stroker · Feb 28, 2013

Dantheman said:
Did it have a miss or was it just knocking? You can tap the valve stem down with a hammer handle and listen to the sound. each type of valve (intake or exhaust) will have a similar sound. If it is very different then the head is a boat anchor. This is not a test that will tell if it is perfect but rather a quick test to identify a problem. If the valve feels sticky when tapped it is likely bent. I would think the rocker arm or push rod would be bent before the valve though. I dont see any obvious valve marks on the piston either. How do you know the connecting rod is not bent?

im gonna have a valve job done, but just from looking around the head, the valves are fine, there was a bent push rod when i removed the rockers n such, but the valve wasent the problem

Dantheman · Feb 28, 2013

It seems the clamp held the valve open enough for some contact with the piston. I hope the head is still useable. Dig the clamp out and clean it with brake cleaner to get the soot off. See if you can find any cracks. Good luck to ya!

neverkickn · Feb 28, 2013

89 Stroker said:
im gonna have a valve job done, but just from looking around the head, the valves are fine, there was a bent push rod when i removed the rockers n such, but the valve wasent the problem

You don't know that, you are guessing. Didn't you just replace a pushrod on that valve only to have it bend immediatley after you started the engine. That sounds like a bent valve to me, or at the very least the hose clamp is still contacting the valve.

Have you looked at the cylinder wall already????

89 Stroker · Feb 28, 2013

neverkickn said:
You don't know that, you are guessing. Didn't you just replace a pushrod on that valve only to have it bend immediatley after you started the engine. That sounds like a bent valve to me, or at the very least the hose clamp is still contacting the valve.

Have you looked at the cylinder wall already????

no i had took everything apart and found a bent pushrod, so i replaced it and out it all back together to find that was not the problem, i started it and it didnt bend anything