Upcoming Head Gasket replacement

[TRUBBS]

Rockers... heads are the same, the change is in the rockers, calling for shorter push rods. I am sure if the heads are milled it would make it worse, but the biggest change is in the rockers. This mostly applies to the job1 trucks as the later ones already have the updated components.

Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk

Great now you have my worried, I changed my rockers when I first got my truck about 3 years ago (10K miles or so) and didnt change the Push rods.
I think my truck is a job 1 but not positive, I'll have to see how I can tell for sure.
Guess I'll see what's going on for sure once I pull the cab here soon to replace my leaking head gaskets

 

[kleake]

Hopefully all is well with yours. I am only 1 of many that appear to have ran into this much of an issue. Curious, the clips on your factory rockers, were they white and the replacement black?

Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk

 

[TRUBBS]

Hopefully all is well with yours. I am only 1 of many that appear to have ran into this much of an issue. Curious, the clips on your factory rockers, were they white and the replacement black?

Sent from my SM-G935R4 using Tapatalk

Mine were yellow, with black replacements (almost all my
New ones were broke so I had to get new-new clips for them.

 

[kleake]

Mine where dingy white due to the oil soaking on them, so kinda yellowish color. My replacements had several broken clips as well. The original clips looked to be much better quality and none broke after 220k. Luckily the clip just holds them in place during installation. After that, the clip doesn't really do anything unless a lifter collapses.

 

[TRUBBS]

Mine where dingy white due to the oil soaking on them, so kinda yellowish color. My replacements had several broken clips as well. The original clips looked to be much better quality and none broke after 220k. Luckily the clip just holds them in place during installation. After that, the clip doesn't really do anything unless a lifter collapses.

I didn't really look to Close or try to clean them so maybe they're really white, I'll try attaching a picture

 

[TRUBBS]

I didn't really look to Close or try to clean them so maybe they're really white, I'll try attaching a picture

Here is the picture

 

[kleake]

Here is the picture

Yep, looks exactly like mine. I just assumed white with oil stains instead of black like the new ones. If you didn't have issues at startup, you might have lucked out, but i would bet your lifters are running right at the bottom of their travel. Mine were holding the valves open by less than .005 Effectively the thickness of a couple of sheets of paper.

 

[kleake]

More great news... About 10k on the second set of heads, all had been running great but I think I cracked a piston on the way home Saturday. All was running good, pulling the camper. Engine temps around 200-215 depending on the hills, running around 70mph and all of a sudden and noise, low power, and lots of smoke. Pulled over and the passenger side inner fender is covered in oil. Popped a grommet loose on a glow plug. Had it towed home and did a compression test. #5 is showing 0 compression. Symptoms are pointing at the piston. Debating replacing the pistons, or just replace the whole motor with a new one. I'm getting tired of pulling the cab at this point. 250k on the truck now.

 

[Diesel dub]

So was it a bad piston?

 

[kleake]

So was it a bad piston?

I am about 95% sure it is, but I am pulling the cab today. I've had a lot of things I needed to get done before jumping into this project again. I'll see how far i get today.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[TRUBBS]

More great news... About 10k on the second set of heads, all had been running great but I think I cracked a piston on the way home Saturday. All was running good, pulling the camper. Engine temps around 200-215 depending on the hills, running around 70mph and all of a sudden and noise, low power, and lots of smoke. Pulled over and the passenger side inner fender is covered in oil. Popped a grommet loose on a glow plug. Had it towed home and did a compression test. #5 is showing 0 compression. Symptoms are pointing at the piston. Debating replacing the pistons, or just replace the whole motor with a new one. I'm getting tired of pulling the cab at this point. 250k on the truck now.

Depending on how much you can get a new one for, I fee
You’d be better rebuilding yours & if you plan to keep it a while do a mild build on it with the HD pistons obviously & a non-EGR ground cam

 

[kleake]

Best I have found so far is $13,500 for a new motor from Ford. WAY more than I would like, but the good is it comes with a warranty that will pretty much take care of anything. At this point I am leaning towards rebuilding mine and get any parts such as injectors warrantied before going back together. This is likely the cheapest route and still should be good. I am planning for the HD pistons, but I hadn't thought about the cam. Fill me in on this non_EGR cam?

 

[kleake]

Welp guys, here she is. Do you think the injector did it, or do you think it just eventually failed? Seems to be the same spot I've seen some others give way, and that's a big hole, not just a crack.

Yes, big pictures, so you can see the detail

The little line on the valve to the right is where the crack is. I don't think it did anything but clean the valve as there are no scratches in the metal, but there is an imprint on the piston. Heads should be ok, but I may swap them under warranty just to be sure.

Yes, the valve imprint I believe is new.

The other pistons look ok as best I can tell, but i'll do them all.

And yes, it scuffed up the cyl wall a little. Pretty minor really, so a .010 bore should do the trick, but that's just more $$$. I wonder if I should go with a short block or build mine.

 

[sootie]

looks more of an injector issue than piston failure due to the torch hole. I would replace any valves that made contact as well. Would suck to build a new motor and then drop a valve (dont ask me how i know)

 

[kleake]

I am no pro on diesels for sure, but is that really a torched hole? It looks hollow underneath in that cavity more like a faulty casting. And the edges of the hole are pretty sharp, more like a break and not a melt. Being that this is my first ever hands on view of a cracked piston, I am not 100% sure what to think.

That being said though, the heads, injectors, and most other valve train components are new and could be replaced under warranty. I would like to gather all of the details before I approach Ford for replacements though. So far i am planning for injectors, and likely heads as well. If it was 100% a faulty injector, I will push them for the costs involved for the pistons/machine work as well as all needed gaskets.

 

[kleake]

Similar to this post: http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/general-6-4l-discussion/665778-cracked-pistons-here-why-pics.html

 

[6.0 Tech]

I agree with sootie. The hole makes it look more injector related. Typically if the piston just chits the bed, the crack is straight across with no holes.

 

[kleake]

Interesting. How exactly does an injector cause a hole like this? All the fuel coming out to one location causing extra heating and melting in that spot? The burn marks on the piston look pretty consistent with the others? Any way to test the injector, i'm guessing not really.

I am trying to understand this because if this truly is an injector failure, I will push back on ford to help cover some of the costs since all parts from the heads up were replaced just over a year ago.

Also, it scuffed the cyl wall just slightly so it will need to be bored to clean it up. .010 should be plenty. Looking at price options to build mine vs/short block with good pistons/cam already installed. I'm not sure what the current machine work would run yet.

 

[kleake]

Here is a few more close ups. Interesting how big of a hole is on the bottom side like there wasn't any casting in that area? The bottom 3 are after I cleaned it up so you can see the burn pattern better.

Notice how the crack lines up with this darker line in the burn pattern? Is that where they all form at I wonder?

 

[6.0 Tech]

An injector will burn a hole like that if the nozzle isdripping slightly. It all kinda pools up there and on ignition, it is a hot spot. Do that a few hundred thousand times, and now you got a hole, a hole gives you a spot to start a crack from.