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Dusted motor? Need advice!

23K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  melmount 
#1 ·
I have a 2001 7.3 L with 130,000 miles on it. I have owned it for a couple of years and it has always put out white exhaust when started in the morning whether it's plugged in or not. The truck now will not start unless it's plugged in overnight. Once the truck starts and warms up, it runs great. Lately the problem has been getting worse so I decided to take it to a local shop that is very reputable. I was anticipating that I would have needed to replace the glow plugs or an injector.

Unfortunately the shop told me that my motor has been dusted and they did not recommend doing any further work to the motor because they did not feel that the problem could be solved cost effectively. I still owe $8,000 on the truck and I can't afford to lose my investment.

Can anyone recommend a budget conscious course of action to try and save my dusted engine and solve the hard starting problem? Is my shop correct that this motor cannot be saved without a full rebuild?

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
Did they take a compression test?

If you're really dealing with a "dusted" engine (and how did THAT happen? You got a K&N or anything?) and your having starting problems because of Low Compression then, NO, you really need a rebuild and there's no cheap fix :(
 
#4 ·
i would pull off the intake tube to the turbo and look at the blades,they should give an indication of dusting.If they look good i dont see how the motor is "dusted",all the air has to pass through those turbo blades.So if the motor is dusted,those blades should be as well.Does it run at all? if so how does it run once its started? Sounds like your dealing with gasser mechanics or a hard up for money auto shop to me.........
 
#5 ·
i dont believe that low mile motor is dusted unless there was a serious intake leak for a great while.if it runs fine after its started it cant be dusted.After its warm will it start up on its own? you prolly just need new glow plugs and a glow plug relay.As for the smoke that seems normal,my dad bought a 03 7.3 brand new and it smoked on colder starts.
 
#6 ·
I assume by dusted they mean dirty air ran through the motor . If that is what they mean they they would of had to do a compression test to know . If they didn't then they are b.s.ing you . A 7.3 with 130k should have allot of life left unless it was really neglected and abused . How did the truck feel to drive after warmed up . If it had low compression it would have smoked all of the time due to not burning all of the fuel . Not to mention it should have felt weak in comparison to another 7.3 (if you have ever driven another one) . I just really doubt the motor is bad . I was told that about one of my trucks and them took it elsewhere and was told it just needed glow plugs and injectors (really only 2 injectors but with the mileage it had I opted for all new .
 
#7 ·
Thanks for all your responses. The mechanic did pull the hose off the turbo and the blades were bent and worn. The mechanic did not recommend doing a compression check because he felt that the engine was in very rough shape. I think he was making these assumptions because of air pressure coming out of the oil filler tube. For those of you who were asking about the running condition of the truck after it warms up, the truck runs great after it's warm. After the truck is warm, the only performance problem that sometimes I get a slight miss while under load. My dad has a 7.3 and my truck runs similar to his. Should I have a compression check done befor I change the plugs? I'm trying to operate on a budget.
Thanks.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for all your responses. The mechanic did pull the hose off the turbo and the blades were bent and worn. The mechanic did not recommend doing a compression check because he felt that the engine was in very rough shape. I think he was making these assumptions because of air pressure coming out of the oil filler tube. For those of you who were asking about the running condition of the truck after it warms up, the truck runs great after it's warm. After the truck is warm, the only performance problem that sometimes I get a slight miss while under load. My dad has a 7.3 and my truck runs similar to his. Should I have a compression check done befor I change the plugs? I'm trying to operate on a budget.
Thanks.
What plugs would you change?
 
#8 ·
You say a miss under load ? That is probably an injector issue . If you are unable to do tests yourself you really need to take the truck to a diesel shop . I don't feel you have been given an accurate diagnoses .
 
#15 ·
I have the same problem, 98000 miles on my 2000 F350. My symptoms are when cool (below 50) if I let my truck sit for 2 days, I can light the gps for a minite or so and the truck starts right away, runs rough for about 5 seconds and dies.... kinda like running out of fuel. After 5 to 10 minutes of cranking it will start, all the while puking black grey smoke. When warm, 5 minutes of idling, no more smoke, seems like plenty of power and have no more problems starting for the rest of the day. My Ford dealer done a compression test and said all cylinders are at the range of 275-305 lbs, and the turbo fan is full of pits so it has to be dusted.
My question is, if dusted and I have no compression, why does it start right up to begin with, and why does it fire later that day, even if it sits for 6 hours? Also, why does it not smoke when warm or have power issues when pulling over mountain passes? (It is a service truck and with all gear on board it weighs right at 12300 lbs)
I am torn between it being a compression problem or a fuel problem, however there are no codes that have ever shown up. I am just not sure what to do....
 
#17 ·
My 7.3 is not that bad but I am concerned that my motor is going to get worse. Over the weekend I polled the wiring harnesses and checked the glow plugs for resistance. Three of the eight glow plugs need to be replaced. I'm concerned that after I replace the glow plugs, the condition of the motor continues to degenerate. I'm going to ask the mechanic to compression check the motor when they replace the plugs.

Will a compression check tell me if this condition is degenerative? Are there other diagnostics that I should be running in order to determine if my motor is a loss?
 
#18 ·
if cyl #8 or others are low on compression that'll tell you its dusted pretty bad, aka time to rebuild/replace.

The compression test will definitely get you some answers.
 
#20 ·
Ok, not to hijack this thread, but in my case, if compression is at 270-300 across the board, will bad injector cups or O-rings compromise the compression test? My thoughts are that if the compression is truely this bad, why does it start and run for 5 seconds then die when it is cold, then when it's warm, run great and pull hills with no problems??
I do have slight amount of anti freeze in the fuel filter that I drain on a weekly basis, this tells me I have a cup or O-ring isssue as well....
 
#23 ·
a cct ot contribution test tells how how each cylinder is working compared to the others. You could have a dead cylinder but more often then not with the miles you have on it the motor is good. The under valve cover wires are known for going bad, glow plugs too and or bad glow plug relays. An injector thats failed or failing can fail the cct test for that cylinder. The compression test will tell you if the cct test fails a cylinder you then need to know whether its an injector or bad valves or something.
 
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