Hard Start, Lack of boost, Oil leak(s), Air Filter

[iowahogfan]

Hey ya'll

Recently bought this 02 F-250 w/ 146,000 on here... Overall, I think the motor sounds healthy, but I'm questioning some things.. See attached files.

Wet oil/fuel on back of passenger side head. Wet oil from EBPV. Soaked intake boot. Opened up air box and found a disgusting K&N filter, but also noticed some fluid down pipe before the electronic box, but also outside of the turbo.

I have a DashDAQ hooked up to it and I can't seem to get over 9psi of boost. Any ideas on what any of these leaks are coming from and what can fix them? I do have 4 new boots coming as I think they may be leaking, which could obviously impact boost.

My coolant temperature also jumps all over the place on my DashDAQ, so I think I need to get a new coolant temperature sensor.

The previous owner said the cap to fuel filter had cracked and fuel had kind of went all over the place, which I'm assuming has caused some of the grime, but where oil is wet, something is obviously leaking..

Thoughts, questions, concerns...

[NoRalPh]

That fuel line clip, at the rear of the pass head, is notorious for chafing through and causing a leak.

The OBD-II readings from the coolant sensor are not to be relied on (there was a long discussion on the AE Forum about this) I'm not sure changing the ECT sensor is gonna help.

The K&N has obviously done it's damage (they all do ) and there's really not much to be done now, clean-up what can,,, hope for the best...

As for the general "grime", that's kinda how a diesel engines gonna look after 10yrs. unless somebody's been cleaning under the hood. Fix the leaks and decide if you want to go to the trouble of doing anything about the rest.

[AgTires4295]

Granted, the intake looks cruddy, but the compressor wheel doesn't look too caked with grime. May not be as bad as it looks. Hope for the best!

Careful if you decide to clean with worn boots:
Safe way to clean engine compartment???

Can't pinpoint his name, but one of our members cleans his entire engine compartment on the regular. Maybe he'll chime in with some pointers.

[iowahogfan]

Originally Posted by NoRalPh

The K&N has obviously done it's damage (they all do ) and there's really not much to be done now, clean-up what can,,, hope for the best...

What kind of damage are you referring to? Compressor wheel, cylinder walls, etc....? If I take the intake completely off would it be okay to clean up to the compressor wheel with brake or intake cleaner? As long as I spray it on rag and not the turbo...

Do you think it's worth putting on the earlier gen compressor wheel?

[NoRalPh]

K&N filters, even when New, let Way Too Much dirt into your engine. That Gauze & Oil system is a poor choice for good filtering, and especially on a turbo-diesel. Under load, at rpm, they draw Very Hard through a filter. A paper element is best. There's LOTS of info on the "6637" filter you can adapt. If you, like me, objected to the looks of that an even better filter that looks "right" is the Ford AIS (but more expensive)...

Yea, take the tubing going to the turbo off and clean that gritty stuff out of it. Past the turbo, because of the intercooler, most of that grit will get caught in the oil residue before it reaches the engine (hopefully). Next, consider what's called the "CCV Mod" to stop all that oil from entering the induction system in the first place.

All the earlier wheel does for you is to "Whistle" a lot louder (personally, I'm into that ) and can cure the surge that can get introduced when you upgrade your Exhaust & Filter to make it breath better.

[AgTires4295]

Originally Posted by iowahogfan

What kind of damage are you referring to? Compressor wheel, cylinder walls, etc....? If I take the intake completely off would it be okay to clean up to the compressor wheel with brake or intake cleaner? As long as I spray it on rag and not the turbo...

Do you think it's worth putting on the earlier gen compressor wheel?

NoRalPh has stated good info. To piggy-back from his post, the K&N filters have allowed dirt into the compressor housing which has probably allowed gunk to accumulate between the wheel (although the pictures didn't look too bad) and the engine. Haven't heard of "ruined" 7.3 from this but it's not too healthy. I suffered the same incident (check it out: The Truth About K&N Intakes) because I was hard-headed and bought a K&N. Since then, like NoRalPh has also suggested, I switched to a paper filter. The 6637 has since worked really well! I will have to get in there and update that post I linked to you with pictures. I would clean as much as possible, but don't get too bent up and lose sleep over what you can't get to.

In reference to the wheel itself, if you want to do a thorough job and clean it entirely, I would take the housing apart and clean the wheel front, back and everything in between. I may be over-exaggerating but if you were to clean the wheel on one side and not the other equally (say you forgot one fin) over time, an unbalanced wheel may cause premature wear. A Wicked Wheel (they have different names depending on which company you order from) would be a good replacement for turbo surge if you wanna switch it out while in there. I can't speak on behalf of the wheel as I don't have one myself, but it's on the list.

Check out the 6637 if you want to go that route: This is a high powered website created just for Ford Diesel and Powerstroke enthusiasts. Older Ford 6.9L and 7.3L International or IDI owners are also welcome - Search Results for 6637

[iowahogfan]

Thanks for the feedback. I got all the way to the wheel tonight and found that a lot of sand/dirt was caught in the oil residue throughout the intake system. I'll post some images tomorrow that show the compressor wheel in a lot more detail.

As for the K&N, I've never liked them and it obviously hasn't done this engine any good.

I'm more concerned about all the oil in and around the manifold boots... It is normal to have oil on this side? If so, I assume it's best to have clean boots with no oil residue, which probably means theres a leak of some kind. I do have new boots on order so hopefully I can get them changed out soon.

The other NASTY thing I was told by the previous owner, he used Rotella 15w40 and only change it every Spring and Fall, but didn't try to go over 7,000 miles. That plus the K&N worries me!

However, the other maintenance on the truck was taken care of rather well. The coolant looks really good, as does the transmission fluid. One of my next maintenance items is the front and rear differentials and transfer case. What I don't want to do is pour a bunch of money into a truck that I'm not sure is worth it. I wish I could tell the real condition of the motor after finding what I've found so far...

I'd REALLY like to be able to identify where the oil or fuel leaks are coming from.

After changing the air filter to the Amsoil Ea air filter, I'm already able to get to 11 psi... Where I was only able to get to 9 before. I'm hoping this doesn't have anything to do with compression, but just leaky boots, which is fairy easy to fix! Could have a bad EBPV or Wastegate..

[AgTires4295]

Dont worry too much. The oil in/around the boots is normal (around the boots only because youre boots are leaking from what you posted earlier). The oil in the boots is from the CCV (Crank Case Ventilation) which stabilizes the crank case pressure by releasing vapors back into the intake. With the build up of these vapors over time, it forms an oily residue (what youre seeing a build up of in the boots) and with aged boots, is seeping out and around the intercooler pipes. This is absolutely normal and not anything to be worried about. What you will see in a list of forums for mods is "The CCV Mod" where the ventilation hose is removed from the intake and directed to another part of the vehicle (mostly the rear as to not allow the vapors to find their way into the cab). Personally, I dont mind the stock setup, but to each their own. The engines are as tough as they come. Im sure yours is just fine as long as your previous owner didnt dump sand into the turbo

[iowahogfan]

More or less - I just want to fix the problem of not getting an ample amount of boost. I have a 35 ft 5th wheel I'd like to haul next Spring!

Oh, there's definitely sand in there. I'll upload some pics later today.

I also believe my fan clutch isn't working correctly... It runs from start up to operating temperature... I think that's what causing a little whine at lower speeds because I can hear it over the ambient air flowing around the cab at higher speeds...

Thoughts?

[NoRalPh]

First, to get it to "pull", you're gonna need over 11psi. Somethings wrong, you should be getting close to twice that... (this is up a hill, floored, at high rpm?)

Either the turbo isn't making the boost it should, or you're losing that boost through leaks in the IC system (usually at the "oil soaked" boots). If you've got a lot of grit in there, you might consider pulling the IC and rinsing it out. Then all the hardpipes & boots get cleaned. If the boots are too contaminated or cracked replace them, otherwise you can clean them real well and maybe glue them back with hairspray (an ol' timers trick). To test, you can pressurize the system before you reconnect it by using PVC caps, one with a tire valve installed in it.

The fan is viscous coupled and will always turn, that's the way they all are. They lock-up tighter when hot but still draw a lot of air when cold.