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a question for superduty owners......

5K views 46 replies 12 participants last post by  99Smokin73Stroker 
#1 ·
i am just curious. i know a lot of you know a lot about these trucks, and know that a common repair procedure for techs is to lift the cab off the frame for major engine work. this is how i do all my major engine work(engine replacement, head gaskets, etc). i have had some customers think it was just awsome we have figured out a way to save our bodies by thinking outside the box, and other customers flip out on me worried about rattles, etc(which are almost impossible). i was just curious about the normal guys opinion on this procedure and also i will answer questions about the process if you guys have any.....Marc
 
#2 ·
I'm okay with it. I've studied heavily the layout inside the engine bay of my 99 7.3 and I can barely imagine how the heck you guys have any room to work!! I had a friend who was a teacher at a career center and they had an old donated non intercooled 7.3 sitting on a crate in the shop. I got curious and decided to take the turbo off for something to do. Then I thought gee, how the heck do they do this when it's in the truck??!!
 
#3 ·
I wouldn't pull the cab off, seems like it'd be easier and you'd get the same effect by pulling the fenders.
 
#4 ·
you dont get the same effect by pulling fenders, because then you would have to take the whole front clip off, the inner fenderwells, and you would still have the cowel overhang to deal with.......and taking the cab ff consists of farr less bolts than all those other pieces do.
 
#5 ·
And that's not less complicated than unbolting and/or disconnecting all the wiring, master cylinder(s) and assorted stuff then lifting the big, awkward, heavy cab off? Rather than removing a few bolts for the fenders and inners, hood, and leaving the core support in place?
 
#6 ·
I agree, that's a lot of work taking off the fenders and everything that makes up the front clip. I've seen them pull a cab from a truck before when I was checking on my old chevy when I had it in the body shop. It looked to be rather simple and the lift or whatever they were using looked like it was specially made for that sort of thing...
 
#7 ·
overl0rd said:
And that's not less complicated than unbolting and/or disconnecting all the wiring, master cylinder(s) and assorted stuff then lifting the big, awkward, heavy cab off? Rather than removing a few bolts for the fenders and inners, hood, and leaving the core support in place?
the truth is in the end result. i have done sick-0 head gaskets both ways. in the cab, you have to take the evap core housing out, loosening and torquing everything is a nighmare, my back hurt every night after i was done working on it, and it took me 21 hours. doing it taking the cab off, my back feels good, torquing head bolts is much easier, many less scratches on the hands and arms, and virtually no chance of scratching the guys fender paint taking those heavier parts...heads, turbo, or bigger akward parts like the intake out. not to mention i can do the same job in 14-15 hours......
 
#8 ·
and...getting a sick-0 or a 7.3 out without taking the core support is very tight and you risk damaging other things if you dont take the core support out. the only way i could see it as practical is if you had a overhead chain hoist, as a cherry picker does not lift perfectly strait up.
 
#9 ·
i have done many cab off's. I have one showing in my garage pic's. That one was one of three done at home. I can have the cab off in 1 hour and 30 min. If the cab is not full of STUFF and no add ons( plow, beacons, grillguard, ECT). much easyer on the body and faster to. only had one with a squeak after repair. now I lube mounts where the body sits.
 
#10 ·
tighten the body mounts like you would tighten an intake....middle left, middle right, next one to the front left, next one to the front front right, next one to the front rear left, next one to the front rear right......etc........ and they usually dont squeek....i always double check the first ones i did after i get all the rest done, and i hear you bout people who have a junkpile in the cab....makes it a lot slower. the other thing you have to remember about the time it takes to lift a cab......some things overlap, like fan and shroud, some bulkhead connectors....etc...so that time isnt just "time to lift the cab"....a lot of people dont look at it that way
 
#11 ·
Toobad is that your garage at home? with the lift and everything?
I'll keep the "junkpile" in mind if I ever have to have mine lifted. What about my speakerbox that's wedged between the back of the first row seating, and the front of the back seat? That ok?
 
#13 ·
chip, yes, it will set a code in your PCM that your scanner or chip will not be able to clear for PCM memory failure, and it would take 80-100 full drive cycles without the chip or program in for that code to be cleared by the pcm. the only way i could tell if you had an aftermarket air intake would be if there was visual evidence of some sort.
 
#16 ·
That's cool, nice garage! My buddy has one that's got heated and has a large drain in the center, which makes it nice for working on vehicles and washing them. As for the speaker box I can easily pull it from the truck. It's just wedged perfectly between the seats. But I don't think I'll have to worry about pulling the cab anytime soon...I hope!
 
#20 ·
Bone stock

It was bone stock when the gaskets went, I did chip it 2 weeks ago with the edge juice and guess what............blown head gaskets again. I will be taking it to the dealer to hopefully have it fixed. I removed all module,attitude and EGT probe. I installed a threaded pipe plug and ground it down flat a liitle black paint and hopefully there will be no issues with the warranty. To be honest I am quite disatisfied with this truck. I know I will not be putting the chip back in and I am considering selling the truck. I now have 28K on it. I am a Chevy guy but wasnt to thrilled buying the duramax (to new) I am thinking a dodge with a manual trans.
 
#21 ·
If I need engine work on my truck I don't care how the technician gets the job done as long as it is done right the first time with no squeaks, rattles, moans, or groans. If it is easier to pull the cab go for it, just let me know so I can see it being done, and take pics. Keith
 
#23 ·
Burtonch said:
It was bone stock when the gaskets went, I did chip it 2 weeks ago with the edge juice and guess what............blown head gaskets again. I will be taking it to the dealer to hopefully have it fixed. I removed all module,attitude and EGT probe. I installed a threaded pipe plug and ground it down flat a liitle black paint and hopefully there will be no issues with the warranty. To be honest I am quite disatisfied with this truck. I know I will not be putting the chip back in and I am considering selling the truck. I now have 28K on it. I am a Chevy guy but wasnt to thrilled buying the duramax (to new) I am thinking a dodge with a manual trans.
i would personally buy a chevy over a dodge.....but look at what i answered back on your PM.....i dont think its headgaskets this time around......as far as the EGT probe.....for all the other guys out there, leave them in. if they find a plugged off spot for one, it looks suspicious, like your tryin to hide something. gauges do not affect anything, and ive seen them on non chipped trucks.....Marc
 
#24 ·
Keith T said:
If I need engine work on my truck I don't care how the technician gets the job done as long as it is done right the first time with no squeaks, rattles, moans, or groans. If it is easier to pull the cab go for it, just let me know so I can see it being done, and take pics. Keith
keith, i dont have pics of my own....but go surf around on WWW.flatratetech.com. there are pics of superduties and expeditions there, i even lift econolines
 
#26 ·
redseal199 said:
ford is replacing heads, egr valve, rear main seal, 4 injectors, and something on the turbo on my sick o!!!! he pulled the whole front clip and jacked the cab up some too.:confused:
they are replacing the heads for one of two reasons.....either they found bent rods when they pulled them off.....and there has been some issues with valves sticking on some motors......or they are warped.....and when i say warped...i think spec is under 3 thousanths of an inch between opposite corners......the egr valve....could be for sticking...or they could have meant egr cooler...which would leak coolant into the combustion system....i have seen plenty of both......rear main is kinda common.....although it could be a "just in case" while the motor is out since there may have been oil in that area, even though it may have come from somewhere else......and whoever is working on it doesnt know what the *%^$%#$$ they are doing if they pulled the front clip AND partially raised the cab. i leave the front clip entierly in tact....and raise the cab to 7 feet in the air. the only thing on the ground foreward of the bed are the frame, suspention, front bumper, and drivetrain.......keep an eye on them and be cautious with the repair.....ask the service manager to go on a ride with you and look for problems before you actually take it from them.....im kinda suspicious of the experience of the tech working on it.........
 
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