Why shouldn't I buy this truck?

Jonny said:
Idk how you do it brother.
Anything more complicated than brakes, exhaust, or suspension and I’m selling the damn thing. Electrical problems tempt me to cut myself or commit insurance fraud.
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Way back I owned a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe...a little thing but a go-fast for me. I loved it when it ran right. My best buddy had a 1970 Barracuda, 440 6-pack...awesome car. We ran around together like Mutt and Jeff. My Fiat tore up a lot and we were working on it lots. Ricky was a true friend. He very often offered to steal the Fiat, burn it and get me some insurance money. Tempting, but I never gave in.

So, I know how you feel, Jonny.
 
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  • #127
I went to tackle the exhaust manifold today. Noticed a lot of oil dripping off the back of the head. Obviously the valve cover gasket slipped. So I pulled the valve cover and discovered this. I assume this isn't good. Probably 10 minutes total run time since replacing the timing chains. Also had some froth in the oil cap.


IMG_0327.JPG
 
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  • #132
Actually I was looking at the right lobe of the three in the middle of the picture (cylinder #3). It's polished off, as is the follower it's riding on. The left one looks iffy also.
 
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  • #134
Yes, it's grinding instead of rolling. When the timing chain tensioner broke, the cam went out of time with the crankshaft and caused piston to valve contact. I'm guessing a bent valve. The head will need to come off and be reworked at a machine shop. All the damaged pieces parts will need to be replaced. Then I get to put everything back together.
 
Engine becoming a money sinkhole?
Hopefully the rest of the truck is righteous.
You are emotionally / financially invested in this project.
That can muddy the waters. . .
 
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  • #138
This morning I finally found something that may have been the root cause (or one of the causes) of the engine issues. I had to remove the exhaust Y pipe in order to get to the cracked exhaust manifold. When I took it off, dirt/pebbles fell out of it. I looked and the catalytic converter on the passenger side was collapsed and broken up. If the exhaust is plugged, the truck will run like crap and have no power. I gutted the cat in about 5 minutes, but the driver's side is still solid. Spent 30 minutes on it and barely made a dent. Once I get both sides gutted then I can get my Mustang tuner buddy to write me a tune to shut off the emissions sensors.

Still looks like valve damage on at least 2 cylinders on the passenger side. Waiting on a couple tools from Amazon before I can go much further.
 
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  • #139
Mellow said:
I have to wonder if the seller knew all of this when he listed the truck for sale. :dontknow: :/:
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I'm assuming he knew. He didn't know the timing chain guide was about to break but he knew it had issues. That's why he got it delivered for me. If I had tried to drive it back I wouldn't have made it halfway home and would have had it towed back to him and beaten my money out of him. Finding the plugged cat actually makes me feel good because now I can fix it.
 
You've probably done it, but beating on the outside with a hammer can help break up the cat material. I had a van once with a spark arrestor on the exhaust. The cat had broken, and all the pieces stuffed up against the arrestor. I punched out the arrestor, and kept beating on the cat and revving the engine to blow the chunks out. Still passed emissions too, and this was back in the days of sticking a sensor in the exhaust.
 
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  • #143
Haynes manual says the motor comes out to remove the heads. So last week I quit working on pulling the timing chain cover again and instead focused on pulling the entire motor. I was able to line up an engine stand but not an engine hoist. By 2pm today it was ready to come out so I improvised.

20211128_150510.jpg
 
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  • #145
I created a work area in my garage for this project. It's really nice working on something at a comfortable height while standing up, and all your tools within reach. The good news is that I don't see any damage to the heads. But I still can't explain why my oil was full of water after running 10 minutes.

My mechanic promised to come by tomorrow so I will get some answers from him on whether to send the heads off or just reassemble. I would really like to stop spending money on this engine.

IMG_0328.JPG IMG_0329.JPG IMG_0331.JPG
 
Almost looks like seepage past the head gasket?
Cyl walls look good on that side. Head too. Not seeing where a valve hit piston.
Going in deep my friend. I hope you can resolve this quick.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #148
Nope, no signs of head gasket failure anywhere. That's just where it came apart when I pulled the head.
 
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