8V71 engine service

[artvonne]

   John, not trying to get around using the correct oil to drive it, I was simply thinking out loud about some cheap oil just to let it idle and run up to temp and then dump it. The stuff thats in it has been in there for at least a couple years, but I dont know how long for sure.

  Diesel fuel really doesnt clean very well by the way. High detergent oil cleans pretty good, or at least maintains the level of cleanliness. MMO cleans pretty good, plus it leaves a slippery protective film behind. Wax? I dunno.

  Anyway, if I am going to work on it I aint working in filth. So the first attack is cleaning. 

  If I can motivate myself and find the time (which are the two hardest things to find right now), what I would like to do is pull it out, disassemble as much as I feel necessary to inspect and replace as many seals and gaskets as I can, bearings, clean and paint everything and reassemble. In the process I would also check out all the accessories, replace all the coolant hose, check all the high press lines, possibly re-do the ones hardest to reach, put in a new clutch, yada yada yada. While its out it would also be nice to clean and detail the engine bay so it all looks pretty. Thats what I "want" to do.

  But I aint stupid, thats a LOT of darn work, and I could just as easily talk myself out of it. For now I am going to keep cleaning so I can get in there and work. I'll start by pulling the rocker covers and side covers and get my nose in there and see where it takes me. It does have an oil leak under the water pump, other than that I havnt seen anything else physically leaking. It all seems more "oil sprayed".

  It was much worse, some bolts around the water pump were loose, now it barely drips and thats the only drip it leaves on the ground. I had it running in the driveway for over an hour, off and on, and it only left a puddle about the size of a silver dollar. I would imagine its quite a whilwind back there, could a minor oilleak cover everything??

  Does anyone know of a way to determine clutch wear?   

   

 



 
 

[thomasinnv]

Artvonne, in my experience you really need to get it out and run it good and hard to verify the leaks are gone. I can let mine sit and run for an hour with just a drip or two, but run it down the highway for an hour and it's time for a wash down. These things can blow oil out at high rpm that would not at an idle or even high idle. Just my experience, YMMV.

[bevans6]

Correctly adjust your clutch per these instructions, then measure the distance between the arm and the round thing you turn to adjust, per the picture.  Theoretically it can be a way to judge clutch wear,  I've never done it.

Brian

[artvonne]

Artvonne, in my experience you really need to get it out and run it good and hard to verify the leaks are gone.

  I drove it home 200 miles, kept catching myself running over 75 mph and kept dropping back to 65. Everything stayed dry, no oil leaks anywhere except that area under the water pump. Oil level stayed the same too. Before I tightened those bolts I could watch it drip down when it was running, some of the bolts were finger loose. But your right, I really should go drive it.

[bevans6]

I wouldn't do anything until you drive it except take the air box covers off and look inside the air box.  If it's clean and you drive it you can see what leaks and form a plan of attack.  If nothing leaks, then don't fix things that aren't broken...

Brian

[JohnEd]

   John, not trying to get around using the correct oil to drive it, I was simply thinking out loud about some cheap oil just to let it idle and run up to temp and then dump it. The stuff thats in it has been in there for at least a couple years, but I dont know how long for sure.

  Diesel fuel really doesnt clean very well by the way. High detergent oil cleans pretty good, or at least maintains the level of cleanliness. MMO cleans pretty good, plus it leaves a slippery protective film behind. Wax? I dunno.

You are good by me.  I thought you were looking at using junk oil for the flush and that is safe and makes perfect sense to me.  Especially, since I do the same thing.  I used to buy spendy race oil and the thought of using it for a flush brought the Jew in me to it's feet.

If the oil in the engine is "unknown" I too would dump it before the flush operation.

I used to change oil on the first of the month or at 2K miles...whichever came first.  My engines in side looked like the day i put them together.  I checked valve lash at 2 K also and re synced the carbs in my competition Z car.  In short, you are absolutely correct about quality oil keeping everything pristine in there.  D would not have cleaned them much.  On the other hand, I have had many friends stop by cause their lifters were hammering and i have opened up every new purchase car I owned and many many friends new rigs.  All were dirty by my standard and some were full of sludge.  My flush is to dump a gallon of D into a 5 quart crank case and run till hot at fast idle with blips.  That is serious overfill and puts the crank in the oil so there is a lot of oil flying around in the crank case.  After my drain and fill with filter I have always noted that the oil darkens after less than a couple hundred miles so I know the detergents are working.  After that first change after the flush I have had barely any color after 2K miles.  The lifters stop hammering after a 10 minute run with hot oil and a gallon of D.   A Navy Chief Engine-man taught me that when he shut up a Dodge that had been sitting for over at year waiting for him to get back.  He said that it was SOP in the Navy Small engine shop.  Seems the Sailors abuse their equipment.  Who wooda guessed?

You sound like I think I may sound....a little.  We are of like mind on most of these topics.

Nice talking with you,

John

[artvonne]

  Nice talking to you to, John. And everyone else as well. Id never bought a Bus if it wasnt for this forum. I just dont think so.

 I bought two gallons of MMO today. Im going to dump in a gallon and run it a while then dump it hot, change filters, refill with fresh oil with the other gallon of MMO and run it a bit. Then dump it again.

 Except for the left rear under the water pump, the engine wasnt that dirty and cleaned up pretty good. Its everything else thats filthy. It would be easy to assume an engine was put in without cleaning everything pristine. For example, the paint on the engine looks bright green, but everything else, water connections and other parts bolted to it, like the water pump, transmission, etc., look older, crusty. So I will just keep poking along and see what happens. I sure would like to get it out of there though. I like clean engines and engine compartments. We'll see. Its just bolts right?

[artvonne]

I wouldn't do anything until you drive it except take the air box covers off and look inside the air box.  If it's clean and you drive it you can see what leaks and form a plan of attack.  If nothing leaks, then don't fix things that aren't broken...

Brian

  Not looking to make more work, just thinking about those things that go bang in the night. I'll just keep digging my way in and see how far it takes me.