New engine for the family truckster!

[njsteve]

Nice truck!

[njsteve]

Got everything in, on, and back together working form 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM today. I left the inner fender off for leak checks, etc. The battery cables are still hanging (actually, the ends are soaking in baking soda and water to remove the trace of "battery crust" I found on them). I will try to start her up tomorrow. I have the laptop ready with the Scantech program for setting the injection pump.

[njsteve]

Well, after the usual BS of finding out that my brand new AC/Delco fuel filter/water separator leaks like a sieve out the bottom, and having to reinstall my formerly grungy old one, all went well.

I didn't remove the glow plugs and crank it for a while to prime the injectors, like most guys recommend. All I did was prime the non-leaking fuel filter assembly by jumping the fuel pump relay and verified there was no air in the system. I then turned the key and waited for the glow plug light to go out. Instantly running! no coughs, no hick-ups, no drama whatsoever! Amazing!

I then let it warm up to 185 degrees so i could use the Scantech on my laptop hooked to the OBD1 port and set the TDC on the injection pump. I was close to the factory installation spot but a hair off so the advance was giving a DTC-88 fault code. I had to then use the pair of bizarrely pretzel-shaped injection pump wrenches that I paid $90 for (and now am happy I did) in order to move the pump half a millimeter to the passenger side. It's a nearly impossibly feat given that all the injection pump steel lines are bolted down into brackets and the pump would barely budge. (imagine trying to remove that spider creature that locks on your face from the movie ALIEN and you can imagine how hard it is to move that pump). Oh, and by the way, the injection pump is located underneath the intake manifold.

I eventually budged it enough to reset the timing and clear to fault code.

That's when I noticed my original fuel filter canister was leaking. Ugh.

I replaced it with the new one again after checking all the fuel lines and replacing the clamps. And....it leaked even worse than before. So I removed it and tried to pull the filter out to see what was wrong. That is when I discovered that the brand new unit had its plastic collar so tightly torqued on that I had to put the thing in a vice and turn the housing with a pry bar. Once I finally got it unscrewed, that was when I learned that the idiots who assembled it, neglected to install the all important sealing O-ring for the lid. Luckily I had an extra filter laying around. I took the O-ring, installed it in the housing and hand tightened it. After the third reinstall, it finally worked. No leaks.

I then went for a ride to return some of the tools I borrowed from my buddy - truck jack stands, wobble sockets, 1-3/8" socket for the oil filter adapter, etc. The truck starts on the first crank of the key and runs very nicely.

There's a noticeable difference in power above 50 mph - really starts pulling and wants to go fast(er). I have the boost is limited to 9 psi for the time being I'll turn it up a little more after I put some miles on her. No leaks or drips at the moment. This weekend I'll put it up on my buddy's lift to retighten everything.

So in the end it took nine full days to get old engine out, transfer all the reusable parts to new engine, install new engine and get it running. I lost five pounds of weight in the process! That's better results than nine days of Crossfit.

Now I can drive the truck back to the gym again.

The next project is pulling the oil pan off the old engine and seeing whatsup with the bearings.

[Tommy]

congrats Steve. That was a big job. I hope that new engine gives many years of service. You are right, its hard to find anyone that can properly work on those trucks and equally hard to find anyone willing to work on them. I am curious why you have the aftermarket air filter though Steve. Have you seen the temps of the air you are drawing into the turbo with that setup? The air temp under acceleration will go above 250 degrees. Put the stock unit back on and the temps immediately go back to outside air temp.

Tommy

[SuperNovaSS]

Well done Steve! I have been watching from the shadows and am always impressed by ingenuity and determination.


Jason

[David Billingsley]

Most impressive, looks like the mother of all engine swaps, enjoyed your post Steve, job well done.

[njsteve]

Thank you! This was quite the process. I have always been intimidated by modern stuff so this was something of a leap of faith, hoping it would work when the process was completed. and this engine is really heavy - I'd compare it to a fully dressed iron 426 Hemi in weight. And the fact that most mechanics have long forgotten how to work on and tune the 6.5 diesels - that was incentive to learn it all myself - combined with the unimaginable $$$$ cost of 9 days of labor doing the swap if I had a truck garage do it.

In the end, I don't know what I was so concerned about given that all the computerized stuff just runs itself once it is plugged back in. That was one of the reasons I tried to retain as much of the known running components on the new engine - old injection pump, injectors, wiring etc. I didn't want too many variables throwing a wrench in the process. I did end up replacing the Fuel separator/filter, starter, and radiator, with AC/Delco parts. I also replaced the engine mounts (the GM ones are no longer available) - though the diesel guys warned me that all the mount manufacturers superceded the mount part numbers to one unit that fits smallblocks, big blocks and the diesel - when the diesel had a special much heavier duty rubber used. As luck would have it I found one NOS GM diesel mount on ebay...one day after setting the motor back in the truck. So we will see how long the NAPA mounts last. AT least I have a spare in case one fails.

Now the truck is ready for cruising again!

[The Boss]

Necessity is the mother of invention!

Nice job as usual Steve.

[njsteve]

Thanks!

I was just out in the driveway on the creeper, checking the underside - still all dry - even the oil filter adapter!

I then spent two hours picking up all my tools and cleaning the garage.

I was able to get the old engine onto the engine stand and turned over so all the antifreeze could pour out all at once into the catch pans. I'll pull the oil pan in the next day or so to start inspecting it.

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Very cool!!

Nice truckster.

Ryan