PDA

View Full Version : Inexplicable LOAD rattle



JTodd
05-10-2015, 17:49
Driving on the highway today, and all was fine until hit some traffic. As soon as I slowed down to idle, the truck was rattling much more than the normal rattle. I got home and it is rattling to beat the devil. I pulled the serpentine belt to see if it was an accessory, nope. When starting it with the hood open I saw a spark, but didn't see where it was coming from, looked like passenger side battery. I started it and disconnected the starter from the battery to see if there was a short hitting the starter. Nothing.

I decided to pull it into a parking spot in the drive and noticed that when I give it more than a touch of throttle, the noise will quiet or even go away. As soon as idle, in gear or out, it is ridiculous. Oil pressure and temp were fine. Transmission fluid normal. I have had an issue a couple years ago where the rubber insert of the crank shaft pulley tore and the pulley would rattle against the bolts. This is much, much louder.

Just noticed the spelling error in the title. Sorry about that.

Dvldog8793
05-10-2015, 18:35
Howdy
Check the crank bolt. If you had the harmonic balancer off recently(?) and the bolt didn't get tightened up, it is possible that the timing gear will rattle against the plate. Happened to me. sounds exactly like what you described. Just take it off idle and it would go away.
I thought the bottom end was going out. Raised up the motor and pulled the pan, saw the problem. Removed my bolt and there must have been some crud on the threads when I torqued it, put a new bolt in and it tightened right up.
Good Luck!

joed
05-11-2015, 06:13
Is is possible your coolant temp sensor and/or connection to it is loose? The one in the coolant crossover. I had a truck with this issue and it caused the injection pump timing (rattle) to vary.

Joe.

rapidoxidationman
05-11-2015, 18:05
dual mass flywheel on your clutch? Those bearings go bad and fall out and the masses become off center in relation to each other and the input shaft of the transmission. This condition trashed my input shaft on my old '96.

This assumes you have a manual transmission...

phantom309
05-11-2015, 18:32
torque converter bolts if its auto,...?

DmaxMaverick
05-11-2015, 20:33
By "rattle", do you mean rattle, like marbles in a can? Or clatter, that wonderful music made by Diesel engines? Excessive clatter usually means a timing change. On the 96 (EFI), this should only be affected by a sensor input, such as coolant temperature.

Worn out engine/tranny mounts can also cause changes under load.

JTodd
05-12-2015, 08:13
I have not had a chance to look at it after posting. I will first look towards the Harmonic Balancer. It has not been off in a while - I think I pulled it to check it out when I replaced the crank shaft pulley. The balancer was in good condition, so I reinstalled it. That was a couple years ago, however.

When I get to the HB, I will get a video/audio of the noise. It is way, way louder than the normal clatter, and my 6.5 seems to have a couple leaky injectors because it clatters more loudly at idle than I think is normal. The marbles in a can analogy comes close.

JTodd
05-12-2015, 17:56
Harmonic Balancer is fine. After putting it back together I started it up and realized a couple things. First, it started harder than normal. Usually, with a full glow it will fire almost immediately. Tonight it took a couple tries. Once running the noise sounds like it is coming from everywhere. The other thing I noticed is that it was idling a bit higher than normal. I then gave it some throttle and the noise went away as the RPM rose. I hit the high idle switch to bring it up to 1250 it was running much smoother and quieter.

It was as noisy cold tonight as it was the other night at normal temp.

DmaxMaverick
05-12-2015, 23:08
I'd suspect a coolant temp switch, at this point. When they fail open, it's -40, and it acts to accommodate.

JTodd
05-13-2015, 03:58
I'd suspect a coolant temp switch, at this point. When they fail open, it's -40, and it acts to accommodate.

Looks like it is available from Autozone. I will replace and report back.

Thank you all for your help.

/I still cringe at my typos in the title. Can someone please fix those?

DmaxMaverick
05-13-2015, 07:57
.......

/I still cringe at my typos in the title. Can someone please fix those?

Sure..

JTodd
05-13-2015, 17:34
replaced the coolant temperature sensor - and no change. It did start a little easier, but still as loud as before. I noticed that with increasing throttle the noise quiets from 1000 to 1200 or so and is completely gone above that. It does not matter if throttle on, or going to 2000 RPM and coming completely off the throttle, if it is above that 1200 mark, it is normal. Below that, whether RPM climbing or dropping the noise is present.

I felt around for unusually vibration, particularly contact between rocker and cover or something and didn't really feel much, except I noticed that the noise is still very present, and maybe louder from below and the oil pan vibrates quite a bit. It didn't feel like a strike, so it may be just from the same thing.

Not really sure where to go from here.

rapidoxidationman
05-13-2015, 19:02
I may have missed it somewhere, but is your transmission manual or automatic?

Dvldog8793
05-14-2015, 04:24
Howdy
I know you checked the balancer crank bolt, BUT your description sounds EXACTLY like what my truck was doing. I did all the same things that you went through and ended up pulling the pan. Then I could see that the bottom timing gear was sliding back and forth and contacting the cover. When I removed the crank bolt I found that the threads were buggered on the very end of it, meaning there was something in the crank that caused it to strip when I replaced the balancer. Or the bolt was longer than the threads. I replaced the bolt verifying the right size. Torqued to spec and could SEE that the timing gear was not going to slide around anymore.
It might be worth the time to remove the crank bolt and re-torque.
Good luck

JTodd
05-14-2015, 05:28
Howdy
I know you checked the balancer crank bolt, BUT your description sounds EXACTLY like what my truck was doing. I did all the same things that you went through and ended up pulling the pan. Then I could see that the bottom timing gear was sliding back and forth and contacting the cover. When I removed the crank bolt I found that the threads were buggered on the very end of it, meaning there was something in the crank that caused it to strip when I replaced the balancer. Or the bolt was longer than the threads. I replaced the bolt verifying the right size. Torqued to spec and could SEE that the timing gear was not going to slide around anymore.
It might be worth the time to remove the crank bolt and re-torque.
Good luck

Worth a try.

It is an Automatic

CoyleJR
05-14-2015, 08:48
Since it it an automatic I would check to confirm that the torque converter bolts are tight. There is also the possibility of a cracked flex plate.
Good luck
John

JTodd
05-14-2015, 10:29
Never done much work on automatics. Can I check the torque converter bolts without taking the transmission off?

CoyleJR
05-14-2015, 11:04
To check the torque converter bolts or nuts remove the tin inspection cover between the trans and the starter. There are three or four studs or bolts with nuts on them that hold the torque converter to the flex plate. I have found about ten vehicles that had a knock in the motor and it was actually just a loose TC nut or bolt. They only made noise under load. It is a lot harder to check the flex plate. That usually requires removing the transmission. Flex plates often crack around the bolts holding them to the crankshaft.
Good luck
John

JTodd
05-14-2015, 12:16
While there, after removing the dust plate, can I see the starter? For some reason I wonder if the starter is not retracting, or the spring is worn and allowing the starter to run out and is hitting the flex plate.

JTodd
05-14-2015, 18:18
Update.

While beginning to undo the dust plate I moved some wires at the starter and they sparked severely. I pulled the starter to take a look at the wires and see the main cable leading to the starter had its insulation worn and melted. Not sure if this is the problem or just something else to fix.

After removing the starter and loosening the dust cover I noticed something around the starter. First, there is a chunk of the shield taken out right by the starter. Second, the bell housing near the upper shield bolt by the starter is cracked. The bell housing is complete, but the area is cracked clear through and can be wiggled slightly I don't know if it broke because the cross over pipe literally rests against the end of that area or a coincidence.

I checked a couple of the torque converter bolts and they were tight. It started to rain, so I did not spin the engine to check the others.

The main question at this point is the cracked bell housing a problem?

I will spin the engine (by hand, of course. Starter is till out) to check the other TC bolts and pull the harmonic balancer bolt as well to cover the suggestions so far. While I am mucking around top and bottom, let me know what else I should be looking at.

Thanks again for the help so far.

DmaxMaverick
05-14-2015, 19:19
There are 101 reasons that could cause an "inexplicable load rattle". You found at least one, probably 3 or 4, right there inside the bell housing, and the bell housing itself. I don't suggest messing with the balancer bolt, just yet. Once you fix everything underneath, if it still rattles, then have a look. Focus on what you found, first.

Also, the crossover pipe should not be in contact with anything. Ideally, it should be heat-wrapped and isolated from any other part with a minimal distance between them. Under heavy load, that pipe can heat in excess of 1000 degrees. That heat cycling will make the aluminum bell housing very susceptible to cracking.

Dvldog8793
05-15-2015, 04:37
Sounds like you found some obvious issues. Like Dmax said. Work one at time and check for noise after each one.
I would probably disconnect the batteries when you work on the starter. When you reinstall everything, do a search for installing the starter and follow the instructions.
Sounds like your truck might have a loose starter at one time. make sure you have good threads in the block and no damage to starter bolt up area.
I replaced all my starter/battery cables with welding cable and industrial crimp ends.
I don't know if your truck is ever exposed to road salt, but if it is, I would not wrap the cross over pipe with anything as it holds the salt to metal and you will end up with a rotted pipe in short order. My pipe is ceramic coated pipe that I also had the inside coated. It has held up great.
IMHO if the bell housing crack has a loose chunk I would fix it...but that's me. I know of at least a couple that are out there that are not fixed. Customers of mine that decided the cost was not worth it.
Good luck.

a5150nut
05-15-2015, 05:36
Sounds like your starter is the problem.

Was the front bracket on the starter?

No front bracket can cause the rest of the problems. A pic or two would help to see how bad the cracking is.

Robyn
05-15-2015, 08:15
Yessssss, some pix of the area that's cracked, as well as the surrounding area would help get us up to speed.

Missy

JTodd
05-16-2015, 05:56
Here is a picture. It is up in there, so getting a good shot is a bit hard. You can easily see the flex plate with the torque converter to the lower left and the engine will be to the upper right

http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo4/jefftodd57/photo_zps10apyobm.jpg (http://s356.photobucket.com/user/jefftodd57/media/photo_zps10apyobm.jpg.html)

You will notice the three bolt holes, almost in a line. The right two are for the starter, There does not appear to be anything wrong with them. The bolts for the starter where tight when the starter was removed. The left most hole is actually in the bell housing. You can see that about half way between that bolt hole and the indentation in the bell housing below it is the crack. To the far left, at the very end past the left bolt hole is the cross over pipe that is apparently touching the corner of the bell housing by that bolt hole. The dust shield is also broken in that area so there is no corresponding hold to bolt to this last hole.

I am able to grab that end piece with my fingers and wiggle it slightly, but it won't do anything more than a slight wiggle. I am inclined to take a grinding wheel / cutoff wheel to give some relief between that broken portion and the crossover, bolt up a new starter (I still suspect something is going on with it) and give it a try

Yukon6.2
05-16-2015, 09:25
Follow the crack and see were it goes,i have seen bell housings that have cracked almost all the way around.And it defiantly could be the cause of the rattle if the crack heads for the other side of the tranny.
Thomas

JTodd
05-16-2015, 10:17
I was not able to follow the crack, but even though it wiggles, it does not move - if that makes sense. The other end is bolted to something holding it in place.

Well, after changing the starter and securing everything underneath there is no change. My next step will be to either drop the oil pan and look in there or pull the front cover off to check the timing gear. I tried to record the engine starting and running to hear the noise, but it comes out to muffled, making it sound like a normal diesel clatter, which it kind of does, but much louder and more 'tinny'

Out of ideas at this point.

I was able to get a video that you can hear what is going on. In it I revved the engine and you can hear the noise go away, then come back with RPMs drop.
https://youtu.be/qzYzAfRjS5A

Robyn
05-16-2015, 15:18
Have you checked the Serp pulley to be sure the rubber isolator is not broken, allowing it to bang back and forth ???

JTodd
05-16-2015, 15:43
Have you checked the Serp pulley to be sure the rubber isolator is not broken, allowing it to bang back and forth ???

I removed the belt and started it to make sure none of accessories was causing it. Same noise with the belt off.

Just after the video, I started it and felt around for possible source of vibrations. The valve covers showed no sign, but the vibrations were very strong at the intake, coolant neck and oil pan. Not like a strike hitting each revolution, but very strong vibrations. I'm going to recheck the harmonic balancer and this time remove it to see if I can check possible runout of the lower timing wheel.

a5150nut
05-16-2015, 18:02
Go underneath with a flash light and check the serp pulley. There are two tabs inside the outer ring. Are they shinny on either side and are the taps the meet up with shinny too? If so its the pulley that is making this noise. removing the belt wont make any difference.

JTodd
05-16-2015, 18:12
Go underneath with a flash light and check the serp pulley. There are two tabs inside the outer ring. Are they shinny on either side and are the taps the meet up with shinny too? If so its the pulley that is making this noise. removing the belt wont make any difference.

Do you mean the main pulley at the crank shaft? When I pulled it the other day, the rubber insert between the inner and outer section was intact.

I mentioned earlier about the vibrations. I noticed the same vibrations at the oil pan.

Yukon6.2
05-17-2015, 10:05
You could try some Marvel Mystery Oil.
My 6.2 sounded like it was going to come apart on a trip about 5 yrs ago.Had a mechanic buddy with me and we were tooling down the road pulling a trailer and this horrendous noise started.We pulled over and did some quick diagnosis.We couldn't see anything obvious and decided to drive about 2 miles to a pull off and look deeper.I had a quart of MM Oil that i threw in and drove to the pullout.We started to look deeper i had just installed new glow plus so i removed them to see if a tip had maybe broke off,checked the bell housing,harmonic balancer and accessorys,nothing.We had to get to a golf tee time so i decided to just drive it.The noise slowly went away,as it got quieter i would speed up by the time we got to town,about 25 miles the sound was pretty much gone.
So far it has never returned,i was leery about going anywhere with the truck for a while,now i just drive it as normal again.
Thomas

Robyn
05-17-2015, 19:31
I hate to be a crape hanger, buttttt, there is the possibility the crank is broken.

Get the serp pulley off completely (4 bolts) and start the engine.
Watch the outer diameter of the balancer for Wobble.

If the rubber on the balancer is in otherwise good condition and there are no signs of separation, and you have a wobble, ahhhhh, the crank is suspect

Any weird or unexplained drop in oil pressure recently ??

Robyn
05-17-2015, 19:35
Just listened to your video :eek: Crank is busted me think

My guess at the first throw, but could be at the second

The bad vibes, plus the noise is main line speed.

With the belt off, get a break bar on the center bolt and try and rock the crank back and forth and see what shakes.

I will not be surprised if it goes clunk clunk clunk when you rock it right and left.

A crank that breaks on a diagonal at the first throw will still drive the crank snout and thus the cam etc.

The noise is something broken.

Keep us posted.

Missy

rapidoxidationman
05-18-2015, 06:50
If something internal is broken, would it not be wrecking bearings/journals and making shiny little sparkly bits of metal that would show up in an oil sample?

What does the oil show?

JTodd
05-18-2015, 09:08
I will check the oil for metal. The odd thing is that the motor runs very smoothly above 1200RPM. Not saying it is not a broken crank, but it is schizophrenic above and below that engine speed.

One thing I noticed and did not think about until this was mentioned is that when I checked the torque on the harmonic balancer nut I was able to rotate the engine at the end of an 18" breaker bar. I'm not sure if that is normal or not.

Oil pressure seemed fine the whole time.

I will pull the crank pulley and start it up to check for harmonic balancer wobble.

Thank you all for your input. Having this down is putting a serious crimp in getting my honey-do lists done. My car is to small to even get lumber from the yard!

trbankii
05-18-2015, 13:08
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo4/jefftodd57/photo_zps10apyobm.jpg

I’m going to say that with the bell-housing disintegrating like that, that should be the first thing to take care of before you get too concerned about anything else.

rapidoxidationman
05-18-2015, 14:46
I'd want to find out WHY the bell housing is disintegrating before fixing it...

HeavyChevy95
05-18-2015, 15:08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZpCwVsihP0

HeavyChevy95
05-18-2015, 15:10
heres a video of a flex plate that sounds alot like yours.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZpCwVsihP0

JTodd
05-18-2015, 16:28
The torque converter dust shield had a similar chunk gone at the same place - right at the starter hole. My guess is that it was resting against the cross-over and either through heat/cold cycles or whatever, it finally fatigued and broke. The crossover was replaced about 5 years ago, and off hand I couldn't tell you if I put it on touching or not.

I exposed the harmonic balancer and checked for the back and forth wobble and 'clunk' with a breaker bar. Nothing out of the ordinary. There was no obvious deadspace, no clunk, nothing but what seemed like normal resistance in both directions. I then fired truck up and used a screwdriver to check for wobble of the HC. On the outer edge, almost none, and on the flat edge, there was something that caused a vibration of the screw driver, but I checked the HC and it has rubber melted to it, presumably from the crankshaft pulley insert that came apart a while ago and was replaced. I believe that was done at least a year ago, but probably the year before that.

When running, I raised the revs again and in again smoothed out nicely. I didn't push it much more than probably 2000-2500, but it was smooth and no noticeable miss or smoke or anything.

I started it and shut it down twice and recalled that the sound it is making while idling sounds a lot like I recall it did when it would shut down normally. That half a revolution between shutting off the key and the engine stopping, when it (at least mine) gives one last rattle before sleeping. It is kind of like that, except louder and constant.

I guess the next step is the either pull the timing cover or the oil pan. What say you all?

Dvldog8793
05-18-2015, 17:19
IMHO- If it sounds like it is coming from the bottom end I would pull the pan. That will enable you to check allot of different things.

Robyn
05-18-2015, 18:49
With all that noise, something is BROKEN

Just because it does not go CLUNK is not a biggy, but was a place to start.

I have seen 3 running 6.5's with broken cranks, and depending where they break makes the difference in the noise it makes.

If it were mine, I would fetch it outta the rig and assess the issue.

You can then get at the bell housing and see WTF is up there too.

Easy to get the pan off and have a good look around in there.

If the crank is broken aft of the second main there will be no wobble as there are two bearings supporting the front section of the crank.


It is serious, no matter what, and it's just a matter of time before is grenades if it's run much more.

Many times a broken crank does not break the block, but if it comes apart, there are usually large chunks distributed over the area where it goes boom.

JTodd
05-19-2015, 05:44
Then out it comes. What is the minimum I need to disconnect to raise the engine enough to pull the pan? Can I unbolt the mounts and do something with the exhaust and raise it enough just doing that?

Dvldog8793
05-19-2015, 05:50
In regards to dropping the pan. I did it on my truck with just the mounts and the oil lines. BUT....my truck has a two inch body lift so that may have given some extra clearance.
I think it can be done with minimum hassle. Much easier if you have a lift.

See Robyn's post. It might be easier to take the whole package out and then you would be able to address the broken bell housing. I have welded bell housings in place so you would not have to remove it to weld it. Also could check the flax plate.

Robyn
05-19-2015, 08:21
Trying to get the pan off of a 6.5 in a GMT400 4X4 is just a bitch.

You can strip all the peripherals off the engine fairly quick. then get the Shroud and radiator out of your way. (Lay pwr str pump to the side and tie it off)

Pop the turbo off as well

Unbolt the flex plate/converter bolts and shove the converter back.

I prefer to remove the exh manifolds, as this just gives more room

The lifting hooks are already on the stock engines.

Unhook the cooler lines up front, cap them and keep the lines with the engine package.

The bell housing bolts are easy, at least the bottom 4
The top 2 are best done from the top with a flex head gear wrench.

Getting the fuel manager off as well as the glow controller opens up a lot of needed room to access things in the back.

unplug the main wire harness at the rear of the engine (2 large plugs) and tuck the plugs back under the intake to keep them safe.

Tie the 2 mating plugs at the firewall up to keep them safe during the process.

Front Mount long bolts are a snap

***** HINT*****

If you jack the rig up so the front tires are about 4 inches off the ground, remove wheels, then place wheels back under the frame slightly behind the center of the tranny and block with suitable timbers.

This leaves the entire front area around the wheel house/s open with easy access to crawl under everything.

Get the inner fender rubber access flaps off and you now have as much accessibility as you can get to everything.

Did I mention getting the hood off, yup, it's gotta go.

More light in there and better access.

A comfy afternoon job to get the engine out.

Place a floor jack under the tranny pan with a piece of plywood or other heavy board and take the weight off just before you yank the engine.

Once the engine is out, use the 2 starter bolts stuffed into the side Bell housing bolt holes and run a 2x4 across the torsion bars and let the weight of the tranny sit there. ;)

Easy job

Get the engine on a good stand.

DON'T USE A 3 LEGGED CHEAPY

These are heavy engine, so be safe.

Now you can flip it over and rip the bottom off with ease.

Be careful when removing the pan, as these are gooped on with silicone.

Yoy can bend and distort the pan if you get rough.

Slide a THIN putty knife in between the pan and the block, then worry it through to cut the goop.

Another hint


If you need to rip rods and such out, THE RODS AND CAPS on these are not numbered, so stamp the part lines to reference them 1--8

I have likely missed a few things, but that's it pretty much.

Now, a personal preference of mine.

A box of ZIP LOCK sandwich bags and a black sharpy pen is real handy.

Tag and bag all groups of bolts and label them.

When the refit time comes it all goes right back quick and easy with every fastener available where and when you need it.

My last 6.5 was down for 4 years due to the time to find a new block, heads, and such, followed by a long time recovering from some serious health issues.

When the time came, everything was right in the cab on the floor in the little baggies.

No bolts missing, no extra parts.

IF you need to go farther there are many other little helpful things that we will share with you if and when it's needed :)


Gitterdone :D

JUST AN FYI
The last 6.5 I pulled took 4 hours to be hanging free on a chain, and this was just me working on it, and I am not fast.

Hint
If it blocks access to view things, unbolt it and get it out of your way.

Missy

phantom309
05-19-2015, 17:01
post a video,...

for me noises sound different when i read them,.:)

JTodd
05-19-2015, 18:46
post a video,...

for me noises sound different when i read them,.:)

Here you go.

https://youtu.be/qzYzAfRjS5A

It does not sound nearly as loud in the video as in person. I revved the engine and you can hear it smooth out and quite down once it reaches 1200 or so RPM. I am at a total loss. As I mentioned, it starts fine, runs fine, normal oil pressure and coolant temp. It just rattles to beat the band at idle.

john8662
05-20-2015, 07:11
I'm betting flexplate. That does't sound internal.

Robyn
05-20-2015, 07:39
Flex plate, internal to the engine ????

Either way it's got to come apart.

Getting the engine out is the only real choice.

AKMark
05-20-2015, 17:29
No, you can pull the transmission back a few inches and get to it.

Yeah that sounds just like a flex plate I did a few years ago. At least it was only a $45 part.

Robyn
05-21-2015, 07:58
Yes, you can pull the gearboxes back.

If you have a tranny jack that can handle the combo of tranny and Tcase

Best quick check

Unbolt the converter from the flex plate and slide it back as far as it will go into the tranny.

Start the engine and see how it sounds.

With the converter unbolted the flex plate will not be under the same load and if it's the culprit the noise will change a lot.

No biggy, as you will be unbolting the flex plate anyway.

Also with the converter slid back you may be able to see any anomalies up in there, such as crack's in the plate.


I hate to be a downer, but that noise sounds like a crank.

Keep us in the loop.

Missy

JTodd
05-21-2015, 08:14
I hate to be a downer, but that noise sounds like a crank.

Keep us in the loop.

Missy

No downer, just realism and experience. I have not had a chance to start pulling it out, but will next week. I plan to pull the engine and take a look at both crank and plate.

Dvldog8793
05-21-2015, 08:33
Check locally and see if you have a welding business that can do mobile aluminum welding for your bell housing. make sure they take proper precautions for welding on a vehicle. For jobs with anything computer I use a spoolgun and NOT high freq TIG because the high freq can sometimes do whatever it wants and fry stuff regardless of precautions.
I could do it but would have to charge mileage....:D
Good Luck!

Robyn
05-21-2015, 10:08
Where that crack is located is not fatal, so at the least drill the inner end with a 3/16" drill to stop propagation of the crack.

Unless you have a tranny jack, it's still easier to yank the engine, plus getting the combi out requires one of two things.

A high hoist so the tranny can be dropped back then tilted forward and out, or you remove the torsion bars and drop the center cross member where they anchor.

Either way its some tough sledding without a good high lift to gain access.

The engine is an easy job.

HINT

When going back in.

Remove the passenger side frame portion of the motor mount.

This allows you to slide the engine down and in easily with a slight tweak to the pass. side.

This negates the need to get up and over the mounts with the engine half of the arrangement.

After the body settles over time the clearance between the Bell housing and firewall gets a tad less, making it tougher to get things to lign up.

With the pass side out you can drop the engine in, slide it over slightly, then with the flax plate aimed into the bell housing the entire package will just slip back into place.

Get the pilot dowels in the holes and your good.

Bolt up the 4 side bolts on the bell and then you can raise the assembly to allow easily replacing the pass side mount back to the frame.

Sounds complicated, but is easy and makes life sooooo much simpler.

Less crimson air and far less blood letting ;)


Learning these tricks took time and thought, and a fair amount of stress and lost hide :(

The same went for using the flex head gear wrench on the two top bell housing bolts.

Trying to get those !@#$%^ from the bottom using 4 feet of extension and a wiggle socket just sucked.

The last time I did one (Dahooooley) I cut the stud tops off the two top bolts and life got 100% better.

Just screwed the bolts in by hand and a few licks with the gear wrench and life was dandy.


The fuel line bracket is a beotch and really needs to reside in the trash.

I rerouted my lines some to clear the area of clutter.

Good luck

JTodd
05-28-2015, 08:07
Just a quick update - pulling every thing out now. I cleared everything from the front of the engine, radiator, etc. Now to work underneath. Thanks again for the help.

Robyn
05-28-2015, 08:21
Be safe, and good luck.

Looking forward to hearing about what you find in there.


Take lotsa pix.
These are great things to help others.

Missy

a5150nut
05-28-2015, 17:48
Be safe, and good luck.

Looking forward to hearing about what you find in there.


Take lotsa pix.
These are great things to help others.

Missy

And great when you put it all back together!

Robyn
05-28-2015, 18:24
Thats why ya stuff all the bolts/nuts in baggies and write on them.

Dahoooley was down 4 years and everything fell right back like it had only been the week before. ;)

JTodd
05-30-2015, 05:28
I tend to thread the nuts or bolts back into their spot a couple turns to keep them where they go, but bag up things I can't do that to.

I have most of it ready pull, but noticed that the transmission to engine bolts are different sizes. Makes things a bit harder. Also, they are clearly imperial, not metric fasteners. the lower ones (of the four easier to reach) are 5/8 and the next set up are 1/2. Not sure what I will find when i get to the ones on top.

I don't see the engine lift points. What/where are they?

Robyn
05-30-2015, 09:15
unless someone removed them, there should be a loop on the Right rear and another up on left front

The bolts are metric on these, the exception would be bell housing on early blocks, and these are 3/8 bolts with a 9/16 head

The later rigs use a 15mm wrench on the bolts.

The stud topped bolts IIRC use a 14mm on the nut that goes on the stud and 15mm on the bolt itself.

Every other bolt is metric on these engines.

Here are a couple pix showing the lift points.

Notice the chain connected to the RH rear loop

JTodd
05-31-2015, 09:59
I will check again for the rear loop. It looks like the opposite front loop is part of the AC compressor mounting bracket. I took the entire bracket off instead of messing with the power steering pump pulley and getting the pump off the bracket. I will lift from one of those bolt holes.

Everything appears to be loosened except for the top bolts from the bell housing to the engine. I have removed the fuel canister, but can't seem to find the bolts. Images on google show either 2 or 3. Should they be right there, or I just havent looked deep enough?

Robyn
05-31-2015, 15:54
The two top ones are just below the rear of the engine,slightly astraddle of the valley center.

Push the insulation padding on the firewall back and you will find them

If the fuel line bracket is still there, then it will be fastened to the stud tops of the two bolts in question.

If you look at the one piccy that shows the back lift hook, you will see where the engine stand is bolted to the block.

These are the top two.

JTodd
06-10-2015, 18:53
Update: I have spent a lot of time trying to get to the bottom of this and while doing so have realized that the truck needs more overall work than I am willing to put into it. Therefore, I have decided to pull the plug and have started to search for something else. Because the body is probably a 6 out of 10 and it is not running, my plan is to have it towed to the junk yard. If there is anything anyone needs, let me know. If you are close and want the entire thing, come get it

I have pulled some things off if anyone wants them. So far, PMD heat sink with working PMD and extension harness, a brand new starter. I mean absolutely new. I bought it at the beginning of this ordeal and have less than 10 starts on it, and a set of 2" hub spacers that I ran on the rear for the last 30k miles with zero issues.

If someone wants to take the entire truck they will get with it 1" wheel spacers up front, a set of very nice Dodge chrome OEM rims with fairly new tires (the wheels would not fit without the spacers, they rubbed on the end of the upper A-arm. A new radiator - replaced it about 2 months ago. very nice burgandy interior. I replaced the front seats with unlimited adjustable BMW power seats from a 535i that have been dyed to match rest of interior. so adjustable that even the headrest rises and lowers at the push of a button! and i will even leave the police spotting light on the driver's A pillar. Make me an offer.