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Coolant leak is back, Plus oil sludge! 88GMCtruck's 1999 K2500 L65 = more problems.

Sucks to hear, i also think that #8 looks fishy, not very clean. When i pulled my engine apart it was much cleaner than that. And the heads had huge cracks between the valves. I think the block should be pulled out also, but its your rig, and i know how much money it costs to do the rebuild (i spent a good 4 grand on mine 2 years ago on a college budget). I dont think even detergent oil could clean that much gunk out.
 
WarWagon said:
This is where you take a break from the project and let your mind sleep on it.

Then you look at the pictures of the water in the turbo intake and other signs of coolant in the oil and understand that it is happening and tearing down the engine is the right thing to do to find the leak.
The engine sitting overnight may allow the cracks to seep oil or coolant and show up better.
Click to expand...
I WANT to take the motor out, but I CAN'T at this time.

ak diesel driver said:
The first time I took my turbo apart I had a couple that I had to grind the heads off . then find replacement bolts. I antisiezed it pretty good and when I took it apart the next time it wasn't too much of an issue.
Click to expand...
I've left them soaking in a vat of PB blaster (love that they sell it in gallons) but if not the bolt head will probably have to be removed.

ak diesel driver said:
Did you try the heat in the cyl?
Click to expand...
Forgot, will try to today.

----------------------

Just to clarify, even with the scoring and if there are any cracks, the motor WILL be put back together as is. I really would love to tear it down further, or put a new motor in it, BUT at this very moment I can't. I don't have the time or money. As I've said before, I'm moving in 15 days. My options are to re-assemble with new head gaskets and HOPE that is solves the problem, if not I"ll have to either sit on the truck quite a few months before I can do anything else, or sell it.

Being at the end of my schooling, between jobs, moving, etc has put me in a very tight financial situation. This came at the WORST possible time.
 
On the trubo hot side bolts, A chisel on the flank of the hex, on the lefty-loosy side will usually break them free enough for a wrench.

Too bad you are pressed for time, I'd send out the pressure check plates I made to help find cracks, if any..
 
Yep, a 3/16 plate with a bunch 'o' holes (like a cyl head but flat) and then one for the water pump opening that's tapped 1/4" NPT for a standard air chuck fitting.

I used this to 'try' and determine if that #5 crack in my post above, was really a crack not a scratch... Well I couldn't get it to bubble with 30psi and a heat gun.. The block was already out and torn down.. I chicken'd out and didn't use the block.
 
They make a repair for the heads to prevent/fix the cracks from hitting coolant. At the least you should have the "wet" side head repaired. Maybe find a used head set. I had a head crack hit coolant on a 1988 6.2 back in the day. Pop open the intake valve and see if the crack traveled into the port. This will give you a leak without pressure in the cooling system.

Otherwise I'd vote to leave it till you can afford to fix it. (Heartbreak when the repair doesn't work is not worth it.)

Only reason I am running a 6.2 bottom end with heads is that my budget was $2000.00 with a blown engine and a current parts route than needed a truck and rentals were eating us alive. No, I really didn't have the $2k to spend on it but it was available. A rebuilt engine was out of reach $.
 
Was looking at other engines, best so far would be a used 6.5L from Ted's truck N stuff. After shipping it would be $2,100...

There are a few used 6.2L on craigslist. I really don't want to put a used motor in it to just have something else go wrong though.

I'm thinking.............

Here are my options, considering the time/money complex I'm in now.

1. Put the motor back together and see if the sludge returns. Cheapest option, also risky.
2. Leave it alone and find a way to tow it across the state. Still going to cost money, and make my move considerably more difficult.
3. Buy a used engine for it.
4. Sell it.
 
You're kind of backed into a corner time wise as far as I can see.

I'd say your option are:

1. Put it back together and hope for the best/sell it
2. Used engine

I don't think you'll have time to get an engine from Ted's, unless you plan to haul it where you're going and fix it there.

However, if you do buy a Ted's engine and fix it where you're going, you'll have a fine truck on the other end....
 
Tell me about it.

I also found 2 of the lifters were missing the little clips that hold them together... So if I'm going to try doing anything I'm most certainly pulling the oil pan now.

I'm going over things in my head... Honestly I'm not going to be TOO much into it putting it back together now, just the time spent and the cost of gaskets/head studs. So, seeing as the truck was running I have the option to put it together, see is the problem is fixed and run her till she dies...

I talked to Ted's, IF i order a motor from them it would ship out Thursday, and take 4-5 business days to arrive in Clarkston, Wa (45 mins from me). I would LOVE to get a motor from them (even the used HUMMWV takeouts they have) but it's a question on the money mostly.
 
With the flash on the camera its a little hard to tell how grey or black the sludge is. If its grey then water, but if its black it could be you had exhaust/soot fuel mix getting into it. Real bad blowby, and you have a lot of it in the intake.
 
Try Boycee equipment http://www.boyceequipment.com/ out of Utah for a running 6.2, $1200 delivered to AZ. You have to bend (the hell out of) the injector lines from the DS4 to fit the 6.2 heads with 6.5 injectors, wrap the manifolds in header wrap, put on a couple of exhaust manifold gaskets turbo side, and make a oil line for the turbo from a tap on the OPS block port.

Have one of their 6.2 engines with 6.2 heads in the burb with an ATeam and 30K miles on the one in the pickup with a GMx turbo.

Theirs are test run, have a 30+ day warranty, and are quite frankly better packaged for shipping than Ted's engines with all fluid ports taped or plugged.

Their engines needed the HB replaced due to dry rot.

Using a 30K mile or less 6.2 vs a 6.5 will save you $900 and Utah is quicker shipping.
 
could you put it back together and drive it to the new location, and buy fuel and food for a buddy, and have them be the moving truck? (I was going to suggest Devin, but noticed he doesnt have the d-max in the sig anymore, did he sell it?)
 
I cleaned the top of the block today, and disassembled and cleaned all the lifters. 3 of them were missing the retaining clips. I also inspected the heads, block and headgaskets. I found 2 interesting things. First was the rollpin alightment thing for the head, well one of them that is open to the waterjacket was oily. Could have been there, could be from ripping this apart. Second thing I found was the end of one head gasket appeared to be seperating a bit around the firering and one of the waterjackets. Possible from taking it apart, or coolant loss cause?

I did a few other things as well. I cleaned and inspected the turbo some more... and low and behold the compressor was starting to rub the housing. So, I've been inducting aluminum into the motor. Possible cause of the scoring!? It does appear that it is still rebuildable however, and the rebuild kit is on the way.

I also cut open the old oil filter with a chisel and tinsnips. It was very gunky inside, saturated with glop. For the life of me I can't tell if there is metal in it or not; I can rub the gunk on my hand/arm etc and it feels smooth, but there is a nagging in the back of my mind that there may be metal in it. Honestly I have no idea, nor will I till I can send an oil sample out to be tested.

Well, I've thought about it all; used motor, wait and tow it across the state, put this one together, sell it, set the truck on fire and push it off a cliff...... The options are making my head spin. (ok, honestly I just need some comic relief every now and again). Anyway. I think I'm going to proceed as planned with putting it back together. Tomorrow the front diff will go out so I can pull the oil pan and pump. Here is my reasoning: I have already came this far, and aside from cleaning the oil pan and pump, the motor is almost cleaned up. I've obtained 99% of the parts as well. Once it's together I'm going to fill the crankcase with diesel fuel and a bit of fresh oil (like 6 quarts diesel to 2 quarts oil) and run the truck about a minute. Then so a fresh oil and filter change. Run it awhile (maybe 100 miles) and change it again.

I know it's a risky choice, but the truck ran. IMO I'm going to spend this much on towing it across the state, and I'm almost done working on it now anyway. If I can get a few more thousand miles out of it (or hell, who knows it could last for more) then it's worth it to me. This will give me time to get my other affairs in order, such as moving and starting my job next month, and allow me to save up for a replacement. In the future when I need to put a motor in it, I can either take time and build one from scratch myself, or just buy a good longblock.
 
Ordered a few more parts today, and picked up yesterdays order. ARP studs come in tomorrow. Hopefully the turbo rebuild kit shows up before the weekend, so I can get this thing back together.
 
Pulled the front diff, starter, oilpan and oil pump.

No sludge in the bottom end of the motor. Makes me think the sludge was really a recent problem, probably due to a headgasket or other coolant leak. I did look at the head alignment pins more closely, and i'm pretty sure at least one was letting oil by it into the coolant. That was on the driver's side, and IMO there was much more sludge on that side of the motor. There was NO baked on oil or sludge anywhere. After pulling the pan, I did manage to find a piece of the broken lifter too. I really think the missing lifter clip was due to the runaway PMD as I know the truck probably over-revved from it.

Spent awhile with a brush cleaning everything down there as well, looks good IMO. Obviously I can't pull the crank out but it looks good otherwise.

Tomorrow everything except the turbo rebuild kit will be here, so it will be put back together.
 
You can use a magnet on the filter media to see how much iron is in it. With the scoring you bet you will find some.

Head gaskets are tough to see the failures on. Post a close up of the suspect gasket section.

So I take it there isn't any cracks from the main bolt holes visible from the sides?
 
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