Bringing a '96 6.5 back to life after 2 1/2 years of setting

[DieselDobro]

***Howdy!! Here is my question****
Has anyone ever had luck using a spray lubricant through the intake system to loosen and lesson the friction of an engine that has internal cylinder wall rust?

I bought this not running, an all stock '96 Chevy (built in 12/95) SRW K3500 with 220K after it set for two years (as of 8/11) from a bad PMD.
The guy I bought it from had the pump loose, ('96 cast 5288 pump), and was using starting fluid. It turned over really hard... After ruling out all the electrical symptoms I decided to tear into it...

Two broken 11G glow plugs and I thought I was going to be pulling the heads! I welded a nut on one and dealt with the disintegrated one by pulling the injector and cleaning the precombustion chamber with compressed air.

I didn't pull the heads, installed a recently rebuilt 5521 pump, new glow plugs, good used PMD, dual thermo housing and HO water pump. This truck is not one I am keeping and I am fixing it up to sell. Saving $$ is the prime motivator.


Got it all back together a few days ago, (2 1/2 years after it died), glow plugs cycling, turns over hard and getting harder. The previous owner rounded out some flexplate teeth with a bad starter and the starter labors when it meshes with that area of the ring gear. Not worried about that until I get it running, (or not), however.

Wishing now I had blown some PB Blaster into the intake ports of the heads before throwing the intake on.

I am getting smoke while turning it over and it has kicked a little (combustion). Oil pressure is going over 40 PSI. But the cranking speed is diminishing below the point I know the engine needs to detonate on the compression stroke.

My theory is rusted cylinder walls causing more friction from dry rings rubbing the rust off.
I am not pulling this engine apart in the truck or rebuilding it to put back in. I will do a swap with a running donor engine first for economic reasons. Obviously getting the existing power-plant running, as is will cost the least...

Any ideas or thoughts?

Thank you!!!!
Mark

Current owner of (5) 6.5 TD diesel trucks, been a 6.5 enthusiast and owner since 3/98

[Yukon6.2]

Hi
Any rust that may have been on the cyl walls will be scraped off by now.
My quess is you have issues with the starter/battery/battery cabals.
Good luck
Thomas

[JohnC]

Be careful about spraying things into the intake of a Diesel. Remember, there is no ignition to shut off and no throttle plate to limit the air. If it lights, it'll race until it runs out of fuel...

[DieselDobro]

Thanks, guys. Guess the consensus is if I can get the cranking speed up by stater power try that, if not I 'm looking at an engine swap?

[JohnC]

The cylinders shouldn't be that rusty unless it sat with the heads off...

[DieselDobro]

Heads were never removed. Did have the intake off for a few months.
I am going to solder up a new, heavier gauge passenger battery to starter cable, here in a bit a give it another go.

[sctrailrider]

What kind of tranny is in it, if a manual, remove the glow plugs, or better yet the injectors, spray PB blaster or marvel oil in the holes and pull it around some, turning the motor that way and save the starter for now, get the oil pump moving some oil and the compression will maybe blow stuff out the injector holes and loosen the rings up. then a new starter & bats and priming the fuel system or fresh fuel might get it going again.

Chris

[DieselDobro]

It is a 4L80E auto. I soldered up a 1 gauge cable (had a 4 gauge) and tried it but it didn't make any difference. I switched the batts out for some newer ones I have that need a trickle charge over night. I'll try it again tomorrow. I like the lower compression/ PB blaster idea. If the overnight charge doesn't help, I'll do it. I've turned it over quite a bit already. The cable from the starter solenoid to the starter windings looks no bigger than 4g. So I am wondering if that is my weak link....Thanks again for the ideas!

[DmaxMaverick]

I would NOT recommend using any penetrating oil or solvent (such as PB). With ALL the glow plugs out, squirt in a little MMO (Marvel Mystery Oil) or ATF in each and crank until the spray out the holes stops. Install the plugs and crank (NO glow cycle) a couple times to clear out the oil (fuel), without firing it off. It isn't likely there is much, if any, rust in the bores. The MMO/ATF will help free up stuck/fouled rings, which is about all you want to do. If it needs more than that, the engine needs to come out and the bores need to be honed, at the least.

[rustyk]

Perfect response from Dmax (I'm a recovering lube engineer), although I'd be more inclined to substitute 2-cycle oil for ATF.

And by "a little", Dmax means "a VERY little".

[DieselDobro]

I pulled the glow plugs and all but one is wet with diesel fuel which tells me there is probably enough "lubrication" in the cylinder walls, knowing how much I have cranked it already.

The cranking speed really didn't improve with the plugs out.
Don't know how it was running when it died being I bought it already dead. Might have a spun bearing for all I know with it turning over so hard.

I've decided to sell it as is due to time constraints and by the time I put a used donor engine in it's not going to make me anymore $$

Thanks to all!

[mrolds88]

Looks to me it either looks like a starter or something is bound up with the crank. I know from my 93 that I thought the IP was going up on it until With 2 900cca batteries and a jump with large jumper cables it would just barely turn over fast enough to fire, I replaced the starter and it was like a new truck.

[ToddMeister]

Yes it could just be a failing starter motor.

I had to replace a slow cranking starter on my 95 about 4 years ago.

[DieselDobro]

Well ...now the loose oil filter, oil all over the tranny, slower cranking all makes sense. The previous owner must have run the engine out of oil, which explains the hard cranking which gets harder with more cranking....
New engine time! Selling the beast like it sets for $1950 or $1700 without the IP, vacuum pump, and turbo. Thanks again.