Hey All,
It's been some time since we last had a "caper", and a lot of things have happened in the interim.
The latest "event" started the day before Christmas when Lorrie Van Haul and I were on our way home from Livingston, Texas and of a sudden there was a TERRIFIC amount of REALLY heavy vibration. It took about tens seconds to pull over and come to a complete stop. Put the Transmission into Park in order to get out and see what had happened. Thought that maybe a Tire had come apart, but upon inspecting everything under Lorrie, could find nothing wrong!
Got back in, put the Transmission into Drive, started to move and there was a HELLUVA "clunk" and then NOTHING!
Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine was running smoothly in Drive, but we weren't moving.
Put the Transmission back into Park, got out and looked under Lorrie and there lying on the pavement was Lorrie's Drive Shaft.
The Rear U-Joint had come apart.
Apparently one of the "C" Clips had broken, permitting the Bearing Cap to come out of the Yoke on the Differential. That permitted the U-Joint Cross to come out of the the other Bearing Cap and it too came out of the Yoke on the Differential.
Had a friend come tow Lorrie and me home and the Rear U-Joint was rebuilt and everything was copacetic once again.
And then things started getting weird!
Went to do some errands and shopping, and as we were pulling into the supermarket parking lot, Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine died. But it started right up again. It died again while waiting at the same stop light where Ms. American's Clutch Plate came apart some years ago. But again, it started right up. Made it home and just as we were pulling into the driveway, the Engine died again but this time it would restart!
But at least we were home.
Went out the next day, and no matter what was done, Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine wouldn't start.
It was suspected that the "Run" Switch had finally given up the ghost.
So the Negative Cable from the Battery was removed as was the Steering Wheel to make it easy to remove the Instrument Panel, and the "Run" Switch was extracted and put on the bench.
No matter what was done to it, it couldn't be made to fail.
So it was given a complete cleaning, and was installed with all NEW Fittings and Wires.
And then a complete diagnostic was done on the ENTIRE Ignition and Charging System. Everything checked out perfectly. Sill Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine wouldn't start.
Was nearly at wits end when just on a whim the Voltage to the Standard Bluestreak LX-301 Electronic Control Module (ECU) on Lorrie's Big Three HEI System which was shown to be getting 12 Volts when tested, was again tested, but this time WHILE the Starter was cranking and it was found to be receiving only 9.12 Volts!
Aha! The Starter was suspected of dragging and hogging all the Electricity.
Removed the Engine Cabinetry, and then removed the Starter. Took it to Smith Auto Electric where Wesley Smith tested it and sure enough, it was in terrible shape. Wesley rebuilt it and it was gotten back into Lorrie the next day.
Got everything buttoned back up, the Battery's Negative Cable reattached, and Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine started right up! BUT... The Stewart Warner Oil Pressure Gauge showed that it was putting up only 28 PSI of Oil Pressure.
Tapped on the Gauge, and the Needle went up to 38 PSI, but no matter what was done, it wouldn't go up to its usual and specified 50 PSI.
So it was concluded that the Stewart Warner Oil Pressure Gauge that had been installed in 1985 had somehow given up the ghost, probably due to the HORRENDOUS shaking it took when Lorrie's Rear U-Joint came apart.
Ordered another Stewart Warner 2-5/8ths inch diameter Oil Pressure Gauge from Summit Racing and installed it when it was delivered three days later.
Started Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine, and the NEW Gauge showed that there was only 38 PSI of Oil Pressure.
NOT GOOD.
So did some research and found that the Oil Pump on the Slant Six Engine has a Pressure Relief Valve that needs regular maintenance. Should that Pressure relief valve get stuck OPEN, it will keep the Oil Pressure from going up to the factory specified 50 PSI. Had NEVER in the thirty-nine year that Lorrie has lived with me done anything like doing maintenance on the Pressure Relief Valve.
So removed the Hex Plug from the Pressure Relief Valve in the Oil Pump and out came a Spring and a Piston. Both were perfect shape. Cleaned the Spring, Piston, the Bore, and the Hex Plug and reinstalled them. Still could get no more than 38 PSI out of the Oil Pump.
It was at this time that it was noticed that the Frantz Oil Cleaner System (FOCS) Canister was not getting hot, indicating that there was no Oil being pumped through it. On top of THAT, the Oil was BLACK, BLACK, BLACK! Something that had not happened in the thirty-nine years that Lorrie has had the FOCS on her mighty 225 Slant Six Engine.
Thinking that maybe the OLD Hydraulic Hoses on the FOCS was clogged, they were removed. Had to cut them to get them off, and then had to have NEW Hydraulic Hoses made at NAPA. Removed the Entire FOCS, cleaned it and determined that it was not clogged and was in perfect condition.
So it was suspected that the Oil Pump had finally given up the ghost.
Ordered a NEW Oil Pump and installed it when it arrived, and before starting the Engine, the Hex Plug in the Oil Pan was removed and all the Oil was drained out, and replaced with five quarts of NEW 10W30 Valvoline, plus a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil, and a pint of SeaFoam.
Started Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine and still it put up only 39.5 PSI Oil Pressure. AND when the Oil Level was checked, the Oil was again BLACK, BLACK, BLACK!
So there was something VERY strange going on.
The next thing to do was to remove Lorrie's Oil Pan.
Ordered a NEW Fel-Pro Oil Pan Gasket Set.
Drained the Oil out of the Oil Pan again. Removed the twenty-four Bolts holding the Oil Pan to the Block's Oil Gasket Flange. Removed an Engine to Transmission Bracket, and Lorrie's Oil Pan came right out.
Using a 1" Putty Knife, the years of road grime was cleaned off of the outside of the Oil Pan, and there appeared to be about 1/16" of an inch of oily soot in the bottom of the Oil Pan. Started to remove that with the Putty knife and found that what was beneath the 1/16" of oily soot was NOT metal! Got to probing what was there and it turned out to be a 5/16" thick plate of hardened Carbon!
Put the Putty Knife under the edge of that plate of Carbon and pried it out of the Oil pan. It had an indentation in it the size of the Screen Module on the end of the Oil Pump Pick Up Tube.
Did some research on this and found that Motor Oil WILL have the carbon in the Oil settle out if let sit for a prolonged period of time. You will remember that Lorrie sat for sixteen years (from 1996 to 2012). It was October of 2012 that she was finally back up and running.
So the strange thing that was happening was that in the little over a year that Lorrie has been back up and running, slowly, little-by-little the Carbon that had settled out of her Oil into the bottom of the Oil Pan was being dissolved and being brought back up into suspension. Then when the U-Joint fritzed, the vibration broke up the plate of Carbon and it began blocking the Oil Pick Up Tube going to the Oil Pump. The limited amount of Oil resulted in the low Oil pressure. That there was Carbon in the Oil was what was making it BLACK, BLACK, BLACK.
But Carbon is "soft". Graphite is Carbon and it is used for lubrication. The Carbon in the oil isn't going to harm the Bearing Shells in the Crank Main Bearing or the Connecting Rods. They are all fine.
So Lorrie's Oil Pan was cleaned, stripped, repainted Gold. Lorrie's Valve Cover was removed to inspect the Valve Train. Both the Rotating Assembly and the Rocker Arm Assembly were perfectly clean.
Permit a digression at this point. Since October of 2012, Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine has always been hard to start when it is cold (below 40 degrees). Would have to hook up the Battery Charger for an hour before attempting to start the Engine. Would have to use Start Fluid.
Alright back to the present: Installed the NEW Oil Pan Gasket Set. Installed the cleaned and painted Oil Pan. Installed the cleaned and repainted Valve Cover. Put in four quarts of 10W30 Valvoline Oil in the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) Port because it is on the front of the Engine and the Engine is higher in the front than in the back and thus the Oil would run down the Cylinder Head lubricating everything it touched.
Put part of a quart into the FOCS Stand Pipe and applied air pressure to it to force the Oil into the Oil Pump to prime it.
Put in a NEW Filter Element and buttoned up the FOCS. Connected the Negative Cable on the Battery. Turned on the Run Switch. Activated the Start Switch. Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine started immediately and put up 55 PSI Oil pressure.
And she has been running perfectly ever since.
And you might think that this would end the "weirdness", but Noooooo!
Be aware that the Dodge Shop Manual says that the 225 Slant Six Engine holds four quarts of Oil without a filter. Five quarts of Oil with a filter. As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, five quarts of oil were put into Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine.
After bringing Lorrie's Engine up to operating temperature, the Oil Pan got hot. The Valve Cover got hot. The FOCS got hot. The Engine was shut down. Checked the Oil Level and there was NO OIL ON THE DIP STICK!
Thought that maybe the Dip Stick Tube was clogged and that whatever was clogging it was wiping off the Oil when the Dip Stick was pulled. So the Dip stick Tube was taken out and a wire was run through it. A String was then attached to the Wire and pulled back through the Dip Stick Tube. Then the String was tied to a piece of Cotton Cord the Cord was pulled through the Dip Stick Tube. The Cord was then tied to a Door Knob, and holding the other end of the Cord, the Dip Stick Tube was moved back and forth cleaning out the inside. The Dip Stick Tube was then reinstalled, the Dip Stick inserted and still there was NO OIL ON THE DIP STICK!
Immediately thought that maybe the Oil Return Passages are clogged and the Oil isn't getting returned to the Oil Pan.
So just to see if Oil going into the Oil Filler Port would make it down into the Oil Pan, another quart of 10W30 Valvoline was added, and the Dip Stick Checked. There was about 3/16" of Oil right on the very tip of the Dip Stick. Remember, this is now with six quarts of Oil in the Engine.
Decided to put in another quart of 10W30. That brought the Oil level up to the "Add One Quart" mark.
Got to doing some research on this, and found that on government vehicles that one of the specification is that they have larger than normal Oil capacities. Not only does Lorrie have a Drop Forged and Shot Peened Crankshaft, she also has an EIGHT QUART OIL PAN!
So the next time we are out and about, am going to get another quart of 10W30 Valvoline to top off Lorrie's Oil Pan.
Alright... With all that said, there is an UP side to all this folderol.
The activity of the past month has rendered me in somewhat better health and am over being sore from working every day on Lorre. Have decided that I am going to try to rebuild Ms. American's Front Suspension.
What is planned is to get her back on the ground, and turned around so that her front end is facing the street. That is so if for some reason I am not able to complete the job, that she can be picked up and towed to Chassis Services in Livingston for them to do the work.
Once turned around, she will be put up onto six Jack Stand with the front End up high enough to be comfortably worked on.
Want to completely disassemble the Front Suspension. Clean and Strip all the pieces. Acquire all the necessary Parts and then reassemble them.
There is an Electric Impact Wrench here and all the necessary tools except for the presses with which to press the Bushing in the the A-Arms. But I can have that done at Chassis Services.
QUESTION: Am I, at this point in my life, capable of rebuilding the 3.14's Front Suspension?
Just turned 75 years old last January 30th. But am feeling good, am up and mobile, and have my neighbor Robert who will help me if something is too big for me to handle by myself
Or am I just having delusions of grandeur thinking that because I was able to handle this problem with Lorrie that I can handle another problem with Ms. American.
Whaddaya think?
Anyone?
Anyway, It's nice to be back posting here after a somewhat prolonged hiatus.
Hope this finds you all doing well.
Take excellent care.
JC
It's been some time since we last had a "caper", and a lot of things have happened in the interim.
The latest "event" started the day before Christmas when Lorrie Van Haul and I were on our way home from Livingston, Texas and of a sudden there was a TERRIFIC amount of REALLY heavy vibration. It took about tens seconds to pull over and come to a complete stop. Put the Transmission into Park in order to get out and see what had happened. Thought that maybe a Tire had come apart, but upon inspecting everything under Lorrie, could find nothing wrong!
Got back in, put the Transmission into Drive, started to move and there was a HELLUVA "clunk" and then NOTHING!
Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine was running smoothly in Drive, but we weren't moving.
Put the Transmission back into Park, got out and looked under Lorrie and there lying on the pavement was Lorrie's Drive Shaft.
The Rear U-Joint had come apart.
Apparently one of the "C" Clips had broken, permitting the Bearing Cap to come out of the Yoke on the Differential. That permitted the U-Joint Cross to come out of the the other Bearing Cap and it too came out of the Yoke on the Differential.
Had a friend come tow Lorrie and me home and the Rear U-Joint was rebuilt and everything was copacetic once again.
And then things started getting weird!
Went to do some errands and shopping, and as we were pulling into the supermarket parking lot, Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine died. But it started right up again. It died again while waiting at the same stop light where Ms. American's Clutch Plate came apart some years ago. But again, it started right up. Made it home and just as we were pulling into the driveway, the Engine died again but this time it would restart!
But at least we were home.
Went out the next day, and no matter what was done, Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine wouldn't start.
It was suspected that the "Run" Switch had finally given up the ghost.
So the Negative Cable from the Battery was removed as was the Steering Wheel to make it easy to remove the Instrument Panel, and the "Run" Switch was extracted and put on the bench.
No matter what was done to it, it couldn't be made to fail.
So it was given a complete cleaning, and was installed with all NEW Fittings and Wires.
And then a complete diagnostic was done on the ENTIRE Ignition and Charging System. Everything checked out perfectly. Sill Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine wouldn't start.
Was nearly at wits end when just on a whim the Voltage to the Standard Bluestreak LX-301 Electronic Control Module (ECU) on Lorrie's Big Three HEI System which was shown to be getting 12 Volts when tested, was again tested, but this time WHILE the Starter was cranking and it was found to be receiving only 9.12 Volts!
Aha! The Starter was suspected of dragging and hogging all the Electricity.
Removed the Engine Cabinetry, and then removed the Starter. Took it to Smith Auto Electric where Wesley Smith tested it and sure enough, it was in terrible shape. Wesley rebuilt it and it was gotten back into Lorrie the next day.
Got everything buttoned back up, the Battery's Negative Cable reattached, and Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine started right up! BUT... The Stewart Warner Oil Pressure Gauge showed that it was putting up only 28 PSI of Oil Pressure.
Tapped on the Gauge, and the Needle went up to 38 PSI, but no matter what was done, it wouldn't go up to its usual and specified 50 PSI.
So it was concluded that the Stewart Warner Oil Pressure Gauge that had been installed in 1985 had somehow given up the ghost, probably due to the HORRENDOUS shaking it took when Lorrie's Rear U-Joint came apart.
Ordered another Stewart Warner 2-5/8ths inch diameter Oil Pressure Gauge from Summit Racing and installed it when it was delivered three days later.
Started Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine, and the NEW Gauge showed that there was only 38 PSI of Oil Pressure.
NOT GOOD.
So did some research and found that the Oil Pump on the Slant Six Engine has a Pressure Relief Valve that needs regular maintenance. Should that Pressure relief valve get stuck OPEN, it will keep the Oil Pressure from going up to the factory specified 50 PSI. Had NEVER in the thirty-nine year that Lorrie has lived with me done anything like doing maintenance on the Pressure Relief Valve.
So removed the Hex Plug from the Pressure Relief Valve in the Oil Pump and out came a Spring and a Piston. Both were perfect shape. Cleaned the Spring, Piston, the Bore, and the Hex Plug and reinstalled them. Still could get no more than 38 PSI out of the Oil Pump.
It was at this time that it was noticed that the Frantz Oil Cleaner System (FOCS) Canister was not getting hot, indicating that there was no Oil being pumped through it. On top of THAT, the Oil was BLACK, BLACK, BLACK! Something that had not happened in the thirty-nine years that Lorrie has had the FOCS on her mighty 225 Slant Six Engine.
Thinking that maybe the OLD Hydraulic Hoses on the FOCS was clogged, they were removed. Had to cut them to get them off, and then had to have NEW Hydraulic Hoses made at NAPA. Removed the Entire FOCS, cleaned it and determined that it was not clogged and was in perfect condition.
So it was suspected that the Oil Pump had finally given up the ghost.
Ordered a NEW Oil Pump and installed it when it arrived, and before starting the Engine, the Hex Plug in the Oil Pan was removed and all the Oil was drained out, and replaced with five quarts of NEW 10W30 Valvoline, plus a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil, and a pint of SeaFoam.
Started Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine and still it put up only 39.5 PSI Oil Pressure. AND when the Oil Level was checked, the Oil was again BLACK, BLACK, BLACK!
So there was something VERY strange going on.
The next thing to do was to remove Lorrie's Oil Pan.
Ordered a NEW Fel-Pro Oil Pan Gasket Set.
Drained the Oil out of the Oil Pan again. Removed the twenty-four Bolts holding the Oil Pan to the Block's Oil Gasket Flange. Removed an Engine to Transmission Bracket, and Lorrie's Oil Pan came right out.
Using a 1" Putty Knife, the years of road grime was cleaned off of the outside of the Oil Pan, and there appeared to be about 1/16" of an inch of oily soot in the bottom of the Oil Pan. Started to remove that with the Putty knife and found that what was beneath the 1/16" of oily soot was NOT metal! Got to probing what was there and it turned out to be a 5/16" thick plate of hardened Carbon!
Put the Putty Knife under the edge of that plate of Carbon and pried it out of the Oil pan. It had an indentation in it the size of the Screen Module on the end of the Oil Pump Pick Up Tube.
Did some research on this and found that Motor Oil WILL have the carbon in the Oil settle out if let sit for a prolonged period of time. You will remember that Lorrie sat for sixteen years (from 1996 to 2012). It was October of 2012 that she was finally back up and running.
So the strange thing that was happening was that in the little over a year that Lorrie has been back up and running, slowly, little-by-little the Carbon that had settled out of her Oil into the bottom of the Oil Pan was being dissolved and being brought back up into suspension. Then when the U-Joint fritzed, the vibration broke up the plate of Carbon and it began blocking the Oil Pick Up Tube going to the Oil Pump. The limited amount of Oil resulted in the low Oil pressure. That there was Carbon in the Oil was what was making it BLACK, BLACK, BLACK.
But Carbon is "soft". Graphite is Carbon and it is used for lubrication. The Carbon in the oil isn't going to harm the Bearing Shells in the Crank Main Bearing or the Connecting Rods. They are all fine.
So Lorrie's Oil Pan was cleaned, stripped, repainted Gold. Lorrie's Valve Cover was removed to inspect the Valve Train. Both the Rotating Assembly and the Rocker Arm Assembly were perfectly clean.
Permit a digression at this point. Since October of 2012, Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine has always been hard to start when it is cold (below 40 degrees). Would have to hook up the Battery Charger for an hour before attempting to start the Engine. Would have to use Start Fluid.
Alright back to the present: Installed the NEW Oil Pan Gasket Set. Installed the cleaned and painted Oil Pan. Installed the cleaned and repainted Valve Cover. Put in four quarts of 10W30 Valvoline Oil in the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) Port because it is on the front of the Engine and the Engine is higher in the front than in the back and thus the Oil would run down the Cylinder Head lubricating everything it touched.
Put part of a quart into the FOCS Stand Pipe and applied air pressure to it to force the Oil into the Oil Pump to prime it.
Put in a NEW Filter Element and buttoned up the FOCS. Connected the Negative Cable on the Battery. Turned on the Run Switch. Activated the Start Switch. Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine started immediately and put up 55 PSI Oil pressure.
And she has been running perfectly ever since.
And you might think that this would end the "weirdness", but Noooooo!
Be aware that the Dodge Shop Manual says that the 225 Slant Six Engine holds four quarts of Oil without a filter. Five quarts of Oil with a filter. As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, five quarts of oil were put into Lorrie's mighty 225 Slant Six Engine.
After bringing Lorrie's Engine up to operating temperature, the Oil Pan got hot. The Valve Cover got hot. The FOCS got hot. The Engine was shut down. Checked the Oil Level and there was NO OIL ON THE DIP STICK!
Thought that maybe the Dip Stick Tube was clogged and that whatever was clogging it was wiping off the Oil when the Dip Stick was pulled. So the Dip stick Tube was taken out and a wire was run through it. A String was then attached to the Wire and pulled back through the Dip Stick Tube. Then the String was tied to a piece of Cotton Cord the Cord was pulled through the Dip Stick Tube. The Cord was then tied to a Door Knob, and holding the other end of the Cord, the Dip Stick Tube was moved back and forth cleaning out the inside. The Dip Stick Tube was then reinstalled, the Dip Stick inserted and still there was NO OIL ON THE DIP STICK!
Immediately thought that maybe the Oil Return Passages are clogged and the Oil isn't getting returned to the Oil Pan.
So just to see if Oil going into the Oil Filler Port would make it down into the Oil Pan, another quart of 10W30 Valvoline was added, and the Dip Stick Checked. There was about 3/16" of Oil right on the very tip of the Dip Stick. Remember, this is now with six quarts of Oil in the Engine.
Decided to put in another quart of 10W30. That brought the Oil level up to the "Add One Quart" mark.
Got to doing some research on this, and found that on government vehicles that one of the specification is that they have larger than normal Oil capacities. Not only does Lorrie have a Drop Forged and Shot Peened Crankshaft, she also has an EIGHT QUART OIL PAN!
So the next time we are out and about, am going to get another quart of 10W30 Valvoline to top off Lorrie's Oil Pan.
Alright... With all that said, there is an UP side to all this folderol.
The activity of the past month has rendered me in somewhat better health and am over being sore from working every day on Lorre. Have decided that I am going to try to rebuild Ms. American's Front Suspension.
What is planned is to get her back on the ground, and turned around so that her front end is facing the street. That is so if for some reason I am not able to complete the job, that she can be picked up and towed to Chassis Services in Livingston for them to do the work.
Once turned around, she will be put up onto six Jack Stand with the front End up high enough to be comfortably worked on.
Want to completely disassemble the Front Suspension. Clean and Strip all the pieces. Acquire all the necessary Parts and then reassemble them.
There is an Electric Impact Wrench here and all the necessary tools except for the presses with which to press the Bushing in the the A-Arms. But I can have that done at Chassis Services.
QUESTION: Am I, at this point in my life, capable of rebuilding the 3.14's Front Suspension?
Just turned 75 years old last January 30th. But am feeling good, am up and mobile, and have my neighbor Robert who will help me if something is too big for me to handle by myself
Or am I just having delusions of grandeur thinking that because I was able to handle this problem with Lorrie that I can handle another problem with Ms. American.
Whaddaya think?
Anyone?
Anyway, It's nice to be back posting here after a somewhat prolonged hiatus.
Hope this finds you all doing well.
Take excellent care.
JC