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My Diesel install.

56914 Views 272 Replies 64 Participants Last post by  seawalkersee
I picked up a 6.9 a few months ago that has less than 100K on it. Last week I started the swap. Im sorry that I am not computer savvy enough to put pix on the thread but I will describe what I have gone through.

First off, if you do not have a good way to hang the engine, do not even try this swap. When I stuck it in the back of my dad's F-150 to get it home, it dropped the back end WAYYYY down. So when you go to put the engine in, your best bet is to try to keep the engine as close to the ground as possible if you are using an engine hoist. In order to do that, PULL THE FRONT END OFF OF THE VEHICLE or at least the core support and grille.

Second. Once you get the front end off, do the obvious and disconnect the stuff for the gasoline powered engine.

Third. Pull the tranny and attachments. Then pull the engine.

Fourth. This is the part that gets tricky. The plates that the gasoline engine mounts bolt to, have to be removed. On my 84, the passenger side was bolted in. The drivers side however was rivited in so I had to cut/pry them out. As soon as you pull the engine, you will see what I mean.

Fourth A> This is kind of an important piece of info. I had the guy that pulled the engine, take the engine mount plates out of the old vehicle so I could use them. Of the two plates (obviously one per side), only three bolt holes lined up. They looked like they would fit at first, but did not and I had to pull the engine back out.

To pull/install the engine, I found it easier to actually roll the vehicle under/ out from under the engine.

Now, all that being said, there are some things you will need to know. I lynched the springs off of the 250 as I could tell they were larger. I also took the accelerator cable and I am glad I did as there is a difference. The doner vehicle actually came with a T-18 or 19 tranny. I spent a lot of time setting mine up for a manual tranny (dont ask why but I like the idea of a manual tranny in the first place) so I could have an OD setup. However, I still run a NP435. Not knowing what was going to come of that, I took a gamble and the input shafts will work with the same clutch disc's.

As far as I am now is the engine is sitting inside of the vehicle and the tranny is bolted up. No wiring at this point.

Post qustions and someone point me to a link to get pix posted and I will try to do so.

Chris
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No pics defentlly sucks, can you email them to someone then they can post em?? I would do that for you

Sounds like an interesting swap though.
You need to upload them to a site like Photobucket or Supermotors. Once you upload them to the site they will host them for you and they will provide you with a link that you can copy/paste into your post here, which will make the pic show up in your post.
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You can see the drivers side mout plate had to be cut to get the grinder to the rivets. The passenger side was easy. It bolted on.

Chris
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Sounds good so far :thumbup
Welllllll...I had some good news and some bad news tonight. I hooked up some stuff and tried to turn over the engine. Then....Click. Then....Click. Then....Click. You get the point. So I do some checkin' and find what I think has to be another power wire to the starter (its a cable...like 2 guage or something). I stick it to the + side of one of the batteries and it turns over. I mean, like a good solid turn over. I am a few days from having it run. Then, there is a loud pop/spark from the cable at the battery. Now, no turn over. What the heck? I have to pull some wiring diagrams and find out what I have done. I have to hook up the fuel still, but baby steps are taking too long.

SWS
7.3 Diesel

Hi,

I've got a 7.3 diesel sitting in my garage. I've been thinking about putting it into a bronco. Are there any particular years of broncos that are more or less desirable for this? I need to do a 1989 or older due to emission laws in this area.

Thanks,

Ryan
Diesel swaps are fun arnt they, I did a powerstroke in a 351 powered f250. I know what you are going threw with that motor crossmember, when i do my SAS im building a whole new unboltable crossmember.
For the starter it sounds like you have the stater relay power cable to the soleniod but no power cable on the starter. The main battery positive cable goes on the large lug on the starter.
Hi,

I've got a 7.3 diesel sitting in my garage. I've been thinking about putting it into a bronco. Are there any particular years of broncos that are more or less desirable for this? I need to do a 1989 or older due to emission laws in this area.

Thanks,

Ryan
Wondering about the emmision laws in your area and why it would have to be a 89 or older? Can you post a link for your state laws?
but why a 6.9??such turd motors. be better off with a gaser rather than that thing...
Diesel swaps are fun arnt they, I did a powerstroke in a 351 powered f250. I know what you are going threw with that motor crossmember, when i do my SAS im building a whole new unboltable crossmember.
For the starter it sounds like you have the stater relay power cable to the soleniod but no power cable on the starter. The main battery positive cable goes on the large lug on the starter.
Not sure what happened but it cranks now. The bad news is, it is backfiring through the intake. I think it may have a popped HG. I am going to try to get it running pretty quick to see if it will run at all. If not, I will have to try to weld the frame mount back together and stick the 351 back in that bad boy....Least I know it will pull.

Should know more by tomorrow.

SWS
Wondering about the emmision laws in your area and why it would have to be a 89 or older? Can you post a link for your state laws?
In my part of Oregon anything over 20 years old is emissions exempt. If I got a 1989, or possibly even a 1990 bronco, I could register it with the existing motor and then do the conversion.

Here are all the exciting regulations. :)

http://www.deq.state.or.us/regulations/rulesandlaws.htm
but why a 6.9??such turd motors. be better off with a gaser rather than that thing...
You posted this shortly before I posted so here it is. I want a Cummins but found the 6.9 for a few hundred dollars. I am not looking to build a tractor pull vehicle so lower power with tons of torque is perfect.

I think you are misled on your "turd" part. There are a few of them doing pretty well. I am going to slap a blower on it and be good to go (provided what I am woking on now works). This will be for driving in the snow and in the mud and towing.

If THAT is not enough to sway you, it will run on anything that has BTU's.

SWS
I hope you mean turbo not blower. That is a great conversion for free fuel (((WVO)))
No...I mean blower. Why? Forced air is forced air. I have some extra ones here and want to use my turbo for my 4.6. Its just the way I want it setup.

Like I said, I am not building some 1000HP setup, I want it to be reliable, have enough grunt to tow the car and trailer, and run on anything, and CHEEEEEP. So far I ahve a few bugs I am working on, but sans that, I think it is going to be the best swap I could do.

SWS
and run on anything, and CHEEEEEP.
isnt deisel the most expensive right now? you could run it on fry oil but it still costs money to filter it and add the right chemicals for it to run right,

ive thought of doing this very same swap but it just didnt seem worth it when you take in account the price of the licences and equipment it takes to turn the fry oil into a runable fuel

check this link out SWS its loaded with all the info you need on converting the oil into usable fuel

http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/files/CS_EcoDome_Brainerd.pdf

doesnt seem worth it to me:shrug
You posted this shortly before I posted so here it is. I want a Cummins but found the 6.9 for a few hundred dollars. I am not looking to build a tractor pull vehicle so lower power with tons of torque is perfect.

I think you are misled on your "turd" part. There are a few of them doing pretty well. I am going to slap a blower on it and be good to go (provided what I am woking on now works). This will be for driving in the snow and in the mud and towing.

If THAT is not enough to sway you, it will run on anything that has BTU's.

SWS

yeah Im mislead, I only work on diesels every fricken day:rolleyes:

its a trud, its slow as hell, parts are junk on them, and power and im not sure what torque your talking about. the powerstrokes are so much better its not even funny.

sure the IDIs will run on anything that is combustible but I will pay for expensice diesel in a PSD anyday of the week before ever driving a IDI
isnt deisel the most expensive right now? you could run it on fry oil but it still costs money to filter it and add the right chemicals for it to run right,

ive thought of doing this very same swap but it just didnt seem worth it when you take in account the price of the licences and equipment it takes to turn the fry oil into a runable fuel

check this link out SWS its loaded with all the info you need on converting the oil into usable fuel

http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/files/CS_EcoDome_Brainerd.pdf

doesnt seem worth it to me:shrug
ACtually you can run just filtered veggie oil, no equipment to make it "runable" fuel required. A heater in the tank, a switch to change from reg diesel to veggie and back (have to "flush" the system before shut down and easier to start on cool/cold mornings with reg diesel). Done.
Nothing wrong with the old 6.9 as long as you don't need to go fast. That make a lot more torque at idle then what the PSD's do so if you have a manual transmission and idleing over things is your kind of thing then it will suit you just fine. If you're building the engine to get a 10,000 pound trailer up a 5% hill faster then 30 mph its probably not going to happen. The Banks Sidewinder kit is a great one for that engine and while still it won't be as powerful as the PSD's its a VAST improvement over stock if you want to go faster.
Okay...I GOT IT FOR $400.00 and a set of used headers....essentally COMPLETE with less than 100K. Now, I have two t-birds, one SC that will have SBF power until I can afford to build the engine the way I want it so I do NOT need this thing to be fast. Just able to get me from A to B. I will have it tow a trailer with a car on it and be good to go. I will have a small SC on it (no, not a turbo) to help with the low end. Its not a race car. I can dump used oil, tranny fluid, and most other vehicle fluids right in the tank and hit the key.

SWS
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