Bruce Amacker

All of the advanced features- balance graph, compression test, full PID list, special tests, flashing, current model year ability for starters. AE is an aftermarket scan tool and very good bang-for-the-buck if you ask me. I have it, updates are cheap ($50/continent/year)and it has good coverage. There will NEVER be an aftermarket scan tool that competes with ANY OEM scan tool, if you ask me. When you compare what AE does vs what it costs, and what a Modis does vs what it costs, it makes SO look like thieves and AE look like a company you'd want to deal with. AE is a good, general, run of the mill scan tool that has good coverage on nearly all makes and models for a fair price. Snappy fucking ROBS you for similar coverage, and ROBS you for the updates. You can buy an AE for the cost of one year's SO updates! I use AE in class frequently if I'm doing a gas class or working on something I don't have the OE tool for. (My secretary is shipping the modules tomorrow.)

I'm a little surprised you're selling this as I've been quite happy with mine. It's no IDS for sure, but still very good for the money. Any comments about why you're selling it?

Ditto, plus the pan may be different, the front cover definitely is, the HP reservoir is, etc. Accessory holes you need may not be there. The '99 fuel filter bolts to the rear of the HP cover to holes you don't have 'cause the early FF bolts to the block. Holes might not line up. Injectors are different, which means injector strategy IS different and may not agree. '99 is split shot, '96 is not. Proceed with caution, if you proceed at all. I wouldn't take this on because model year changes like this commonly bit you in the ass. You might get it in and find it runs like a POS because of fuel strategy differences.

"Usually" there should be a DTC but I can document many times where the PCM sees something completely haywire, totally out of normal range and does not set a DTC. The PCM is programmed to wait a specific period of time before it sets a DTC, (commonly a fraction of a second on an important signal, up to several seconds on a temp sender or other low htz signal) which might be longer than it took to blow those bolts. (sidebar- when you do the wiggle test it eliminates the "wait" time to set a DTC) I'm of the opinion that those bolts did not break on their own, they were murdered. Aren't they 8mm? It takes a hell of a lot of PSI to blow 4 of those at the same time, right? It's not like the little fucking screws on 6.0 injector heads that blow when the FP goes low.

"Maybe" the HP pressure relief valve in the pump stuck? Then the weakest link in the chain would fail, like overtorqued bolts. Maybe the FRP biased low, and the PCV command maxed out. At that point I might have hung an FRP on it for good luck too?

Are you serious? I know a lot of them in Cleveland that are unhooked, and I've asked several guys if they noticed the difference in heat or warmup time. All said no. I think the EBPR is for 60 passenger school busses (T444E) that really need a lot of BTUs to get it warm inside. Keef: Usually they're tied open with coathanger.

Or unhook the arm and leave it unhooked.......

When the EBPR (the warmup flapper on the turbo) engages on a cold start it will remain engaged until 140ish EOT causing a noticable hissing noise which is normal. Is this your hiss?

Adding a spacer gives more physical length to the stud/bolt which translates to more clamping stretch. This allows more "give" or tolerance of the expansion and contraction present during heat cycles thus preventing the bolt from coming loose, allowing the gasket to leak, or snapping off from overstretch. Maybe the 4.6/5.4 need bigger spacers?

That's an interesting concept. Do you have time to put one on a high idle at your shop for a while and graph the bypass valve command? I'm kind of curious what the PCM uses for inputs and why the PCM would bypass the coolers. What code do you have- low EGR flow?

Quote: =Keith Browning grind it out using a grinding stone. Funny you say that. A friend of mine (shop owner) and I were just talking about this. He uses a Craftsman tile bit # 32352 to grind out broken bolts in heads. It's not exactly a drill bit but rather looks like a drill bit with burrs on all sides. I couldn't find a picture on the net that looked like it but here's the Sears link: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00932352000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2 He says it's the cat's ass- grinds the center of the broken bolt out until just the threads remain, then runs a tap through, cleaning the threads out. I liked the idea. (Sidebar- boy am I glad I don't have to drill out broken bolts anymore! I have one of my cars at a shop right now getting 3 broken exhaust manifold bolts extracted from an aluminum head)

I'd be checking fuel pressure at the back of both heads for a start. Check fuel quality as well. What's MFDES at a hot idle? If it's above 12ish it might need injectors. If the buzz test is weak the magnets might be sludged up (replace injectors or clean the mags if he's broke). Watch FP and ICPV (volts only, never diag ICP pressure, especially on a 7.3) while cranking. ICPV should be .17-.24vKOEO and build to 1.5v within a few seconds cranking. Killing 5G on an E-van should be child's play. Do your diag, pull the engine, reseal it and change the hard parts. Good Luck!

Try hooking up whatever program (MD?) you use for LCFs and talk to it. Because you're on J1708 protocol which is an SAE standard, the codes you read will "probably" be right. You can look at data, most of it will be correct but I wouldn't rely on it. I have done this in the past successfully, but bidirectional controls won't work. This is a band-aid until you get your Insite key. The comm box you're using for MD will likely work for Insite. It's all RP1210B compliant. Good Luck!

There was another one that worked for Jim Linder in Indianapolis. Short blond, cute, not only diag'ed and wrenched, but also taught some classes. Michele was her name, I think she's working or wrenching at another indy shop in Indy.

I have occasionally had women in class that were FT wrenches but they are rare. There's a shop owned and run by two women in SF that does only hybrids and nothing else. I've met them, they're on IATN, and they seem to have it together. Edit- here's the website. The owner, Carolyn, makes no mention of her female co-worker and now seems to have guys wrenching as well. http://www.lusciousgarage.com/

Steck Manufacturing, but I think it's been discontinued.

Damn, you move quick! A couple of hours ago you lived in KC! I've taught a bunch of times in Indy, mostly for Linder Technical Services at their conferences which they discontinued a few years ago. (I've taught a bunch of times in KC for Vision, too) I went to the Work Truck Show in Indy a few weeks ago downtown at the convention center. You know your 7.3 was probably built in Indy. You know the front cover requires pan removal first, and it's a glued pan, right?. A tip- don't roll the motor over before dropping the pan off of it, but I suggest having it inverted when the new pan goes on. Put a LPOP on it while you're there, they are a trouble spot on 7.3s....

Cisco sent me these: PS Sorry about what the Indians did to the Royals this week.

Don't torch the base of the bolts, that will weaken them and they'll snap off. The idea of torching is to expand one item which would be the head. If you glow the bolt it will soften and snap off! Burn the bolt heads off and pry the manifold over them, After that the stubs might just spin out with a VG or stud extractor. If they don't want to spin with moderate torque, torch the head (just around the "stud") trying not to get the stud hot, have the visegrips on them and work them free. If you want to e-mail me the pics I'll put them up for you (but it's not hard), my e-mail is bamacker@aol.com. PS It might make it easier to read if you kill the cap lock button. Good Luck!

I've done a bunch but still draw a blank, I'm fucking old and suffer from CRS. I looked up the 7.3 on IH, I'm thinking remove the steel plate, support the plate, knock the seal out from the back side, flip the plate over, support the plate, knock the new seal into it, (use plates so you don't damage the seal) and reseal the plate with silicone. I remember the seal being really funny- like cardboard, not rubber, and prone to damage. They gave us a big plastic cone to help the seal over the backside of the crank. I "think" there was a sleeve but I'm not sure, if there is, use the flywheel (less seal and plate) to push the sleeve into place, then take the flywheel back off and complete the seal/plate install. I have the IH 7.3 info on my PC (should be the same seal) and can easily PDF it and send it to you. I'm sure I have the 6.9 stuff on paper somewhere, if you can't find OE info let us know and we'll get it to you. My e-mail is bamacker@aol.com. Good Luck!

And, in the chassis, or out? If it's coming out I'd do the manifold(s) out of the chassis. If they're really rusty I'd blow the bolt heads off with a torch, pry the manifold over the remnants, and work the "studs" out with VG's and a torch. IIRC those bolts are "self-locking" with a triangular shape to the threads. If it's a E and the engine is still in, there are a lot of removal options, let us know and we'll go over them. The big removal adapter that attaches to the cherry picker is cool but not necessary. Good Luck!

You can also apply shop air to the fuel inlet ports on the front of the heads. At the flow you're having, hissing should be evident. The fitting you'll need is the same one for checking fuel pressure or air testing the HP on '05 up trucks. This might save you pulling the wrong valve cover.... Good Luck!

Thinking out loud: I'm wondering if he has the right axle ratio for a 20K trailer. Is it rated for that? ECT cycling quickly frequently means air pockets. (?) I'd be more inclined to change the rad and stat (if it's not OE) at this point than the cover.... Make sure the belt is not slipping and the tensioner is compressed correctly. 1/4" too long belt will cause this, too. When I had the shop I used only OE belts because of this, the aftermarket likes to condense part numbers. Good Luck!

It sounds like you have the WP off right now, but I would have done more diag before tearing into it. A cooling system pressure test, done by driving the truck with a pressure gauge installed, is a great way of identifying head gaskets that only leak under load. I usually "tee" a pressure gauge into the degas bottle line and go out and beat the truck hard to see if pressure spikes, indicating head gaskets. ECT/EOT- did you drive it on the highway when making this comparison? These numbers are worthless in the bay or a short trip about town. I feel it needs 10+ miles at speed before this comparison is worthwhile. Good luck, and let us know what you do/find.