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What have you done to your 5 ton this week?

77 AMG

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Owingsville, KY
UPDATE- Yea!!!!!!!!!! (no, not really) guess who gets to do an "in-frame" because a liner decided to let go and pressurize the block/cooling system? <- THIS lucky guy... FMW(allet). Sigh, at least the truck is safe at the farm...
 

US6x4

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Wenatchee, WA
UPDATE- Yea!!!!!!!!!! (no, not really) guess who gets to do an "in-frame" because a liner decided to let go and pressurize the block/cooling system? <- THIS lucky guy... FMW(allet). Sigh, at least the truck is safe at the farm...

Dang, that sucks. If you feel like rolling the dice, Cummins has their new Advanced Combat Engine out on the market...(1000 HP, 14.3L)
Cummins ACE
 

Ajax MD

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Mayo, MD
UPDATE- Yea!!!!!!!!!! (no, not really) guess who gets to do an "in-frame" because a liner decided to let go and pressurize the block/cooling system? <- THIS lucky guy... FMW(allet). Sigh, at least the truck is safe at the farm...
Did the liner fail because the engine was oversped or would the liner have failed anyway? Or is there no way to know?

The whole cylinder liner issue with these engines freaks me out a little. Opinions abound. There are people who say that it rarely happens and there are people who make it sound like these engines are crap and that liners fail every day.

I baby my engine. I keep it within the optimum RPM range, never lug it and never sustain the redline because I'm terrified of having to tear the engine down in my driveway. :oops:

You seem pretty fearless about the prospect (although irritated). Take lots of photos so I can be fearless, too.
 

Ajax MD

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I think it happens because these trucks sit for long periods and likely never had any sca additives. 855s were excellent engines in civilian trucks.
My truck sat for about 8 years before I bought it.

It may be too little, too late but I did a coolant flush and put in SCA shortly after I bought my truck. I used test strips before I performed the procedure and of course they indicated that the old coolant was "toast" but there was at least an indication that some SCA was present at very low levels. That seems to imply that someone in the past years at least tried to keep up with it.

Like I said though, at 47 years old, putting fresh coolant and SCA in the engine now might be the equivalent of hanging an new chandelier in a condemned house. :rolleyes:
 

Crf450x

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Fall Branch, TN
My truck sat for about 8 years before I bought it.

It may be too little, too late but I did a coolant flush and put in SCA shortly after I bought my truck. I used test strips before I performed the procedure and of course they indicated that the old coolant was "toast" but there was at least an indication that some SCA was present at very low levels. That seems to imply that someone in the past years at least tried to keep up with it.

Like I said though, at 47 years old, putting fresh coolant and SCA in the engine now might be the equivalent of hanging an new chandelier in a condemned house. :rolleyes:
At least the block doesn’t have to come out to fix them. Gotta look at the bright side 🤷‍♂️
 

Crf450x

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Fall Branch, TN
My fan clutch started making noise when freewheeling so I took it off and apart. The big bearing is shot and one little one is close. Ordered 3 new bearings and a new friction disc. Also ordered a front crank seal so I got the old one out.
If this thing doesn’t quit having problems it’s gonna be hard to justify keeping it.741F055C-341C-4DD1-A848-88E67B6E0F6B.jpeg
2FC670A9-771E-4E49-BED3-CBCFC4A57BF1.jpeg

This was irritating....
55A36E99-9AA2-4E6A-A68D-D250D0459300.jpeg
 

Ajax MD

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My fan clutch started making noise when freewheeling so I took it off and apart. The big bearing is shot and one little one is close. Ordered 3 new bearings and a new friction disc. Also ordered a front crank seal so I got the old one out.
If this thing doesn’t quit having problems it’s gonna be hard to justify keeping it.View attachment 810327
View attachment 810328

This was irritating....
View attachment 810329
Hey, you caught it before the fan launched into the radiator.
 

Mullaney

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My fan clutch started making noise when freewheeling so I took it off and apart. The big bearing is shot and one little one is close. Ordered 3 new bearings and a new friction disc. Also ordered a front crank seal so I got the old one out.
If this thing doesn’t quit having problems it’s gonna be hard to justify keeping it.View attachment 810327
View attachment 810328

This was irritating....
View attachment 810329

Sad. I understand the feeling though. What you have to keep telling yourself is that everything you fix won't need your attention again for a long time. Who knows how long it sat out in the boiling hot sun just rotting away before you (or the first owner when it was decommissioned) started chipping away at its problems.

Four months ago when I got my first truck - I was sure she would be completely painted and "parade purty" by now. I am here to tell you that ain't so! There are a lot of things that are a thousand percent better than they were. AND there are a thousand things I hadn't planned on needing to work on. Okay, maybe not a thousand but every time I fix one thing I am almost assured that I will find at least one more... Some more urgent than others. Cooler weather will come in another month or two. When that happens I might get a lot more done. Maybe you will too.

Just keep your chin up and keep on fixin' :)
 

simp5782

Feo, Fuerte y Formal
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Mason, TN
My fan clutch started making noise when freewheeling so I took it off and apart. The big bearing is shot and one little one is close. Ordered 3 new bearings and a new friction disc. Also ordered a front crank seal so I got the old one out.
If this thing doesn’t quit having problems it’s gonna be hard to justify keeping it.View attachment 810327
View attachment 810328

This was irritating....
View attachment 810329
Buy another valve cover with a breather and put it on the rocker box that has the solid valve cover. Lessens internal pressure that makes old seals leak.

Or just let it leak and continue to prevent rust at 55mph
 

Crf450x

Well-known member
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63
Location
Fall Branch, TN
Sad. I understand the feeling though. What you have to keep telling yourself is that everything you fix won't need your attention again for a long time. Who knows how long it sat out in the boiling hot sun just rotting away before you (or the first owner when it was decommissioned) started chipping away at its problems.

Four months ago when I got my first truck - I was sure she would be completely painted and "parade purty" by now. I am here to tell you that ain't so! There are a lot of things that are a thousand percent better than they were. AND there are a thousand things I hadn't planned on needing to work on. Okay, maybe not a thousand but every time I fix one thing I am almost assured that I will find at least one more... Some more urgent than others. Cooler weather will come in another month or two. When that happens I might get a lot more done. Maybe you will too.

Just keep your chin up and keep on fixin' :)
You make a good point! And yeah it sure isn’t fun working out in this heat. A big shop with ac would be nice....
 

Crf450x

Well-known member
275
347
63
Location
Fall Branch, TN
Buy another valve cover with a breather and put it on the rocker box that has the solid valve cover. Lessens internal pressure that makes old seals leak.

Or just let it leak and continue to prevent rust at 55mph
I like that idea. I’ll call the junkyard tomorrow and see if they have one.
I hate leaks. It’s usually harder to clean up the mess than it is to actually fix it
 
Last edited:

Ajax MD

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Mayo, MD
You make a good point! And yeah it sure isn’t fun working out in this heat. A big shop with ac would be nice....
Although these trucks could be considered "simple" by modern (and commercial) standards the fact is, these are large vehicles that have many systems and they are complex. Entropy is not our friend. It's a race to reverse and then get ahead of systems degradation. Then add in the sheer size and weight of many of the components.

You're pretty lucky to at least live in the same state as @simp5782, the "5-ton Whisperer." He may be able to pop in one day and offer advice if he's passing through the area.

I always thought it would be cool if Wes hosted a 5-ton "clinic" at a military show or swap meet somewhere for all the newbie 5-ton owners. Sort of a "Get to know your truck" seminar where he points out the common failure items and things to watch out for.
 

simp5782

Feo, Fuerte y Formal
Supporting Vendor
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Location
Mason, TN
I
Although these trucks could be considered "simple" by modern (and commercial) standards the fact is, these are large vehicles that have many systems and they are complex. Entropy is not our friend. It's a race to reverse and then get ahead of systems degradation. Then add in the sheer size and weight of many of the components.

You're pretty lucky to at least live in the same state as @simp5782, the "5-ton Whisperer." He may be able to pop in one day and offer advice if he's passing through the area.

I always thought it would be cool if Wes hosted a 5-ton "clinic" at a military show or swap meet somewhere for all the newbie 5-ton owners. Sort of a "Get to know your truck" seminar where he points out the common failure items and things to watch out for.
I don't ever get to really relax at any of the rallies. And my patience for humans isn't that great. Why i have 6 dogs.
 

Ajax MD

Well-known member
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Location
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I

I don't ever get to really relax at any of the rallies. And my patience for humans isn't that great. Why i have 6 dogs.
Yeah, you're one of the hardest working people I've ever seen, from what you post here. I agree on the humans. I'm not nearly as extroverted as I come across on the forums. I just really, really like information sharing, especially from experienced people. It helps me become self-sufficient.

I have to say, the events of the past 6 months have caused me to retreat even further.
 

simp5782

Feo, Fuerte y Formal
Supporting Vendor
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Location
Mason, TN
Yeah, you're one of the hardest working people I've ever seen, from what you post here. I agree on the humans. I'm not nearly as extroverted as I come across on the forums. I just really, really like information sharing, especially from experienced people. It helps me become self-sufficient.

I have to say, the events of the past 6 months have caused me to retreat even further.
I prefer to use it on those deals that a truck is sold as "non running" or they insist that it does not run and it takes a whole 5 or 10min to fix and it drives up and on the trailer.
 

77 AMG

Active member
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Location
Owingsville, KY
The liners seem to be subject to destruction MOSTLY by crappy cooling system maintenance, or, rather a serious lack of maintenance. The rattle noise in the top end of the engine is from a pushrod bouncing a little bit, since the lifter kind of "checked out" and collapsed. More "fun" to deal with- add a full set of lifters to the parts to order, along with new hoses for the cooling system, a new oil cooler, because I'm already there, and, sure why not- 1 less thing to act up (hopefully for a very long time) T-stat, because "how old is this one and does it still function correctly?" ANOTHER oil change on one with less than 800 miles on it... I'm going to stop, now. Otherwise, I'ma gonna just say "F -it" and just let it sit and rot...
Bottom line, folks- PLAY BIG, pay BIG. I still love my truck, but, i'm currently depressed about the whole thing.
 
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