[JimFord555]

Ford 555 has a 3 cylinder diesel with a turbo that looks aftermarket.
Ive had it 6 months and it has been working great until yeasterday It wouldn’t turn over. The engine was hydro locked with fluid in the cylinders (mostly the rear one) when i removed the injectors it woud turn over and sprayed fluid out of the injector holes.

My first thought was i had water in the tank that was being injected into the cylinders but the volume of fluid In the cylinders seemed too great

My rad has had a leak for a while so i have been filling it with water before each use with the plans to fix it soon. I have the radiator out now and will repair/replace that But in the mean time i need to deal with the milky oil and fluid in the cylinders.

How do i find the problem ? I have read it can be the cylinders or the head gasket. How do i check the cylinders without tearing down the whole engine ?

Any advice is greatly appreciated


I made a YouTube of me removing the radiator and will continue to document the whole process to help out future Ford 555 owners

 

[HarveyW]

Hello Jim, welcome to the tractor forum.

When you were cranking, it appeared that most of the fluid was being ejected from the middle cylinder, with maybe a small amount out of the rear cylinder. You will have to pull the head, check the head gasket, and look for a hole in the cylinder wall.

 

[JimFord555]

Thanks for your reply Harvey W I didn’t catch the initial turnover on video when most the fluid came out of the rear most cylinder. cheers

I talked with the previous owner and have some more back story now.

Previous owner blew head gasket (or thought he did)
And replaced it

Blew it again (or thought he did) so he took the head in and had it pressure tested , magna fluxed and machined then re installed with a new head gasket and sold it to me

I now have coolant in cylinders and in the oil (blown head gasket #3?)

I’m thinking the aftermarket API turbo is too much for this engine as it increases the compression and the waste gate may not be adjusted properly ?
I’m happy to not re install the turbo if it helps or fixes my problem from happening again. Do other 555s have turbos ?

I have now removed the head and taken it in for Pressure testing. The machinist looked at the head and head gasket and said he could see the head has already been machined and that he can see the middle cylinder has seen some heat (the middle would obviously be the hottest) he also said he could see where the gasket was starting to fail. He said an improper turbo setup will lift the head. Makes sense as the head gasket and torque specs are based off a certain psi in the cylinder. I tried to get a reading before i removed the head but the tool i had threaded into a spark plug hole and the injectors attach completely differently.

See for yourself in my latest video of the tear down. I was expecting a head gasket in much worse condition but I’m not experienced with this sort of thing

Ill find out on Tuesday the head condition

My biggest concern is the block / piston condition as I don’t want to re install the head (If its good or fixed) and new head gasket just to have this happen again. I need to pull the oil pan and try to block the coolant ports off and pressurize the Cooling system and inspect the cylinders above and below the Pistons for leaks. Any advice on how much pressure or ways to do this ?

 

[BigT]

Did this engine use oil?? The reason I ask is the roughness noted in the rear cylinder.

Another thought... Clean out the headbolt holes with a bottoming tap. It may be that there is crud buildup in the boltholes that is preventing proper torque applied to the head??

I agree with getting rid of the turbo. These are normally great engines, with all the power you will need.

Ultradog has done a lot of engine work. We need to get his take on your video.

 

[Bob Driver]

"Blew it again (or thought he did) so he took the head in and had it pressure tested , magna fluxed and machined then re installed with a new head gasket and sold it to me"

Did "Cooter" re-set the liner protrusion when he had the head milled, or did he not know just taking a couple of .001's" off a diesel head makes a huge difference? Check the "Fire rings" on the liner tops... Loose head bolts, or faulty liner protrusions will leave evidence you can usually see.

https://www.agkits.com/why-is-liner-protrusion-so-important.aspx

I've done more diesel engine O/H's than I care to remember over the years and I was taught early on.... Head bolts are a ONE TIME USE when you're building a truck engine you want to run 1,000,000 miles. What's a $100 worth of head bolts, if you're spending $15K in parts, labor, and down time to rebuild an engine in a double-bunk, condo sleeper, you're running 6,000 miles a week??