[JimmieD]

Let's talk strange here: I did a valve adjustment on the 4BT a couple of months ago. I forgot to tell y'all about the most peculiar part of it. I had put up with an oil leak since I got the engine, apparently from #3 or #4 valvecover. Other than that only the blown TH465 tranny and worn out steering caused the donor truck to come up for sale when it was let out of commercial service.

Strange part: pulled the valve covers and worked through the valve adj. sequence and went to clean up oil leakage. WHAT!!???!!! At the front edge of #4 valvecover sealing surface on block, dead center right-left, was a 1999 Lincoln head penny!

I thought long and hard. My conclusion: it couldn't/didn't get there accidently. There were 'shelf' areas formed as part of the donor truck's body, next to the doghouse that covered the Cummins, but these all had a 1" or taller lip around so nothing could fall into engine by accident. No need to climb up on top of engine when valve covers are off to adjust anything or whatever, and there was nothing above engine area in truck that would need servicing in any way, so no opportunity for a penny to fall out of a mechanic's pocket onto engine block. The tranny was rebuilt but still blew again from a bad front seal and lost reverse [probably due to valve body]. The steering was so bad it was unbelievable, worst I've ever driven over a lot of years.

So, I'm thinking a mechanic in the Service Department wanted to buy THAT Cummins powered truck when it was retired, and decided to hurry things along? I'm guessing the tranny was sabotaged along with the steering being mis-adjusted and an oil leak added, while still leaving engine unharmed? Got any other explanations?

 

[52wrench]

Now that IS strange. You might be right with your theory.

 

[BobS]

Well Jimmie I hope your theory is correct because that means you ended up with the best one in that lot!

 

[toolmanoffroad]

Lucky penny?

But the real question is did you find it heads up....or heads down?? :rasta:

 

[JimmieD]

HAH! Heads up, baby, heads up!!

Bob, I like the way you're thinking and that's my thought exactly. I noticed this little engine seems to have more power than it 'should' even in the Frito van. Then when I moved up to a new mountain area and installed Pyro I see EGT's higher than are normal, at least I think they're higher for a stone stock engine. I can peg 1,200 anytime I want in the mountains, maybe more! Sorta tells me somebody fiddled with the screws or whatever? Maybe done by a mechanic who planned to own it later....

 

[Mikel]

Maybe done by a mechanic who planned to own it later....

So what happened to that mechanic? You made it look like an accident?

 

[52wrench]

One other possibility - did the Frito Lay drivers have assigned trucks? If so, maybe the driver of that one liked playing with diesels and wanted a little more poop in "his" truck...that wouldn't explain the penny though.

 

[JimmieD]

Hah, I don't know!?? I was the 3rd 'civilian' owner so maybe the first one that got it from Frito Lay was that same mechanic! In a funny sort of way this may be the single most puzzling question I've ever come across in 40 years of wrench twisting. Another funny thing: the penny was sort of stretched out, as slightly wider than a normal penny. I'm guessing maybe that's from the heavy duty Cummins vibrations pounding it? Again who knows...

I'll try to remember to post a pic of this now famous penny.

 

[robmobile1970]

strange stuff in oil pan

it's interesting what you find in a engine sometimes. When I rebuilt the 350 that was originally in my truck I found a 3" wood screw and about 1.5 cups of hard broken plastic in the oil pan. Kind of like someone was pissed off and swept this stuff off the floor and dumped it in the pan before bolting it up.

 

[95Z28A4]

it's interesting what you find in a engine sometimes. When I rebuilt the 350 that was originally in my truck I found a 3" wood screw and about 1.5 cups of hard broken plastic in the oil pan. Kind of like someone was pissed off and swept this stuff off the floor and dumped it in the pan before bolting it up.

I can't comment on the wood screw, but the hard plastic may be from the camshaft timing gear. For a number of years, Chevy used an aluminum camshaft timing gear with nylon teeth. When the the gear failed, the teeth would fall into the pan sometimes plugging the oil pump suction screen. Some "mechanics" were too lazy to pull the oil pan to remove the pieces/parts.

Mike

 

[JimmieD]

Ouch! A buddy of mine took his Ford Ranger in for a tuneup & oil change at a shop. He's like 6'5" and pretty scary looking, and acting. Matter of fact he's pretty scary period. When they checked it out they said it needed an exhaust manifold gasket. Took him back to pick up the truck and they were acting really strange, and very nervous. The mechanic finally came out looking like he wished he'd got hit by a truck on the way to work, "Uhhh, m-maybe when we changed the gasket I guess m-m-maybe a nut m-m-maybe fell down in your engine or something, maybe. We bl.., we uh, we b-blew up your engine, sir...."

My bud turns purple, leans over on top of him and says, "Well m-m-maybe you better get me a new engine, maybe, HUH!!??"

I know that poor guy had to change everything from the collar down 'cause I think he even filled his socks, too, but my bud got his new engine, quick, too!