This is going to hurt....

[Flying_gage]

I fired the truck in my signature up the other morning and it was squealing like a belt was bad. Wasn’t a belt so took it to a local place figuring it was a water pump. While under the truck the mechanic said; “hey this dampener is wobbly when going from neutral to reverse”. He said the dampener was moving 1/4”.

Fine me thinks. Must just be a dampener. Not great timing because of Christmas and all, but let’s bust that out in the process.

Tonight he calls and says the entire crank is moving. He can pull the crank towards the front of the motor and push it back. He isn’t a shade tree guy and as the vehicle is 50 miles away, I can’t climb under the truck but I think he is solid. He also found weeping at the back of the cylinder head. He then reached out to the local Cummins mechanic and he said the crank needs to come out plus a head gasket. It all sounds legit as unpleasant as it will be financially.

My question beyond just plain venting is: Anyone ever had this happen before or heard of it? I was bouncing numbers off him and we both agreed this is a $5000 repair at first blush.

This truck has been as solid as my any of my 12valves and provided 60k of trouble free miles in the last 18 months since I bought it with 88k on the odometer. As I still owe a marginal note on it, there is really no question what I am going to do, (and the rest of the truck is in amazing shape) but damn, this just blows lol.

If it matters it has a build date of 9/02 or thereabouts. It is one of the earliest ones I would imagine.

Signed,

Broken hearted in Fulton....

 

[Odp]

Have you thought about just getting a take out motor ? In my experience once you get there it always turns out to be worse. Machine work etc etc. A good take out with warranty might be cheaper in the long run after you factor in labor hours and all the parts you forget about until your actually going back together. Drop it in and go back to business as usual

 

[Flying_gage]

I am on my phone and cannot see what my signature shows but the truck in question is a 2003 qcsb 2wd.

 

[Flying_gage]

Have you thought about just getting a take out motor ? In my experience once you get there it always turns out to be worse. Machine work etc etc. A good take out with warranty might be cheaper in the long run after you factor in labor hours and all the parts you forget about until your actually going back together. Drop it in and go back to business as usual

I get what you are saying and I understand your approach. However the truck is running fine still and IF THIS IS A PROBLEM, I caught it very early. The front crank seal isn’t even leaking and there is no evidence of bearing material as far as I know.

I am trying to get as much info as I can before I start authorizing replacing the water pump or tow it as it sits to the Cummins shop.

If in fact this is a real problem and needs an “in-frame, so to speak, I have to view this as a fluke... It sucks. But it is akin to lightning striking.

 

[Odp]

I really could not give you any information. Unfortunately other than the water pump you would have to do exploratory diagnostics on your hard parts. The only way to really know for sure whats what with rotating assembly is to remove and inspect components visually. Drop the pan and inspect.

 

[Wayne M.]

Am I getting this right? It’s got 140k mi. and the crank thrust bearing is shot? I hope someone else chimes in on that since that does not seem right at all.
Not saying your guy is wrong, but not at that age! I’m thinking that there may be more economical solutions, like just rolling in a new bearing. Are you in the rust belt? Are you near needing a oil pan? What I’m suggesting is not much more than dropping the pan. The head leak is a different story. That happens, but that crank should be good for a quarter million.

 

[sag2]

I think I would have them pull the pan and check the thrust bearing. FCA only sells oversize thrust by itself, but the complete main bearing set in std size is only $250. If the crank isn't hurt I would pop the bearings in with the engine in the truck and call it a day. They watch the end play from there.

 

[cerberusiam]

Your not the only one with this issue. It is a known problem and not sure there is a "better" bearing for it. You could just replace the one bearing and likely be good.

$5k sounds really high for what is being done.

 

[SRay]

This is an issue with all 5.9 cummins engines including 6.7’s.

They all come with a 3 piece thrust bearing that is joined by tabs.

Manual transmission trucks are the most common as the clutch puts a load against the thust bearing.

I’ve seen a few failed thrust bearings already.

Best option is to install a one piece thrust bearing from Clevite for example. Cummins has a upgraded one piece too but they still install 3 piece from factory.

I’ll be replacing my own main bearing set once I get a chance to get underneath to remove the pan.