Repair And Fix it

The valve covers sit on the top of the cylinder heads, and removing them will allow you access to the valves, springs, rocker arms, and push rods on your 7.3-liter Powerstroke Diesel. The 1996 7.3-liter was an optional engine in the Ford F250 and F350 Super Duty series trucks. The engine is very durable and has a good torque band, allowing it to pull heavy loads with little to no stress to the engine.

Instructions

1

Open the hood of your Ford truck and locate the negative battery cable end on the battery terminal. Loosen the clamp bolt on the battery cable end with a wrench then remove the cable from the battery and move it aside, isolating it from the battery.

2

Locate the retaining bolts along the perimeter of the valve covers on the top of the engine. There are eight of them on each valve cover.

3

Remove the eight retaining bolts, one at a time, with a socket and ratchet. Set the bolts aside as you will need them later.

4

Slide a putty knife or other flat, stiff tool under the edge of the valve cover and pry the cover loose from the head. Lift the valve cover straight off the cylinder head and set it aside. Repeat the process on the second valve cover if you are removing both covers.

The cooling system inside of the Grand Prix 3.1-liter engines comes equipped with a spring-loaded thermostat that opens and closes according to the temperature of the antifreeze. The thermostat has a bottom spring that compresses and opens the top of the thermostat to allow the antifreeze to flow through the engine block. The main purpose of the thermostat is to prevent the engine from overheating by regulating the flow of the antifreeze through the engine. If the thermostat fails, it has a safety feature that will allow the thermostat to return to the open position.

Instructions

1

Pull the Grand Prix with the 3.1-liter engine into a safe and level work area. Set the emergency brake and open the hood. Shut the motor off and wait two to three hours for the engine to cool down completely.

2

Slowly unscrew the radiator cap and set it to the side. Make sure that the cap is not hot and does not have pressure on it. Slide the drip pan underneath the radiator drain plug on the bottom of the radiator. Loosen the drain plug with the pliers and allow a couple of gallons of coolant to drain into the drain pan. Tighten the drain plug back down tight.

3

Locate the top radiator hose that connects to the top radiator port and the intake manifold. The other end of the radiator hose connects to the thermostat housing on top of the intake manifold. Unscrew the hose clamp from the end of the hose that is attached to the thermostat housing port with the pliers. Pull the clamp back onto the hose. Twist and pull the hose off the thermostat housing port.

4

Unscrew the two thermostat housing mounting bolts with a ratchet and a socket. Pull the housing off and set it to the side. Pull the thermostat out of the intake manifold and discard it into the drain pan. Scrape away any of the old gasket from the base of the intake manifold and the bottom of the thermostat housing. Wipe away the excess gasket, dirt and debris from both places with a clean rag.

5

Spread a thin line of the red high-temperature silicone around the bottom of the thermostat housing. Push the gasket onto the bottom of the housing so that the silicone will hold the gasket in place and act as a extra sealer. Make sure that the bolt holes are matched up on the gasket and the thermostat housing.

6

Set the thermostat housing back over the intake manifold and match the bolt holes up. Screw the two mounting bolts through the thermostat housing and tighten with the ratchet and socket.

7

Push the top radiator hose back over the thermostat housing port and line the hose clamp over the radiator hose and the port. Tighten the clamp with the screwdriver until the hose is securely tightened to the thermostat housing port.

8

Add the antifreeze to the radiator until it is full. Leave the cap off the radiator. Crank the motor and let the engine heat up until the thermostat opens. The thermostat generally opens around 180 degrees. When the thermostat opens, the antifreeze level will drop inside of the radiator. Keep adding more antifreeze to the radiator until the antifreeze stabilizes at the top of the radiator cap. Screw the cap on tight and turn the engine off.

The Caravan is a family minivan manufactured by Chrysler under its Dodge brand since 1984. The 1997 Model is a third-generation Caravan that had a choice of several different engines, including a 6-cylinder 3.3-liter engine. This engine uses a belt-driven water pump to circulate coolant around the engine. If you need to replace the water pump in a 97 Caravan, you must access it from underneath the vehicle.

Instructions

1

Remove the cable from the negative terminal of the battery with a socket wrench. This will prevent you from starting the engine during the water pump replacement procedure. Place a drain pan under the drain plug for the radiator and open the drain plug. Allow the coolant to drain into the drain pan.

2

Remove the serpentine drive belt with a socket wrench. Raise the vehicle with a jack and support it on jack stands. Disconnect the right front wheel and the lower shield on the right front fender.

3

Disconnect the pulley for the water pump with a socket wrench. Remove the mounting bolts for the water pump and detach the water pump from the engine. Discard the O-ring for the water pump and clean the mounting surface for the O-ring with a shop towel.

4

Place the new O-ring onto its mounting surface on the new water pump. Install the new water pump onto the engine and tighten its mounting bolts to 108 in. lbs. with a torque wrench. Install the pulley for the water pump and tighten its mounting bolts to 20 ft. lbs.

5

Connect the lower shield for the right front fender with a socket wrench and install the right front wheel. Connect the lug nuts for the right front wheel and torque them to 95 ft. lbs. with a torque wrench. Lower the vehicle and connect the serpentine drive belt. Fill the radiator with a mixture of 50 percent water and 50 percent ethylene glycol antifreeze.

6

Connect the cable to the negative battery terminal with a socket wrench. Start the engine and allow it to run until the thermostat opens. Turn the engine off and allow it to cool. Check and correct any leaks in the coolant system.

An 8-cylinder 7.3-liter diesel engine is one of the engines that Ford uses in full-size pickup trucks. This engine is most common in the F-250 3/4-ton and F-350 full-ton pickup truck. The fuel system for this engine requires the fuel pump to deliver fuel under high pressure. The fuel pump for this engine is located in the engine compartment on top of the engine. A turbocharged engine will also require you to remove the turbocharger prior to replacing the fuel pump.

Instructions

1

Disconnect the banjo bolt for the fuel line on the fuel pump with a socket wrench. Remove the fittings for the fuel line at the rear of the cylinder heads and discard the old seal rings. Release the clamps for the fuel pump lines on the front of the fuel pump and detach the fuel lines.

2

Disconnect the drain hose from the fuel filter and remove the fuel filter with a socket wrench. Loosen the retaining bolts for the fuel pump retaining bolts and pull the fuel pump from the crankcase. Discard the O-ring and disconnect the tappet of the fuel pump from the crankcase bore.

3

Connect the fuel pump tappet to the base of the new fuel pump and replace the O-ring on the fuel pump. Install the new fuel pump into the crankcase and fasten the mounting bolts with a socket wrench.

4

Install the fuel filter and fasten its mounting bolts with a socket wrench. Attach the drain hose to the fuel filter and connect the fuel lines to the front of the fuel pump. Tighten the clamps on the fuel line and install new seal rings on the rear of the fuel pump.

5

Install the fittings for the fuel lines towards the rear of the cylinder heads without tightening them. Install the banjo bolt onto the fuel pump and tighten it to 40 ft. lbs. with a torque wrench. Tighten the fittings for the fuel line with a socket wrench.

The Cummings 3.9-liter turbo diesel 4BT engine is a straight-4 configuration engine used in automotive applications including small trucks, SUVs and commercial vans in addition to many off-road applications that include boating, construction equipment, farm machinery and other off-road uses. Owing mainly to its ability to generate high torque at lower rpm, this Cummins workhorse engine is a favorite replacement engine for any application calling for a small diesel engine or changeover from gasoline to diesel.

General Specifications

The 4BT measures 30.6 inches long, 24.6 inches wide and 37.7 inches high. It has net of 745 to 785 lbs. without fluids or accessories, depending on configuration. The "4BT" designation means it has four cylinders and belongs to the B series of Cummins engines. The "T" stands for "turbocharged." The 4BT is a four-cylinder version of the Cummins 6BT used in Dodge trucks as a replacement for eight-cylinder gasoline engines.

Mechanical Specifications

This 3.9-liter Cummins diesel engine is an eight-valve, in-line four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 3.9 liters, or 239 cubic inches. It has a bore of 4.02 inchesand a piston stroke of 4.72 inches. With the piston at top dead center, the engine has a compression ratio of 17.5 to 1. Engine air delivery occurs via a non-intercooled turbocharger. With the oil filter, the engine holds 10 quarts of oil.

Power

As originally manufactured, this four-cylinder diesel delivered 105 horsepower at 2,300 rpm and 265 foot-lbs. of torque at 1,600 rpm. As of 2010, recent configurations deliver 130 horsepower and 335 foot-lbs. of torque. You can easily tweak the engine for more power by adjusting or changing the turbocharger, or by using different injector nozzles.

The Chevrolet Blazer was a mid-size sport utility vehicle made by General Motors from 1983 to 2005. The second generation of this model was in production from 1995 to 2005 and all of these vehicles were equipped with a six-cylinder 4.3-liter engine. Each cylinder of an engine has its own fuel injector, which delivers fuel and air in a precise sequence. You can replace an individual fuel injector on the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer.

Instructions

1

Remove the air cleaner with a socket wrench and disconnect the cable on the negative battery terminal. Open the filler cap for the fuel tank to relieve the pressure in the fuel tank.

2

Press the two tabs on the fuel injectors electrical connector together, and pull the electrical connector up to disconnect it from the fuel injector. Remove the cover for the fuel meter with a socket wrench and discard its gasket. Lift the fuel injector from the fuel meter carefully with a small pry bar.

3

Remove the small O-ring from the nozzle of the fuel injector. Detach the fuel filter from the fuel injector by carefully rotating the fuel filter back and forth. Remove the large O-ring and washer from the injector cavity of the fuel meter.

4

Apply a thin layer of transmission fluid to the small O-ring and push it onto the nozzle of the injector until it is flush against the fuel filter for the injector. Install the washer into the cavity of the fuel meter and apply transmission fluid to the large O-ring. Seat the large O-ring against the washer so that it is flush with the top of the fuel meter.

5

Align the raised lug on the base of the fuel injector with the notch in the cavity of the fuel meter. Press the fuel injector down firmly to ensure that it is fully seated. Install the cover for the fuel meter and its new gasket. Attach the electrical connector to the fuel injector. Start the engine and check for fuel leaks.