Well, I finally got the 6.2 liter Diesel engine in my brown '88 Suburban back together, for the second time. First go-round, about a year ago, it ran well, but developed a nasty coolant leak on the first long road trip I took it on. It was blowing the coolant out the tailpipes.
Pulled the heads; sent 'em to the machine shop. They determined that they were warped. Months went by, but finally, I got the heads back, resurfaced, and valves and guides done. Then they sat in the back of the 'burban for more months, while I worked on more urgent projects. I was planning on getting the job done on my return from Omaha, but illness intervened. Finally, I got into it this week, now that I've got most of my strength back. Checked the block decks for straightness, installed and torqued the heads, and then reassembled all the parts, accessories, and plumbing and wiring.
Today I filled the rad with antifreeze blend, hooked up the last wires and vacuum lines, and installed a pair of batteries. Cracked the flare nuts on all the injectors, and cranked until fuel appeared at the ends of the injector lines. Tightened all the flare nuts, and the engine started after a few seconds cranking. It quit and restarted several times until it settled down to a fairly smooth idle. Purging air out of the lines, I expect.
I put my cooling system pressure tester on it while it idled, and saw no evidence of the engine pressurizing the rad. Pumped a few pounds of air into it, and again the gage needle remained steady. No gross coolant leaks, at any rate. I drove it on a couple of orbits around the yard, and it seems to run fine. Got it up to normal operating temperature, and still no signs of coolant leakage.
I parked it, and will try it again in a few days, but I'm cautiously optimistic.
I'm delighted to get this chore off my to-do list. Now I can spend more time on Studes and/or other toys.
I'm not sure what I'll do with this Suburban, now that it is a runner again, other than I want to put a few hundred miles on it to make sure the engine holds up. The '96 is now my regular driver, and my old '85 is the designated backup. I guess the '88, if the engine proves to last, will either get sold, or give up its engine for some other vehicle than wants a 6.2 Diesel in it. The '88 is a 3/4 ton 4X4, with the TH400 tranny in it. It ran and drove just fine on its only road trip with me, other than I couldn't keep coolant in it. The body definitely has rust issues, but it doesn't look like a total wreck yet. I definitely WON'T be restoring the body on this beast just to sell it.
Just got word that I have to head out to work tonight. They got one sprung on 'em at very short notice. Fortunately, it's not far off, being in Turner Valley, about an hour south of Calgary. Should be home again in a week to 10 days.
Gord Richmond