I found diesel in the coolant reservoir of my '02 7.3L. Besides a cup failure, is there anything else that could cause this? Is it reasonable to assume that replacing the cups would fix the issue? Do you think this repair is straightforward enough for me to handle myself rather than paying $1,200? I am pretty confident I can replace the cups, but I would hate to go through all that effort only to find out they weren’t the problem. What’s been your experience with this?
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I recently replaced my injectors and cups for a similar reason, and it wasn’t too difficult. While I am mechanically inclined, I had only done basic maintenance before, but I managed it on my own. The process took about 12 hours, mainly due to waiting for the Loctite to dry before reinstalling the injectors. You’ll want to get a Diesel Injector Sleeve Cup Seat Cleaning Bore Brush Kit, which is great for cleaning the injector bore. I sourced my cups from Dieselogic and new injectors from Full Force Diesel, opting for the stage 1.5 injectors and a PHP Hydra tuner. I also replaced all the glow plugs and the under-valve cover harness since I was already in there. I’m thrilled with how my truck runs now—no smoke, no oil loss, and it’s performing better than ever, even with 399,000 miles on it. Don’t let the job intimidate you, there are plenty of helpful videos out there, especially on the Full Force Diesel website.
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Cups were consistently cracked. Replace the injector o rings and all eight cups.
Numerous things I have done have gone well after.
Several pointers
First, empty the coolant completely.
Make sure to remove all of the old locktite from the bores after removing the cups to ensure proper sealing and seating of the new ones.
Make sure the installation tool is marked so you know the cups are fully seated before removing them.
To remove all of the fluid from the cylinders through the injector holes, use a fluid extractor.
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Power-stroke sleeve tools are available at Rosewood Diesel Shop.
You need something similar to this. It takes some time, but it’s not too complicated.
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Consider getting stainless injector cups to replace the stock ones. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a cracked one or more.
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I will let the shop know when he contacts me this morning. Thanks.