290 Cummins

[moodnacreek]

Have to go look at a log picker truck, a 1978 ford L9000, 290 cummins with 30,000 miles !?. Was used only in tree service. It has the famous Prentiss 120 lever [all I have ever run]  Any comments or suggestions? Thanks Doug.

[mike_belben]

Head gasket composite only lasts so long.  Either pressure test the radiator or be willing to do atleast a top end reseal.  Agkits.com may have parts.. Idk. 


I wouldnt be surpised if the entire water jacket and radiator is half full of rusty sediment either.  Unscrew the radiator drain and see how far you gotta poke a wire in before the orange slurry starts flowing out. 

[moodnacreek]

That sounds right Mike after all the years. It is still on the road but seldom goes out. If I take it it will be a yard dog, no tags. I thought about spec. comm. but the temptation to bring a load home would be overwhelming. The old loadstar is binding the starter if you crank it too long and i know the mains are shot. The o.p. on a hot day is very low and the engine is shaky although it runs perfect although it does not dirty the oil or burn much. And the 1972 F loader is a welders night mare. Nothing runs here without the picker and a forklift.

[mike_belben]

Youre preachin to the choir now doug.  Junk man's curse.  For every dead machine i resurrect, a live one gives up the ghost. I think theyve conspired against me, like children. 

[moodnacreek]

If I thought and added up all the oil, batteries, hoses, starters, alternators , antifreeze, etc, etc, I would stop being independent and live of the gov. It' hard to change.

[Sedgehammer]

I prefer repairs over payments. Thus I rarely buy new. Sure, it's aggravation when it breaks right when you can't afford it to break, but having it repoed right when you can't afford the payments is worse i figure. 

[sawguy21]

It is a never ending circle. You are either bustin yer butt to make payments or in the shop spending money you don't have while others are making it. My buddy drives his son's 20 year old Kenworth hauling logs that has about reached the end of it's useful life, they have had it for just over 3 years. He will take over the 18 Pete when juniors 2021 tridrive shows up but now he has to produce.

[mike_belben]

One day at a time fellas.  Its good to be alive, we just have to stop and remember it.  

A good sunset makes a broken junkpile prettier, so take the time to breathe it in while youre all still young and pretty. 

[moodnacreek]

Well, There's no fool like an old fool. Shook hands with the man an hour ago. '78 Louie, 290 big cam, 37'000 mi. so they say. Loader is tight and no leaks today, grapple likewise. Double frame ok, cab is shot. What are those huge oil filters [lubra finers] ?

[mike_belben]

Luberfiner is a huge bypass oil filter that may as well be a reservoir and a cooler too.  Bypass meaning not full oilpump flow through a rockcatcher. 


 This is a smaller quantity of oil at a finer micron of filtration rating so they actually take the trash out of your oil in time.  Less contaminants means longer service life from the oil.  If you oil sample (blackstone labs) you may find changing filters and adding makeup oil, rather than actually changing oil, is all you have to do anymore.  Since its just a yard loader its not gonna be getting much hours. 

[moodnacreek]

Thanks again, Mike. I still have stuff with by pass filters but not so huge. This thing holds a lot of oil and I need to do what you suggest. The oil in it is clean and 1 year old. The guy is meticulous with oil, grease and filters. All the filters are recent including the water filter. No leaks that I can find but the engine is all surface rust. looks original. The mileage could be correct but hard to believe. The 120 loader is a base model, no extend a boom or continuous grapple but all is in excellent condition. Why do I still get excited over this junk?

[Sedgehammer]

Why do I still get excited over this junk?

Because it's fun. It's a grown man's toy.

The heavy fords were very under rated trucks in my eye. Best dump we had was a sterling, which was a ford. But the dash was junk. Had to replace that. 

[moodnacreek]

Why do I still get excited over this junk?

Because it's fun. It's a grown man's toy.

The heavy fords were very under rated trucks in my eye. Best dump we had was a sterling, which was a ford. But the dash was junk. Had to replace that.

Oh I got toys and I love to play. Problem is I make  commitments and then it turns into work and responsibility .

[mike_belben]

Coolant filter is the best news ive heard.  The EPA would be doing every comsumer a favor if they required coolant filters along with their exhaust filters. 


I will not use SCAs again but i will not go without a coolant filter on a diesel. 

[Sedgehammer]

Why do I still get excited over this junk?

Because it's fun. It's a grown man's toy.

The heavy fords were very under rated trucks in my eye. Best dump we had was a sterling, which was a ford. But the dash was junk. Had to replace that.

Oh I got toys and I love to play. Problem is I make  commitments and then it turns into work and responsibility .

yeah, that fun can and does become work. but if it goes well enough, that can and does lead to more toys.....

[Sedgehammer]

Coolant filter is the best news ive heard.  The EPA would be doing every comsumer a favor if they required coolant filters along with their exhaust filters.


I will not use SCAs again but i will not go without a coolant filter on a diesel.

SCA's?
how abouts for a pick em up truck? you put a coolant filter on it?

[mike_belben]

"Supplemental coolant additive" which is basically a plastic material that clings to the coolant jacket and protects the metal from erosion by the pressure waves of high power diesel cycle.  They make coolants and they make preloaded filters.  

Probably great for stock applications.  On a hotrodded, hard pulling sorta big boost 466 i had it turn to a horrible plastic slime good that clung to everything in the vented parts of the crankcase and rocker area,  when a new headgasket blew under hard load.  I dont know if it was from temp or pressure or what but it coated everything and NOTHING on hand took it off. Fuel, ether, brakleen, dawn.  I had to heat it with a torch and go through rolls of towels and rags to desludge the worst of it. This was a roadside headgasket job with limited means. 


Im content with just a filter.  Coolant stays so much cleaner and greener.  If your green coolant turns orangy brown, filter it.  

A bypass oil filter should be on every vehicle imo. 

[Sedgehammer]

"Supplemental coolant additive" which is basically a plastic material that clings to the coolant jacket and protects the metal from erosion by the pressure waves of high power diesel cycle.  They make coolants and they make preloaded filters.  

Probably great for stock applications.  On a hotrodded, hard pulling sorta big boost 466 i had it turn to a horrible plastic slime good that clung to everything in the vented parts of the crankcase and rocker area,  when a new headgasket blew under hard load.  I dont know if it was from temp or pressure or what but it coated everything and NOTHING on hand took it off. Fuel, ether, brakleen, dawn.  I had to heat it with a torch and go through rolls of towels and rags to desludge the worst of it. This was a roadside headgasket job with limited means.


Im content with just a filter.  Coolant stays so much cleaner and greener.  If your green coolant turns orangy brown, filter it.  

A bypass oil filter should be on every vehicle imo.

My brother that shant be mentioned ran one of those toilet paper looking filters on his over road. got something stupid like 125k on an oil change. 
some of our dumps had the coolant filter, some not. I prefer the filter also

[mike_belben]

It is concievable with a 5 micron or less bypass filtration, an engine with little blowby, coolant or fuel leaks that infiltrate the oil, and sampling + filter changes.  

I mean your filters are gonna add a gallon or so of fresh oil so theres a continual replenishing of defoamers, detergents, antioxidants and lubricity.  The guy i drove for was on a 12k changeout interval of cheap bulk oil with no testing.  Theres quite a lot of savings to be had in an OTR application.  Testing is about $30 a wack and once you get it dialed in you dont have to do it too often.  


If the contaminants are captured in a bypass filter your base stock lasts longer, thats a fact.  


I was running a hotrodded and tired 6BT that rolled coal and ran WVO on the cheapest oil, very short trips (bad) and fairly regular towing.  My conditions were poor and with testing i still had about 15% lubricity at 7500miles which became my change point.  A bypass mighta doubled that, idk. But the point was guys were saying 3k mile oil chabges back then for a stocker and thats just tossing good oil out. 

[moodnacreek]

Good info here on expensive motor oil. So has anybody looked at an on board centifuge?

[mike_belben]

Centrifuging is one common way to clean waste vegetable oil but its expensive compared to just settling and top siphoning.  Never considered an onboard 'fuge. 


If someone wanted to reclaim motor oil the easiest way imo would be to fab up a PVC beaker with a cap on the bottom thata got a ball valve.  Screw it to the studs in the garage and pour in your old oil.  In a week or months or whatever drain off a quart from the bottom.  There goes 80% if your trash.  Ideally youd only siphon good oil off the top after a paper towel skim.  Trash in really still oil either floats or sinks, thats it.   You could gather that up and blend it with new.  Or dump it in the diesel tank.  Old diesels run fine on motor oil if its clean and free of water. 

Getting the water out is a whole other chapter.  Contaminants are easy compared to bonded water molecules. 

[mike_belben]

To quantify the effectiveness of settling and top siphoning, my filter rig had 4 stages of spin on full flow hydraulic filters starting with a 145 micron rock catcher and going down to 7 micron.  I could process maybe 500 to 700 gallons without clogging those filters.  Nearly all the trash would stay in the bottom of the drums, which id consolidate continually and mix with sawdust to heat the house.  Mind you this is food slop, cups, cans, cigarettes, gloves and hair nets floating in it when i start.  When finished its a golden new looking oil with no water and less particulate than your most expensive diesel island. 

[moodnacreek]

Last spring I gave up u.v.oil. Did that for quite a few years. Got grud in all my tanks and ruined a few sending units but ran the mill and p.u. truck cheap and it paid. Prior to u.v.o. I ran u.m.o. in the '48 Cat. Gotta be pre. combustion , no direct, got in trouble with the 8.3 generator with just a tiny bit of u.m.o. but it loved the w.v.o.     So what could the transmission be in this L 9000 junker be?  It is a 5 speed with high low switch on the stick.

[mike_belben]

Most sending units have a copper wiper that catalyzes the whole tank when it sits long enough.  Ya really gotta fab a 2nd tank with nothing but stainless or AL to do it long term without the green goo issues constantly.  I mean itll get everyone at some point or every car would run on the stuff.

 My IH has a brass cap and chain on the passenger tank and its all poly in there, needs drained out and probably a caustic cleaner.  But you know how it is.. Desperate times, desperate measures.  That french fry oil moved a lot of my treasure when i had no cash and diesel was quite high. A tank or two i can clean.




Is it a 2speed rear or is there a range box on the trans? Then gotta figure if its a spicer or a fuller.

[moodnacreek]

The truck is not here yet and I didn't look close as the loader was the most important concern. The rears are Eaton I believe . The stick in the cab is straight with a plunger that looks like what a 2 spd. rear would have. Has the black knob with road map, not a chrome puck with switch. A nine speed? I just hope I got something real low for the mud. Darned if I didn't check for a power devider , that I would miss. Of course  it's a hendrickson. I expect 38's, the old girl is 34's.  Always wanted mack or rockwell drop ins. Off road mentality. Poor boys take what they can get.

[mike_belben]

Yup im sure you got it at the right price to overlook some shortcomings. 


When you see it again glance at the main gearbox from below.  If its wider than it is tall its a twin countershaft and likely a fuller 9 or 10. If its taller than wide then a single countershaft and probably a conventional 5spd with 2spd rear.  Afaik the air plunger on the stick could actuate a rear or a trans range.  But ive never had or drove a 2spd rear.. @snowstorm  will know better.

[moodnacreek]

Well, she's here, another junker in the yard. The 120 loader needs the grapple rotator sealed, they tell me it can not be done. It is in good shape but begs to be painted. It feels so heavy to me after running an F for over 20 years. Worst is that it is behind the cab and I can't stand that. If the logs are on the other side of a mud hole I have to drive in it. The old rear mount spoiled Me. The trans. is an 8 speed. The title says 160,000 and the speedo says 36,000 so it must have 200,000 +, whatever, it's a yard dog and it runs nice. Tomorrow the newer Lane sawmill is due to arrive. I better live to 100 at least.

[mike_belben]

oh lord i hope i dont have to go that long! just imagine how stupid people will be with 60 more years of technology. 
cmon ol timer.. wheres the pics?  you know the rules. 

[moodnacreek]

oh lord i hope i dont have to go that long! just imagine how stupid people will be with 60 more years of technology.
cmon ol timer.. wheres the pics?  you know the rules.

The pic's? It's more work to do that than fix the grapple and besides it looks  way worse than the loadstar. You gotta remember I never went to college.

[mike_belben]

thats alright i dropped out.  its why i make the big bucks warshin dishes now.   ;)