New engine rebuild smoking and oil fouling plugs

[shelbydoug]

At this point it could be a lot of things including a bad ring or cylder wall and for that matter a broken intake manifold with a leaking runner.

We could start a pool and bet on what we think it is and give a prize to the winner.

It's just at a point where the only way to find it is to disassemble.

There are lots of strange things happening. For me, intake gaskets are not matching up well. Early intake manifolds are not fitting up well to later blocks and heads.

I've got a thermostat housing leaking fluid and the only thing left is that the housing itself is porous and leaking right through the casting.

Some items like that never had any consideration of still being in use 50 years later.

Although a ring issue is a possibility, the quantity of oil being consumed doesn't line up with that. We're dealing with probability now, not possibility because literally anything is possible.

That no longer matters. The top or the engine has to come apart with AT LEAST the intake coming off.

I'd bet on the intake manifold misalignment to the ports on the heads, but that's just the latest guess. I just did my own T/A intake install and it's very fair to say that the intake gaskets were an issue.

Third time install was a charm...except for that thermostat housing. That's not done yet.  Two sets of head gaskets. Issues that didn't exist 30 years ago.

[SFM6S087]

At least you can see the smoking. I was losing a quart of oil for every 100 miles driven. Never a wisp of smoke and only an occasional drop on the ground under the engine. The baffles in the valve covers had been gutted for clearance over roller rockers. The oil was getting sucked up the PCV valve to the intake and then the cylinders to be burned and exhausted. So why no smoke? I wondered the same thing until I saw an article by Curt Vogt in the last printed Shelby Annual. He says that synthetic oil will not smoke when burned in the engine like petroleum based oil. And I've been using synthetic. But I can tell you it will foul your spark plugs. Ha, ha!

Steve

[cob4ra]

bills 852 at the ford store was scoped and tested for intake manifold leaks! The cylinders were oily wet and one picture will show you some disconcerting bore scraping!

[cob4ra]

They ran a device that would have pulled smoke? If the Intake manifold gaskets were leaking and it was sealed tight so they detected no leaks to the intake manifold gaskets

[shelbydoug]

The scoring marks are upsetting but they aren't radical enough to be causing this situation. The source of the oil is from the top of the engine.

Still the most likely source of that QUANTITY of oil is through the intake manifold.

Valve guides can leak due to the vacuum put on them by the downward movement of the pistons but I've never seen "rebuilt heads" with the leak that much oil consistently from cylinder to cylinder.

Many freshly rebuilt heads don't even need valve stem seals. One exception would be that if the rebuilder knurled the guides to tighten up clearances rather then replace the guides themselves. But the guides need to be completely replaced not just sleeved and reamed.

That procedure is going to leak a lot of oil too. You need an entire new guide installed in the head.


Incidentally, if you should happen to remove the heads for any reason, before reinstalling the heads, make sure you take a good shop vac and clear out the space between the pistons and the block walls.

Scoring is going to be caused by something stuck in there between the piston and the bore. It could be carbon particles, small pieces of the coating from the head gaskets or something in the anti-freeze that is going to get in there when you break the seal of the head and the gasket.

It's difficult if not impossible for something to get between the ring and the block bore because of the ring tension.

[gt350hr]

bills 852 at the ford store was scoped and tested for intake manifold leaks! The cylinders were oily wet and one picture will show you some disconcerting bore scraping!

   For a newly rebuilt , low mile engine the pictures show UNACCEPTABLE bore conditions. Those vertical scratches are "In My Professional ( yes I do this everyday) Opinion" excessive and will prevent proper ring seal. This situation will not fix itself over any amount of time. It is imperative to ( on tear down) determine the ACTUAL cause of those scratches and eliminate the cause before repair/ reassembly. If this was a 50-60,000 mile engine I would expect what is shown. With low miles it is a serious issue.
    Randy

[cob4ra]

I've suspected that the Dyno guys may have caused this condition if they did not run a correct break in procedure ? But the scoring of the bore? Dirt or grindings in bore not properly cleaned properly?

[Side-Oilers]

Was the engine builder a shop that you or a car buddy has used before? 

[gt350hr]

I've suspected that the Dyno guys may have caused this condition if they did not run a correct break in procedure ? But the scoring of the bore? Dirt or grindings in bore not properly cleaned properly?

      Without seeing the piston out of the bore it is difficult to see the cause. It could be ring material off of the second ring becoming embedded into the piston skirts , rings butting . or some other possibilities. I'll stay tuned for more pictures.
    Randy

[cob4ra]

You will all be in the Loop on what we find when it comes apart ! and side oilers I do not know who this builder is ?? he talked the talk and it was a California builder not sure of the name of the company but my friend Bill is the one who researched and found them! Sooo! As the saying goes! On calm seas a sailor never learns  how to be a great Sailor !

[Bob Gaines]

You will all be in the Loop on what we find when it comes apart ! and side oilers I do not know who this builder is ?? he talked the talk and it was a California builder not sure of the name of the company but my friend Bill is the one who researched and found them! Sooo! As the saying goes! On calm seas a sailor never learns  how to be a great Sailor !

I can only assume given the nothing has been said that the CA engine builder is not standing behind the problem ?

[gt350hr]

  Lots of "discovery" is needed before constructing the "hanging tower".
      Randy

[427heaven]

You will all be in the Loop on what we find when it comes apart ! and side oilers I do not know who this builder is ?? he talked the talk and it was a California builder not sure of the name of the company but my friend Bill is the one who researched and found them! Sooo! As the saying goes! On calm seas a sailor never learns  how to be a great Sailor !

OR NO ONE CAN PUT BETTER COMBINATIONS OF FOUL WORDS AND PHRASES TOGETHER THEN A DRUNKEN SAILOR.

[cob4ra]

Bill researched this engine builder by a mustang Magazines article and it gave him the assurance that they were the right guys to rebuild his unopened original engine, I got to go over by phone some wants on the rebuild (based on my engines experience from when Mine was done)with the senior guy there . JGM ?  I've never heard of them but I hope that they will take care of Bill after he gets it torn down and we all analyze it !

[427heaven]

All the racers on the left coast of heard of grubbs shop. They are first class, hope it gets figured out!