OVERKILL
November 29th, 2006, 10:36 PM
So, my 6.300" pushrods arrived today. They were SERIOUS overkill, Comp Pro Magnum one piece fully hardened. They have the name and the size laser-etched in the side of them. They were the ONLY pushrods I could get in that length though.....PRICEY!
Anyways, here's my fun from today.
So, the car has been sitting for a couple of weeks now, half together because I was waiting for those pushrods. The E7's that I got were rebuilt with Chevy valves, which are shorter, hence the need for the longer pushrods.
The engine has had no plugs in it and an open intake on it with no valve covers, sitting in my garage, with the door open (the car doesn't fully fit in the garage) and it has been SEVERELY damp outside.
I start to torque the rockers down, spinning over the engine as I go. Then it stops. It won't spin over with a ratchet anymore. This isn't good! So, I start spinning it the other way, it goes probably a full turn and then stops again. I apply a tad more pressure, and it continues on for maybe another 1/2 turn and then stops again. I'm getting a little freaked out. Go back the other way, it goes a ways and then stops. Thinking that I did something with the valve train, I take off ALL The rockers and the engine continues to do this. This isn't good! The last time I was working on the car, I must have spun the engine over at least 50 times with the slightly shorter pushrods in it, and then with the adjustable, at least 5 or 6 times without issue. So, I do the unthinkable. I hook up the battery and spin it with the starter. Away it goes????? It spins no problem. VERY odd. So, I bolt on a set of rockers with the new pushrods, and spin it again, no problem with the starter. Try it with the ratchet, it stops again. VERY weird. Put on all the rockers, and spin it over with the starter, its fine. I spin it with the starter until oil comes out of the rockers and I know things are primed. Then I assembled it.
A buddy was helping me and he arrived after I had the rockers on, but he was puzzled by what it had done as well. My THEORY is that the engine got wet enough and the bores were dry enough that some scale rust might have formed in the cylinders (no plugs in it) and it was enough to cause issue with me turning it over by hand.
So, we got it together, and fired it up. Its running rich. We find that the one vacuum port on the back of the Explorer intake has no vacuum. No big deal, an other "T" is used and now we have vacuum going to the MAP sensor and fuel pressure regulator. Its running better, but its stilling not smooth. I'm thinking its probably the injectors. One or two are probably sticking (they are the old ones out of my Mustang) because they've been sitting for a few years. Hopefully, it will smooth itself out when I go back to work on it again tomorrow. I've got the ECM just kind of sitting on the fender ATM, haven't removed the old one from under the dash, so I'll address that tomorrow as well. I'm hoping I can get this quickly resolved in the morning, as my son has a dentists appointment.
Otherwise, it rev's realy free, seems to have lots of jam, but doesn't want to idle very well and stalls if you put it into gear without feathering the gas. I'm sure its something stupid I'm overlooking.............And of course it now sounds like a Mustang.
I'll get some pics of the engine once I get things sorted out.
-Chris
Anyways, here's my fun from today.
So, the car has been sitting for a couple of weeks now, half together because I was waiting for those pushrods. The E7's that I got were rebuilt with Chevy valves, which are shorter, hence the need for the longer pushrods.
The engine has had no plugs in it and an open intake on it with no valve covers, sitting in my garage, with the door open (the car doesn't fully fit in the garage) and it has been SEVERELY damp outside.
I start to torque the rockers down, spinning over the engine as I go. Then it stops. It won't spin over with a ratchet anymore. This isn't good! So, I start spinning it the other way, it goes probably a full turn and then stops again. I apply a tad more pressure, and it continues on for maybe another 1/2 turn and then stops again. I'm getting a little freaked out. Go back the other way, it goes a ways and then stops. Thinking that I did something with the valve train, I take off ALL The rockers and the engine continues to do this. This isn't good! The last time I was working on the car, I must have spun the engine over at least 50 times with the slightly shorter pushrods in it, and then with the adjustable, at least 5 or 6 times without issue. So, I do the unthinkable. I hook up the battery and spin it with the starter. Away it goes????? It spins no problem. VERY odd. So, I bolt on a set of rockers with the new pushrods, and spin it again, no problem with the starter. Try it with the ratchet, it stops again. VERY weird. Put on all the rockers, and spin it over with the starter, its fine. I spin it with the starter until oil comes out of the rockers and I know things are primed. Then I assembled it.
A buddy was helping me and he arrived after I had the rockers on, but he was puzzled by what it had done as well. My THEORY is that the engine got wet enough and the bores were dry enough that some scale rust might have formed in the cylinders (no plugs in it) and it was enough to cause issue with me turning it over by hand.
So, we got it together, and fired it up. Its running rich. We find that the one vacuum port on the back of the Explorer intake has no vacuum. No big deal, an other "T" is used and now we have vacuum going to the MAP sensor and fuel pressure regulator. Its running better, but its stilling not smooth. I'm thinking its probably the injectors. One or two are probably sticking (they are the old ones out of my Mustang) because they've been sitting for a few years. Hopefully, it will smooth itself out when I go back to work on it again tomorrow. I've got the ECM just kind of sitting on the fender ATM, haven't removed the old one from under the dash, so I'll address that tomorrow as well. I'm hoping I can get this quickly resolved in the morning, as my son has a dentists appointment.
Otherwise, it rev's realy free, seems to have lots of jam, but doesn't want to idle very well and stalls if you put it into gear without feathering the gas. I'm sure its something stupid I'm overlooking.............And of course it now sounds like a Mustang.
I'll get some pics of the engine once I get things sorted out.
-Chris