ratdude747 Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 That's not bad MPG for break-in and idling in drive-thru's. When you can get it out on the road I'll bet it comes up to 15 or more pretty quickly. On the hose clamps, can you slip another clamp on and run two? Made it past 500 miles. Lifter cover leaking again... I really don't know here. Not a terrible leak, but still not great for a new engine. Is there a trick to getting cork to seal to a rough cast surface like such? Misc. coolant leaks... t-stat been the worst lately. Did some work (re-torqued to 25 ft-lbs), but as I'm typing this I realized I never checked again. Hoses doing better... had to keep tightening hose clamps but fingers crossed, I think I might have gotten it. How soon should I change the oil/filter? Plan was to go to full sythetic for the first oil change... Right now it still has the mix of dino oil, ZDDP additive, and assembly lube used for assembly, priming, and break in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Made it past 500 miles. Lifter cover leaking again... I really don't know here. Not a terrible leak, but still not great for a new engine. Is there a trick to getting cork to seal to a rough cast surface like such? Misc. coolant leaks... t-stat been the worst lately. Did some work (re-torqued to 25 ft-lbs), but as I'm typing this I realized I never checked again. Hoses doing better... had to keep tightening hose clamps but fingers crossed, I think I might have gotten it. How soon should I change the oil/filter? Plan was to go to full sythetic for the first oil change... Right now it still has the mix of dino oil, ZDDP additive, and assembly lube used for assembly, priming, and break in. How are your rings seating? Are the oil leaks due to excessive blow by? What do your compression numbers look like? I wouldn't change anything (except maybe the filter) until I saw even(ish) and good compression numbers in all cylinders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 How are your rings seating? Are the oil leaks due to excessive blow by? What do your compression numbers look like? I wouldn't change anything (except maybe the filter) until I saw even(ish) and good compression numbers in all cylinders. Don't know. Haven't bothered with a compression test. No blow by as far as I can tell... oil vent tube to the intake is dry. This was a leak that I saw while it was on the stand (day after I primed the engine). I tighened the lifter cover bolt nearest the leak and that fixed it for a bit. Super slow leak though... cleaned it up, no oil on the ground two days later. Maybe it fixed itself (settled)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Don't know. Haven't bothered with a compression test. No blow by as far as I can tell... oil vent tube to the intake is dry. This was a leak that I saw while it was on the stand (day after I primed the engine). I tighened the lifter cover bolt nearest the leak and that fixed it for a bit. Super slow leak though... cleaned it up, no oil on the ground two days later. Maybe it fixed itself (settled)? Lots of times things have to 'marry' into place. Like the rings, or cam. Just check that you have decent compression across the board before ditching the break in oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 Lots of times things have to 'marry' into place. Like the rings, or cam. Just check that you have decent compression across the board before ditching the break in oil. I know... which is why I'm asking. Cam and lifters were reused... as was the entire valvetrain other than the valve seals. Every part down to the rocker arm pivots, nuts, and valve keepers returned to the location they came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArdWrknTrk Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 I know... which is why I'm asking. Cam and lifters were reused... as was the entire valvetrain other than the valve seals. Every part down to the rocker arm pivots, nuts, and valve keepers returned to the location they came from. Yup But you've got new bores, rings, pistons and cam bearings. All this has to settle into place, and it isn't likely to on fully synthetic oil. Check. Like I said above about machining to tolerance. If it's good go ahead. If not wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Yup But you've got new bores, rings, pistons and cam bearings. All this has to settle into place, and it isn't likely to on fully synthetic oil. Check. Like I said above about machining to tolerance. If it's good go ahead. If not wait. Agree. No reason to hurry to synthetic. Make sure everything is run in and mated. On the cork gasket, you may need some kind of sealer. BUT, RTV makes a gasket slip and slide badly. So if you are going to use RTV then you should only snug the bolts up lightly, let the RTV set up over night, and then torque it. But another type of sealer might be better. There are lots of them, like The Right Stuff. Or even Indian Head. TRS replaces the gasket. Indian Head glues the gasket to the surfaces. Maybe others have suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1986F150Six Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Made it past 500 miles. Lifter cover leaking again... I really don't know here. Not a terrible leak, but still not great for a new engine. Is there a trick to getting cork to seal to a rough cast surface like such? The pushrod cover plate is quite long on the 4.9L/300 engine and can be tweaked over its lifespan. An after market aluminum one [thicker/stronger] is the absolute best solution. The one on my truck leaked and even with attempting to straighten, it still leaked. I purchased a new one and applied a tacky cement to the cover and placed the gasket [i used rubber, but cork is fine as that is what Ford used] on the cover, flipped the cover so the gasket was "down" on a flat surface and placed a weight on top. This was allowed to set overnight. The next day, the cover was installed. By the way, removing the distributor cap, rotor and ignition coil makes this job easier. The leak disappeared! https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-9L-300-CID-Ford-Lifter-Pushrod-Side-Covers-Brand-New/262298060246?hash=item3d122ec5d6:g:iScAAOxyzGlQ5eTb https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-4-9L-300-CID-Lifter-Pushrod-Side-Cover/142332067702?hash=item2123a6ff76:g:2FUAAOSwk5FUv~HW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdude747 Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 Yup But you've got new bores, rings, pistons and cam bearings. All this has to settle into place, and it isn't likely to on fully synthetic oil. Check. Like I said above about machining to tolerance. If it's good go ahead. If not wait. Did a compression test... 125 PSI everywhere once cooled down (dry). When warm I was seeing 130-135 PSI... But after cylinders 4-6 showed a consistent 125, I retested 1-3 and also got 125. Plugs: Looks like no oil change and I get to go back to break in driving... Unless I busted it again Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Did a compression test... 125 PSI everywhere once cooled down (dry). When warm I was seeing 130-135 PSI... But after cylinders 4-6 showed a consistent 125, I retested 1-3 and also got 125. Plugs: Looks like no oil change and I get to go back to break in driving... Unless I busted it again Thoughts? Keep driving it to break it in. I don't see anything wrong with the plugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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