There are a lot of factors here...is it a smogger?? is it a performance built motor??
I believe too much heat is the enemy. Too much heat can blow a head gasket and/or crack a head or block. It also kills the ring seal to the cylinders.
Many of the smog era motors ran in the 200-220 range for smog purposes only (extra heat will burn more of the unburned fuel), but a racing engine likes a cooler temp and makes more power.
On my race car, once the temp reaches 200, I shut it off and keep the electric water pump and fan going to cool it down!!...its gone the fastest when the water temp was 135-140.
Its a 460 bored and stroked to 532 and it keeps getting up to 210
OK i have a real problem now and its pissing me off. I've just gone through my 3rd pair of valve cover gaskets. Felpro rubber ones, i keep blowing them out. Passengerside on the front and driverside on the rear. I glued them down with RTV let them sit for a long time and made sure they were dry before doing the same on the other side to the head.
What the hell should i do? I have breathers on both sides of my motor too.
Seems like there is a lot of crankcase pressure!!...does it leak oil anywhere else, like front & rear crank seals or the pan gasket itself??
I use valve cover gaskets from "Earls"...you can get em from Summit. They have the rubber thats bonded to a steel shim frame and you cant overtighten them, plus they are reusable.
Check the surfaces on the valve covers, make sure they are not porous or rough.
I've had better luck with stock type cork gaskets from carquest. I use weather strip adhesive and only glue them to the valve cover, install with head side and head clean and dry. Randy.
Check the breathers on both sides to make sure they're not clogged or blocked. Do they always blow out like that when they blow? If so you're building alot of crankcase pressure in there for some reason as posted earlier. Some of the other causes of excessive crankcase pressure are excessive blow-by due to worn piston rings, a hole or crack in a piston crown, loose piston pin retainers, worn oil seals, cylinder head or end plate gaskets, or excessive exhaust back pressure. Also, the breather tube or crankcase ventilator should be checked for obstructions.
Have you changed something recently like the exhaust or muffler or catalytic converter? Did you port your heads or increase the flow of exhaust but not the exhaust system itself?
Just a quick sidebar: our internal combustion engines rely on heat as a key component for making power; they also react well to cooler air intake for making power...not necessarily cold operating temps. Also, cold operating temps, such as below ~160* water temperature, actually increases engine wear substantially.
Check the breathers and make sure that they don't have that foam crap inside of them. I bought some K&N air breathers and the engine kept leaking oil. When I took them off and looked inside them they had some kind of foam in them. I took that stuff out and have not had an oil leak since.
My breathers were breathing before cause i would see the steam coming out of them but i have to admit i haven't seen it do that in a while.
I kinda think its the rtv i am using can't handle the heat or something. i will check everything everyone has mentioned though. The original gaskets were leaking but not blowing out until i switched them and used a different rtv.
Check the breathers and make sure that they don't have that foam crap inside of them. I bought some K&N air breathers and the engine kept leaking oil. When I took them off and looked inside them they had some kind of foam in them. I took that stuff out and have not had an oil leak since.
I'll have to get some new gaskets and fix it on my next days off. I must be over tightening them cuase i don't want them to leak anymore. I don't know what to torque them down too so i just tighten them.
I run those same valve covers and those same gaskets with no silicon, I just lay the rubber gasket in place. I take a 1/4 inch ratchet that is very short and just snug the bolts. I haven't had them leak yet.
Yeah the first 2 minutes of the engine running steam used to come out of them, i haven't seen it in a long time though it was only after getting the motor together.
I am going to redo them, use blue rtv and just tighten them to what the torque required in a book tells me.
1/4" valve cover bolts only torque to 7 FT/Lbs, that's about what you can turn on a screwdriver handle......you have to leave enough movement in the gasket so it can expand and contract with the temperature changes.
Rob
1/4" valve cover bolts only torque to 7 FT/Lbs, that's about what you can turn on a screwdriver handle......you have to leave enough movement in the gasket so it can expand and contract with the temperature changes.
Rob
OK i am replacing the gaskets tomorrow, just going to hand tighten them i guess or use a torque wrench and torque them to the correct torque if i can find my book.
Hello everyone
I am brand-new to this forum, but I've been running a '69 Lincoln 460 in my '71 Mach I for 38 years.
There are not many other people running 460s in England. It's a great motor, but it does vibrate quite a lot.
I would like to hear from anyone who has fitted a Fluidampr harmonic...
I've got a 460 in an AC Cobra replica. The only way to add oil is through a valve cover breather and the way it's baffled it takes forever. Is there a better way?
Ok I’m currently rebuilding this 71 Lincoln 460 engine. I plan to place it in a ‘74 4x4 f-250 when done. I’ll change cam and lifters, the old one was busted because 1 valve was sticky. I’m at the stage where I would bring it to the shop for cleaning and magnaflux. Although, I’d like to have an...
Hey 460 fans, new to 460.com. ive been reading a lot of info on intake manifolds here and i need some real world specific experience with my combo. i currently have a 1968 galaxie convertible. I've installed a ford motorsports crate motor from 2005. as built. I've installed a 750dp recently...
Does anyone know if stock 460 retainers can work with comp cams 926 valve springs?
I’m not opposed to spending money where it’s needed but with a pretty mild budget build I’d like to save where it is practical.
Thanks
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