514 Tear Down

[Jahred]

Finally got off my butt and tore down my old 514. It blew three pistons at 300 miles due to first 6 miles that were run with remote oil filter hoses reversed (Thanks again for the new engine, Mills)

So somebody slap me. I am actually thinking about trying to fix this myself. This is what I see so far. Severe damage to crankshaft. Three blown pistons. Two twisted and broken at the rods, on looks to be simply separated from the bottom end bolts.

I see markings from contact with valves on both frontmost cylinders.

I see no markings on any cylinder walls.....the other five pistons turn nicely.

Exception.........there is damage to the lower 1/2 inch of one of the cylinder walls.......from contact with piston rod, presumably.......

If I want this engine to run again (not sure right now for what).......I suppose what I do is take the heads in somewhere and have the forward valves checked for any damage.

Re the damage to the lower 1/2 inch of one cylinder wall.......is it possibly irrelevent? Sleeve required? I suppose I take the block in somewhere to have it inspected........

Would it be dumb to replace bearings, crank and just three pistons or is a full stroker kit the only way to go? Not sure I have ever seen pistons sold separately.........

Any thoughts.???

[Cobra20646]

Johnny,

I would go for an entire new rotating assembly..... your choice of stock stroke or whatever. Hopefully just the main bearings are all that will need replacement....... but if they spun around you may need some dressing up of the block/caps.

If a valve kissed the top of a piston, you can bet that either the valve stem is bent, the pushrod is bent, or the rocker arm/mount/shaft is damaged, or a combination of all.

I'm surprised that with two broken rods there wasn't more damage to the block. The dings in the cylinder will be a problem, and will probably need a sleeve to get it right.

Also check the cam shaft..... it could have been a victim from junk flying around inside the block too.

Tear it all down and perform a close inspection of every part you remove...... and replace any that look suspicious.

Good luck ..... this isn't rocket science, but there is some 'magic' to getting it all to work right

- Jim -

[BB427]

That sucks! Sorry man....

I would start from square one as if it were a new build. Take the block and heads to the machine shop for inspection. If the block is a stock ford piece I would replace it ILO a sleeve or two. I would put a new rot. assy in it, and replace the cam. If its a solid or hyd. they are cheap cast pieces that dont like shock. At this point you want to take your time and make sure you feel confident with it when your finished with it.

Good luck!

[Jahred]

BB427 - Thanks for the input.....when you say....

"If the block is a stock ford piece I would replace it ILO a sleeve or two"

Whats the ILO? Are you suggesting I toss the block too?

Just to clarify, my cobra is up and running fine........this engine is the remnants of last years fiasco......since I don't have a specific need for this engine, it's strictly hobby time.....I guess it all starts with getting the heads and block inspected.......if it needs much more than a rotating assembly, I probably replace a couple valves and just sell the heads.........

[Clois Harlan]

I have done the same thing to mine before. Since you are not in a hurry I would take the block to your machinist and have it magnafluxed and vatted. When you grind up bearings and start breaking things those little pieces get in places you can't even imagine. Be sure and take your oil pump apart and inspect it for debris. Most things can be fixed but in some cases it may be cheaper to just replace. Especially since the 460 engines are so plentiful.

Good Luck!

[Venom S]

I'm about to start my brand new motor. How can I tell if I have the hoses on correctly? I have the center outlet from the block going to teh center inlet on the remote adapter. Does this sound correct?

[Jahred]

Venom S.......you made me smile......I don't know how much time I spent on that question with alot of smart people.........because all the adapters are different, I think its tough and a little dangerous to generalize. Best thing is to follow the instructions with your kit very carefully.

Anyway........throw an oil cooler into the mix and it can be pretty confusing.

I initially had one of the cheaper cast adapter kits and had trouble with leakage with that......ended up going with a higher quality anodized aluminum adaptor on the engine mount........

Good Luck, follow those directions!, Prime the oil pump first, and keep an eye on that gauge. When my hoses were switched back it did not take but a second or two for pressure to show on the gauge..........

[Venom S]

Thanks Johnny

If I crank the engine over, and get no oil pressure, I guess the hoses are reversed.

[Mr.Fixit]

Don't hook up the hoses. Remove distributor, turn oil pump by hand (priming the system) and see which hose fitting it pours out of. Hook up hoses, then prime oil system again to fill up cooler lines, filter, and cooler before starting motor.

[Jahred]

Question. About done with the tear down........but having trouble getting the bottoms of pistons rods (cap) to come loose..don't want to force it for fear of dinging something.......is there a trick to this??? I've tapped at the pieces that look like they should be tapped, and the caps do loosen........just not popping off........

[BB427]

Sounds like you have a nice fitting set of rod bolts. You may need to thread the nuts back on the bolts a little and tap them equally from side to side with a rubber mallet or dead blow hammer. Key word is "tap". This should break them loose.