• Hello there guest and Welcome to The #1 Classic Mustang forum!
    To gain full access you must Register. Registration is free and it takes only a few moments to complete.
    Already a member? Login here then!

Bad news...engine

KBMWRS

KBMWRS

sad
Donator
So I needed to do some maintenance on another car so I needed to use the whole garage. Moved out the '67 and found a small puddle of coffee with cream under the engine area. It started fine and moved to the driveway. Also started and drove back in at the end of the day.
Now I knew I burned oil #1 cylinder plug was black and upon downshifting a puff would come out the back. It also leaked some. But all this still meant I drove it a few miles to shows or to stretch its legs. Now its not going to move for a while.:mad:

Now I need a engine rebuilder.:(
 
Unless your 67 is moonlighting as a barista, I would figure out where its coming from. The spark plug issue is another mater; it could be a number of things like a bad plug wire, cap, etc. Check the easy things first, then if you don't find anything maybe you should perform compression and a leak-down tests. Its always best to know what needs fixing before you throw parts at it (or heaven forbid a mechanic).
 
Last edited:
Where is this puddle located in regards to the engine ? Middle , front of engine , engine/trans area , rear trans ??
 
I suggest some diagnosis before calling the coroner. Included are checking the engine oil dipstick to see if you have a chocolate milkshake in the crankcase. If yes, open the radiator cap and see if you have more milkshake in the radiator. If not, rent a cooling system pressure testor kit from local auto supply such as O'Reilly's and pressurize the cooling system to operating pressure (probably in the 13-15 lb range) and see if the pressure holds or leaks down. If leaky, pull the plugs and run a compression test on all cylinders looking for variance in the readings, All of this is intented to help you zero in on a possible head gasket leak (internal). If all seems good, the next suspect would be the intake manifold gaskets. PITA but not the end of the world. If on the other hand, the overall diagnosis is ugly, Felix over at APM on Joleen (near you) has been my go to machinist and if he hasn't retired yet consider him., He's done a 289 and a 390 for me and the cylinder heads on Diane's 351 W. I suggest getting the engine out of the car and over to him for freshening up at that point

Didn't you have the engine freshened up some time ago when you did the aluminum heads? If so, how long ago was that? I'm thinking pre-MALT so it may be time again.
 
Ok so I checked. Although the engine seems to be leaking oil from almost everywhere there is no oil in the radiator nor water in the crankcase. There is staining from under the water pump so along with the oil leaks I'm guessing they mixed on the floor. Underside of the car is coated in oil. Bottom of trans is all oiled up. leakage from valve covers, oil pan, exhaust manifolds stains. It needs help.
As far taking the engine out. Hahaha...uh, nope.
Engine was rebuilt in 2002 and 51,000 miles ago.
Now I need a shop willing to take the car and do the rebuild.
 
Slow down there, buddy. 51k on a rebuild is not the time to say do it again. Unless a shit job to start the long block should be a long way from needing rebuilt. oil leaks are going to happen regardless but even more likely if you had someone just do a standard rebuild and they used the original style gaskets, etc. For example, using a modern one piece silicone oil pan gasket puts a permanent end to leaks at the pan lip. Depending on type of valve covers used there are better gasket options there too. Same for the timing cover. What I got from all you wrote it you have a leaky engine. That is a far cry from one needing rebuilt. You can replace all those gaskets without pulling the engine.
One thing all should remember is letting these cars sit for long periods of time without getting up to temp and stretching their legs routinely is just begging for this kind of thing to happen. Gaskets get dry. Shrink up, etc.
 
I should add, its not uncommon to get an intake oil leak into a cylinder. At 51k I'd suspect that type of thing before I'd leap to blaming a ring issue or such. Its easy to pull an intake and look for signs of it. Then when putting it back on, toss the stupid cork end piece gaskets and use a healthy bead of a quality RTV instead.

One thing a lot of people miss is verifying the fitment of the intake to the head surfaces. Decking blocks, milling heads, swapping heads, aftermarket intakes all that stuff can lead to mismatched surface mating angles that can bite you right away or as gaskets get older.
 
Now you got my mind running and I can't get back in work mode.

Pop that VC off and take a look at the valve seals on the oily plug cylinder. Could be as simple as that too. Those are easily replaced in the car too.
 
You're right Terry. It will be a while but I think I will start just replacing gaskets as you stated.
Many things planned for the rest of the year so I'll get to it...some time.
 
Horseplay said:
.

One thing a lot of people miss is verifying the fitment of the intake to the head surfaces. Decking blocks, milling heads, swapping heads, aftermarket intakes all that stuff can lead to mismatched surface mating angles that can bite you right away or as gaskets get older.
Click to expand...
This is what it looks like when you forget to check the intake to block clearance.

IMG_9551.jpeg
 
Sure, pull the intake....do a compression test....easy as pie. Oh wait you have a damn FE stuffed in a car that is two sizes too small!

I know it smokes and burns oil, but like said above it could be from a number of things. Let me know if you need help, we can always trailer it to my house and I can deal with it. That is if you are not too proud to have it trailered! :p
 
First thing I would do it get it to a hand wand self car wash along with a couple cans of degreaser spray and clean the engine (top to bottom) to make leak location/detection easier. You can do that in your lovely state, right?

I wouldn't worry about a compression test. Not at just 50K. Clean it off. Drive it a bit to see if you can't pin point any and all external leaks. If there is a leaky VC on the side with the oil fouled plug pull it to replace the gasket and while its open, peek at those valve stem seals. Same thing with the intake. If you see indication of an oil leak, pull it and see if there is any sign of oil making its way into the suspect cylinders intake port. Neither of those jobs is that big of a deal to do and I'd bet both are sources of a leak that needs fixed anyway.

If you're really industrious, get after the oil pan if needed. Pretty sure Ken has a lift which would make that job easier for sure. Going to the one piece silicone gasket is worth the effort regardless if there are leaks yet or not. Good chance to clean out the pan, inspect the pick-up and pump too.

A slow paced weekend of work on a cool classic and a few beers with friends. What could be better?
 
Horseplay said:
First thing I would do it get it to a hand wand self car wash along with a couple cans of degreaser spray and clean the engine (top to bottom) to make leak location/detection easier. You can do that in your lovely state, right?

I wouldn't worry about a compression test. Not at just 50K. Clean it off. Drive it a bit to see if you can't pin point any and all external leaks. If there is a leaky VC on the side with the oil fouled plug pull it to replace the gasket and while its open, peek at those valve stem seals. Same thing with the intake. If you see indication of an oil leak, pull it and see if there is any sign of oil making its way into the suspect cylinders intake port. Neither of those jobs is that big of a deal to do and I'd bet both are sources of a leak that needs fixed anyway.

If you're really industrious, get after the oil pan if needed. Pretty sure Ken has a lift which would make that job easier for sure. Going to the one piece silicone gasket is worth the effort regardless if there are leaks yet or not. Good chance to clean out the pan, inspect the pick-up and pump too.

A slow paced weekend of work on a cool classic and a few beers with friends. What could be better?
Click to expand...
One of Mike's downfalls is he doesn't drink beer. Only high-end whiskey with his pinky finger out!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top