Stupid motor!

[dynaflash_8]

So my flathead must hate me. Its a 54' 230cid. I pulled the dipstick again to find a tad bit of metal in my oil. Very fine particals that i cant feel any grit on. I drained the oil and the magnet had some metalic paste stuck to it that had no grit at all. I did an oil change and see whats up.

I already ran into this issue once and i found a bad main bearing. I got paranoid so i replaced all the rod and main bearings. Cleaned the block real well but im thinkin this might just be some i missed. Everything plastigauged within tolerance, and it had the correct amount of drag on the crank. I used the lubriplate white assembly lube on everything and made sure the crank journals were clean. Everything is getting oil and it holds 40lbs oil pressure at idle.

Motor has less than 30 miles on it.

Its bored .030 over with total seal rings and forged pistons.

Polished rods,

Fully balenced,

.010 under crank with correct bearings.

New timing set.

Custom ground cam with 236 duration and .480 lift.

Steel head with no markings and small chambers.

Around 190hp

Compression test revealed 150psi on all cylinders cold.

It wiped the front and rear main bearings once already. I dont know why. I think the machine shop didnt clean the crank before dropping it in.

I fear that it might be somthing else. I went though the motor before putting it back together with new bearings with a fine tooth comb and made sure i did it by the book and correctly.

So far in this 30 miles iv blown a headgasket and bearings. Do these motors just not like being hopped up like i have?

[48mirage]

Sounds like a high lift cam. I would check for wear there. With solid lifters in a breakin condition you will need a high zinc content oil to keep the cam and tappet wear to a minimum.

[PatrickG]

Although I'm sure you did the proper break in of the cam, (20 minutes or so over 1800 rpm, proper break in lube, and making sure it started right up the first time, as not to wipe the lube of the cam and lifters before starting)

I would still mic all the valves for the max lift to see if the cam wiped. Usually if its going to wipe, it just goes all the way and over a pretty short period, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

I remember blueskies opening up his motor and finding what looked like really fine metal accumulated in little corners of the crank case, and If my memory serves me it turned out to be the assembly lube or the cam break in lube.

you said the assembly lube you used was white, was the cam break in lube gray or metallic? Its a possibility if you've already eliminated the bearings and the cam. I know the lube that came with the summit racing cam i have in my mustang was a metallic gray.

Also I know with aluminum heads you have to be really particular with the way you torque them in order for the head gasket not to blow. If your running compression that is similar to an aluminum head its possible you may have the same issues. Did you retorque the head while hot? Again referencing blueskies I think he torqued his head a few times before it really settled at the right spec.

[Tom Skinner]

I always thought Cast Iron Heads got Torqued Hot and Aluminum Cold?

Oh well, I think there is probably just a little break in Lub dust etc floating around in there.

Good luck and I hope everything works out for you now that the oil is changed.

Tom

[jd52cranbrook]

190 hp? That's pretty good. Well, more than pretty good.

[greg g]

190 seems really optimistic. how did you measure it?? My similarly equiped 230, puts 127 to the rear wheels on a chasis dyno.

[dynaflash_8]

190 seems really optimistic. how did you measure it?? My similarly equiped 230, puts 127 to the rear wheels on a chasis dyno.

190 at the crank was what my desktop dyno came up with when i plugged in the numbers.

[PatrickG]

what did you use for flow numbers on the "heads" and intake etc?

just curious how you punch in specs for a motor like a flathead on a program like that