DOHC 4.6L V8 build

[jd4242]

Which oil tube and pick up are you starting with before modifications?? What modifications are needed?

What oil pan are you using also??

 

[2000StreetRod]

I'm using the stock Aviator oil pump that has a larger port than the stock Explorer oil pump. As I recall the pump is identical to the one used on the Mach 1 and the Cobra. A Cobra pickup tube is shown below.

I purchased an Aviator oil pan and pickup tube.

I've read that some of the baffling has to be removed/altered.

 

[jd4242]

Would the mach1 pick up tube and windage tray work with the aviator oil pump and pan??

Would that be easier than modifications to the aviator pick up tube?

 

[2000StreetRod]

The P/N for the Aviator/Explorer/Mountaineer oil pan differs from the Mach 1/Cobra oil pan P/N. I didn't want to chance purchasing a Mach 1 oil pickup tube not knowing if it would fit an Aviator pan. Also, Mach 1 parts are more expensive than Aviator parts and more difficult to find. Cobra parts are even more expensive than Mach 1 parts. Hopefully, the needed modifications will be relatively easy to perform.

 

[jd4242]

The P/N for the Aviator/Explorer/Mountaineer oil pan differs from the Mach 1/Cobra oil pan P/N. I didn't want to chance purchasing a Mach 1 oil pickup tube not knowing if it would fit an Aviator pan. Also, Mach 1 parts are more expensive than Aviator parts and more difficult to find. Cobra parts are even more expensive than Mach 1 parts. Hopefully, the needed modifications will be relatively easy to perform.

Staying tuned..very interesting

 

[2000StreetRod]

Yesterday the machine shop notified me that my block and rotating assembly would be ready today. So this morning I took my heads to the cylinder head shop for evaluation and estimate to rebuild. Since I have no first hand experience with the reported running condition of the engine other than it had a "bad lower end knock" I decided to pay the $40 per head for compression testing prior to rebuilding. The shop foreman told me that my spark plug threads looked fine and there was no need for inserts. He said they have installed 9 thread inserts in 5 thread heads and it would pretty expensive and not justified on a street engine. I didn't remove the cams because I don't have the special holding tool so the shop will do that and hopefully reinstall them. I wrote down the part numbers stamped on each camshaft and the location. I've read stories that sometimes shops will install them in the wrong locations. The shop will pull the rear freeze plug for me and I'll install the head cooling mod kit. I'm hopeful there are no cracks in the head.

The machine shop took about .006 inch off the decks to get a flat surface for a good head gasket seal. They spent some additional time on cleaning up the block after it came out of the soak tank. The cylinders seem to be nicely honed and ready for rings and pistons.

The valley was hard to clean because of the "waffle" pattern but it won't show anyway. I didn't have the shop remove the knock sensor bosses because I may not ever add a supercharger and the associated lower intake manifold. I need to install the cylinder head guide dowels. After transferring the block from my Sport to the engine stand I wiped the cylinder walls with a lint free applicator soaked in engine oil to prevent the formation of rust. The only hold up on engine assembly at this point is the ARP 156-5001 main cap side bolts I purchased about a year ago. They are M8 bolts for the early aluminum block and too small in diameter. So I ordered ARP 156-5002 that are M9 bolts for the later aluminum block. They are scheduled to arrive on 18 Nov.

 

[2000StreetRod]

The ARP main cap side bolts arrived yesterday so this morning I confirmed they were the correct 9mm size. Then I removed the stock main cap bolts and caps which were in place for boring the block. I installed the ARP studs hand tight with allen T handles, inserted the upper main bearings in the block and oiled them, installed the lower main bearings in the caps and oiled them, and then positioned the main caps in place. My 2004 Aviator and 2003 Explorer shop manuals emphasize the importance of correctly installing the thrush washer but don't indicate where it goes.

Not wanting to guess I searched the internet and found a helpful photo.

I decided to use engine oil instead of assembly lube on the bearings. I've read that too much assembly lube will clog the oil filter in just a few minutes after starting a rebuilt engine for the first time. I'll use my electric pump to pre-lube the engine during assembly since it will be a long time before I'm ready to attempt engine start.

 

[2000StreetRod]

Step 3 in the ARP stud kit installation instructions states "Screw the studs into the block hand tight only". I did that until the studs bottomed out or reached the end of the threads. For the 8mm studs they were too low in the block for the stud threads to fully engage with the washers and nuts installed finger tight.

So I backed the studs out until there was no exposed thread on either the studs or the nuts. The shop manual states to torque the bolts in four stages: 89 lb-in, 18 lb-ft, 30 lb-ft, +90 degrees. The ARP instructions state to tighten the nuts in three stages following the manufacturer's sequence to 60 ft-lbs for the M10 studs and 25 ft-lbs for the M8 studs. Note that the third stage exceeds the specified torque for the M8 studs.

I suspect there are two reasons the ARP max torque is less than for the stock bolts. First, the thread length of the nuts is considerably less than the thread length of the bolts. Second, ARP provides a special lubricant that is applied to the exposed stud threads that reduces friction. I torqued all of the bolts in three stages: 89 lb-in, 18 lb-ft, and 25 lb-ft. Then I torqued the M10 studs in three more stages: 35 lb-ft, 45 lb-ft and 60 lb-ft. After that I rechecked the M8 studs at 25 lb-ft.
The ARP instructions for the main cap side bolts are to apply their fastener lubricant to the threads and automotive grade silicone under the head of the bolt to prevent oil seepage. I used some I had on hand from my M90 installation.

The shop manual specifies tightening the bolts in two stages and the ARP specified torque for the M9 bolts for my block is 45 ft-lbs. I torqued the bolts in three stages: 15 lb-ft, 30 lb-ft and 45 lb-ft starting from the center cap and working alternately outward. I measured the crankshaft end play with feeler gauges to be between 0.006 in. and 0.007 in. which is within the shop manual specification of 0.00512 in. to 0.01185 in.

 

[2000StreetRod]

The Aviator shop manual calls for installing the pistons with rods prior to the oil pump but I decided to reverse the order to determine what needs to be done to the oil pickup tube for the windage tray to fit. The Aviator calls for installing all 4 oil pump mounting bolts and torqueing them in a specific sequence. However, when I opened up the bag containing the stock oil pump I removed in December, 2014 there were only 3 bolts present. I then looked for installation instructions in the Explorer shop manual and it only shows the installation of 3 bolts because the 4th bolt that goes in the lower, driver side position is longer and used to mount the driver side chain guide. I rotated the crankshaft by hand to get the oil pump to seat against the block. I think the correct torque sequence is shown below and the desired torque is 89 lb-in.

This is not the first error I've found in the Aviator shop manual. It is becoming obvious that the manual has not been verified by experienced mechanics.

 

[2000StreetRod]

Last Thursday the head shop called to let me know that my heads passed the compression test but they needed all new valve guides. I authorized them to proceed with the rebuild and to purchase new valve seals since I haven't purchased any. This morning I picked up the finished heads.

The shop installed the cams for me but not the chains because they didn't know if I had purchased new ones. When I tore down the engine I decided to reuse all of the chains because the lower guides were in very good condition. The shop removed the rear freeze plugs as I asked for the cooling mod.

The total cost was $727.

 

[2000StreetRod]

The last engine I assembled was in a 1973 Volvo with offset connecting rods. The Aviator shop manual stressing identifying the front indicators on the rods and the pistons and making sure they are assembled together correctly. However, my 4.6L forged connecting rods appear to be completely symmetrical and have no front indicators. The forged pistons also have no front markings but it is obvious that the larger valve reliefs are for the intake valves. Spiro Locks were supplied with the pistons to retain the pins.

They are a real aggravation to install without the expensive tool that is sized for a specific pin diameter. The retainer grooves are sized for two locks to retain each end of the piston pin. They are probably more reliable than the circlips used in the stock pistons but for a street vehicle they may not be worth the effort. So far I've installed 3 pistons on their rods and haven't discovered an easy method.

 

[CDW6212R]

That's a pretty piston, I love new engine parts. Ford has for ages done well at having symmetrical rods or parts that easily interchange.

I like to call that idiot proof, but it's funny that Chevrolet has a reputation for things being easy for idiots to work on, their engine parts have often been made so you can't afford to mix them up.

 

[2000StreetRod]

I finally finished installing all of the Spiro locks on all of the piston pins and as a result I have a lingering pain in my right wrist.

The next task is to install the rings on the pistons and then the pistons in the cylinders. As is common with high performance pistons the supplied rings are file-to-fit. Excess ring end gap increases blow by and reduces power. The supplied compression rings had no gap and the oil ring rails were typically 0.006 inch gap. The compression ring end gap specified in my 2004 Aviator shop manual was obviously incorrect (top 0.006-0.0018 inch, bottom 0.0018-0.0022 inch). My 2002 Explorer shop manual CD and 2003 Explorer shop manual agreed with the following: top & bottom compression .01-.02 inch; oil ring rail .006-.026 inch. The JE piston instructions provided a formula using the cylinder bore and the type of engine performance. I used the street moderate turbo which was about the same as late model stock and came up with the following: top compression = .0177, bottom compression = .0188, rail = .015 minimum. For simplicity I decided to make all of the ring gaps 0.018 inch. There were no ring end gap grinders available at my local auto parts stores and I didn't want to wait on an ordered one. So I used a C clamp to attach a file to the side of my drill press work surface. Its a tedious and time consuming process to file the ring and then check the gap multiple times but I'm progressing. I finished my first piston Friday and today I finished installing it in the cylinder. I only torqued the rod cap bolts to 10 ft-lbs because I haven't yet determined what value to use. The bolts are ARP but special for the Eagle forged rods.

 

[4pointslow]

I love all the new parts!
The time you are spending in making sure things are right will make this a long lasting engine.
Keep up the good work!
Hope your wrist heals fast too!

 

[2000StreetRod]

My rod bolts are custom made by ARP for my Eagle forged rods. The material is tempered 8740 chrome moly. The threads are rolled after heat treatment and the bolts are considered adequate for most racing applications. The tensile strength is rated from 180,000 to 200,000 psi. ARP has stronger bolts available ARP 2000 rated to 220,000 psi but I couldn't justify the additional cost for my street application. Surprisingly my bolts are specified as having 7/16 inch head bolts and 3/8 inch threads instead of being metric and are to be torqued to 40 ft-lbs. Since the only 12 point sockets I have are in the metric set I just purchased for the main bolts I was relieved that an 11 mm (.4331 inch) socket fits well on a 7/16 (.4375) inch head bolt.

After installing the piston/rod assemblies for cylinders 1 and 5, I decided to check for binding by rotating the crankshaft. When I disassembled the engine I had three bolts that fit the crankshaft flange threads and the correct length to clear the engine stand when fully inserted. The exposed threads were covered with cut to length hose sections so they wouldn't be damaged when I inserted a pry bar between them. I normally insert the bolts in every other hole and when I started to install the second one I realized something was different. I have an 8 bolt crankshaft instead of the 6 bolt cast crankshaft I ordered. It is way too late to exchange the crankshaft and I wouldn't even if I could. So I'll have to purchase a new 8 bolt flexplate when I get farther along with the engine assembly. The good news is there doesn't appear to be any binding between the adjacent rods and caps but there is significant piston ring to cylinder wall friction.

 

[jd4242]

Ill be watching for which flex plate you go with..ill be in the same boat

 

[2000StreetRod]

I forgot to mention that the rods came with the caps torqued. Since I don't have a large vise anchored to my workbench I had to come up with a way to hold the rod while loosening the cap bolts.

This "tool" has been working pretty well. I stand on the top board with one foot to keep the contraption from moving when loosening the cap bolts. To separate the caps I use a breaker bar with a rubberized handle and my 4 pound hand sledge with a rubberized handle. I insert the two tools between the rod and its cap and then place a piece of wood between the two handles and lever against it.

 

[ZWilson07]

You would think they would at the least keep the rod bolts kinda loose knowing that no matter what they are gonna have to come apart. All the rebuilds I do at work with a WORKS kit have them grouped together and separated for each cylinder but don't have the caps actually bolted on.

 

[2000StreetRod]

The ARP main bolt set instructions cautions that when using the OEM oil pan and pick-up tube it will be necessary to shorten the pedestal (hex spacer) by .070 inches to set the oil pick-up tube back to the stock height. It also mentions that the typical distance between the oil pan and the pick-up tube is .250 to .375 inches. My Aviator long block did not include the oil pick-up tube because it was removed and installed in the replacement engine. Researching one of the Mustang forums I confirmed that Canton suggests a clearance of .3125 to .375 (5/16 to 3/8) inches. Too little clearance can result in oil starvation during high engine speeds or lateral acceleration. I found installation instructions for a Ford Racing high volume oil pump into a block with a windage tray. It includes a drawing showing the windage tray, oil pick-up tube, and mounting bolts with thread size and length. Unfortunately, it didn't specify the spacer length so I'll have to determine that experimentally.

 

[jd4242]

So is there 2 different arp kits, one for a windage tray and one without??

Have you seen the MMR windage tray kit?

Are you using the ford racing high volume pump?