I recently installed a remanufactured 347 stroker engine runs great but the roller rocker arms make a little bit of noise it has aluminum patriot performance heads i was told it is normal for these rockers to make some noise but i dont know.also it started to leak from the rear main seal at about 300 miles i had my mechanic install a new seal and it still leaks.any imput on these issues would be helpful ,thanks

 

Your rear main leak may be a valve cover gasket leaking, that is not uncommon. While it may appear to be the rear main, look at the back of the block or more precisely the back of the heads. You are best served, pressure washing the block and getting it super clean, then spotting any leaks will be quite simple.

As for the rockers. do you have a solid lifter cam, as they can make noise. If it has hydraulic lifters it shouldn't be making noise, unless the valve lash is not adjusted properly. but that is just a general rule of thumb, your engine may be different. If it is a newer overhead cam style engine that noise is not unusual. In other words be more specific as to the engine type, and valve train dynamics.

 

Hi ,I have not looked at the engine myself but my mechanic says it is not leaking around the valve covers at all the engine has just over 300 miles it is really clean he looked it over and no leaks he can see outside,he said he pulled the tranny and there was oil running down the block plate and when he pulled the rear main there was a little bit of oil there,he installed a new one but still leaks .the engine is out of a 89-90 mustang I' m pretty sure it has hyd roller cam. Solid.

 

So it is Hydraulic lifters.... not solid lifters? it is one or the other...lol, if it is Hydraulic then the valve lash needs to be adjusted. The other possibility is that the lifters were not properly lubed before installation. Hydraulic lifters need to be soaked in oil at least for a few hours before installation, as they should have oil inside of them. If they were installed dry, that is no bueno!

 

Thanks for the info, so will the lifters be damaged if the were started dry?can i just run it like this ,it runs fine and after a while it goes away.My mechanic said he purged the engine with oil before startup.thanks

 

If the lifters are clicking, and were not properly lubed "before" assembly, and then were run that way, then the damage is done. They would eventually fill with oil, but only after they have sustained damage, or during the damage.. they may create heat issues, or excessive wear issues in the valve train and possibly catastrophic failure.

Have the valve lash adjusted first, and see if they are still clicking, then go from there! My Machine shop guy and I were chatting before I built my FE, and I mentioned getting a crate motor, he said point blank..."You wanna have your engine built by a minimum wage guy who doesn't care about anything but putting in his 8 hours"? Nuff Said!!!

 

Thanks for the info,i will adjust the rocker arms and see what happens

 

That is a good start!

 

I also read that the main oil leak can be caused by to much pressure in the crank case ,i will check the pcv and the setup i have to make sure that i dont have too much pressure buildup

 

It should be able to handle at least 60-70 PSI If your bearing tolerances are to tight. that can cause overly high pressure, or using the wrong weight oil can also cause over pressure.. AKA using 20-50w instead of 10-30w or 5-20w Using a high volume pump when it is not necessary will also induce over pressure. If you are at 60 PSI you should be fine!

My Guess is the shop that put in your rear main just did it wrong.... and now they don't want to fix it!

 

I do have a high volume pump and 10w30 oil. Maybe i will use 20-50w.it runs at 75 when cold then 50-55 warm at least that is what the gauge says,and thanks you've been a big help

 

If you go to 20w50 from 10w30 you will increase the pressure, not decrease it. Question for you ... are you racing this engine? That is really the only reason for a high Volume pump, for everyday use it is over kill, and puts all of your oil up in the cylinder heads and then you will run low in the pan, which can cause oil pump failure due to starvation, unless you have a windage tray, and an extra quart of oil in the pan. For an everyday driver there is no reason for the high Volume pump. You might try putting in a Melling standard volume oil pump to see if your leak stops.

So many make the mistake of thinking more is better... more is just more, and can cause more problems then it solves.

If it were my truck, I would put in a standard volume pump, and while I had the pan dropped, inspect and possibly put in a new rear main seal. You might also be leaking from the cam shaft freeze plug, that is another place to inspect... it is right above the rear main seal. If the Cam shaft freeze plug was not replaced or checked when the engine was rebuilt, it could very well be leaking, as the rear cam bearing is right against it.

I have a performance built 352FE and I use a standard Volume oil pump, and a standard pan. When the engine is cold it idles at 60psi, and when it warms up it idles at 40psi. My horsepower output is 348 at the crank at 4900 RPM with a 6000RPM red line, I went for Torque and pulling power. I modified my oiling system by drilling it out to improve flow.. to get the oil through the system as easily as possible. when it is cold I can hit 75 PSI at high RPM, which is really too much pressure, it then at High RPM loads up oil in the heads.. with a Standard Pump... High Volume would make it even worse!

I think you see where I am going with this ! Good luck with finding the issue...

 

I dont race the engine.i did think more was better.i guess there are a lot of different things that can cause this problem.wrong pcv setup?.is there a certain pcv i should be using?I will look into the cam plug i just took it apart and back together.i would hate to do it again.i will check the rocker arms and tighten them if needed.should i use 5-20 w oil?i was told to use 10-30w.maybe when i work on it i will chage the oil pump

 

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10w30 is a fine weight to use, you are safe with it in most engines. engines that have Oxygen sensors for some reason have less sensor failures with 5w20, and a few fords actually require only that weight, but they are mostly new or within the last 10-15 years.

Yes I would definitely check the PCV system, I had my PCV valve plug a few years back , and the engine ended up pumping oil out the dipstick tube. That is why I suggest keeping everything very clean... it makes finding the leak so much easier....

 

Thank you again for the help