rocker arms are super loose
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Tuned
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 267
Likes: 13
ok got it... and the truck has 120k on it....it. just got new starter radiator timing chain carb intake man. Dizzy cap and rotor water pump thermostat fluids and too many seals to could. I shoulds pulled the motor to start with but I'm learning as I go so I didn't know what imup against at the time
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,571
Likes: 2,525
From: The Shenandoah Valley
Well, maybe you should have, maybe not .... but you didn't and now winter is coming on. It's too early to say you should or need to rebuild the bottom end but with 120K on a 351M or 400 ..... you might find you need to patch her up.
I'm going to post a copy of what I did to my '77 F150 4X4 which has a 351M (same as a 400 except for stroke, same block, etc). I did this in 1992 along about the last of November (it was after the Atlanta Race deciding the championship, Bill Elliott won the race, Alan Kulwicki won the championship, Richard Petty drove his last race.) cause it was cold and bad weather was coming. Plan was to just last a short while, at the time I was using the truck more.
In my case, it was a drastic drop in oil pressure that happened away from home. I thought it was the gage or sending unit as there were no loud knocking noises. Noticed the dropping gage as I was SB near Chatsworth, Ga.. I drove onto Carrolton, then back to AIR for the race on Sunday, then back to Carrolton, then home to Va. via the Smokey Mtns later in the week hauling a Shop Smith Mk5 and accessories, wife, and dog. I likely drove her at least 700 miles with low oil pressure. Didn't know how low, it was probably dropping when I noticed it and factory gage is almost like "on / off" switch I think. I did replace the sending unit in Ga. but no help so I figured gage was bad. Got home and after a couple sending units, tried a mechanical gage. Saw 4 PSI ... that was like "four pounds per square inch". I figure it was higher than that most of the time, at least 7 or 9?
Still amazes me that it made it home!
Not saying you should do this, I was lucky, my crank was in OK shape. I have a 400 on the stand now .... but here's what I did on the cheap.
That motor has dropped off a few pounds in oil pressure, but it's still pretty good, no smoke, dependable .... but I don't dog it a lot either. It was a crap shoot at the time, crank was just "OK" I should say, not perfect, but not gouged either. I just wanted it to last into the spring or summer of '93.
At 120K, if that motor of yours has never had work inside, likely will need new pistons, block work, heads redone, and other work if you pull it ...
... but if just low oil pressure .... a set of rod and mains and a oil pump will maybe buy time if the crank ain't tore up yet.
Again, I am not saying you are here yet, lifters may fix it ..... see what your oil pressure gage reads.
It's just food for thought.
I'm going to post a copy of what I did to my '77 F150 4X4 which has a 351M (same as a 400 except for stroke, same block, etc). I did this in 1992 along about the last of November (it was after the Atlanta Race deciding the championship, Bill Elliott won the race, Alan Kulwicki won the championship, Richard Petty drove his last race.) cause it was cold and bad weather was coming. Plan was to just last a short while, at the time I was using the truck more.
In my case, it was a drastic drop in oil pressure that happened away from home. I thought it was the gage or sending unit as there were no loud knocking noises. Noticed the dropping gage as I was SB near Chatsworth, Ga.. I drove onto Carrolton, then back to AIR for the race on Sunday, then back to Carrolton, then home to Va. via the Smokey Mtns later in the week hauling a Shop Smith Mk5 and accessories, wife, and dog. I likely drove her at least 700 miles with low oil pressure. Didn't know how low, it was probably dropping when I noticed it and factory gage is almost like "on / off" switch I think. I did replace the sending unit in Ga. but no help so I figured gage was bad. Got home and after a couple sending units, tried a mechanical gage. Saw 4 PSI ... that was like "four pounds per square inch". I figure it was higher than that most of the time, at least 7 or 9?
Still amazes me that it made it home!
Not saying you should do this, I was lucky, my crank was in OK shape. I have a 400 on the stand now .... but here's what I did on the cheap.
When I dropped my pan on my '77 to replace the bearings and oil pump in '92 .... I jacked her up, supported the frame with stands, eased front end down and then dropped the panhard rod from the frame end.
Pretty easy then. I was lucky, wore out bottoms of mains and tops of rods wore some, but crank wasn't hurt. Truck had 75K on it's 351M then. Bearings weren't marked for size, I removed one rod pair and one main pair and took to NAPA where Brownie miked them on the side near parting surface and said all were standard size.
I then replaced main and rod bearings and only lower half of rear seal. I did NOT try to drop the crank, I only loosened one main or rod cap at a time and dealt with it and put it back before going to the next.
Upper bearing halves were oiled and I used old lower to push old upper out so I could move it with my finger, then slid new upper in place, and etc. I kept the torque wrench handy and used it each time before moving to the next.
To slide old out or new in must be done from from one side only due to the tabs. Lay the oiled bearing shell up against the crank journel and just push into place.
I still had a flexplate and torque converter attached to it that resided in the front of my C-6 and dropping the crank ain't gonna happen with all that back there. To drop the crank at the rear means you have to get that TC unhooked and back away from the flexplate so the little nub on the end isn't inside the crank. The TC isn't free to just wobble around on the front of the transmission. I figured a minor oil seepage from the top half of the rear main seal was easier to deal with than a messed up transmission or TC?
Of course, rear seal leakage wasn't the problem I was fixing. That was November 1992 but only 27K ago.
Pretty easy then. I was lucky, wore out bottoms of mains and tops of rods wore some, but crank wasn't hurt. Truck had 75K on it's 351M then. Bearings weren't marked for size, I removed one rod pair and one main pair and took to NAPA where Brownie miked them on the side near parting surface and said all were standard size.
I then replaced main and rod bearings and only lower half of rear seal. I did NOT try to drop the crank, I only loosened one main or rod cap at a time and dealt with it and put it back before going to the next.
Upper bearing halves were oiled and I used old lower to push old upper out so I could move it with my finger, then slid new upper in place, and etc. I kept the torque wrench handy and used it each time before moving to the next.
To slide old out or new in must be done from from one side only due to the tabs. Lay the oiled bearing shell up against the crank journel and just push into place.
I still had a flexplate and torque converter attached to it that resided in the front of my C-6 and dropping the crank ain't gonna happen with all that back there. To drop the crank at the rear means you have to get that TC unhooked and back away from the flexplate so the little nub on the end isn't inside the crank. The TC isn't free to just wobble around on the front of the transmission. I figured a minor oil seepage from the top half of the rear main seal was easier to deal with than a messed up transmission or TC?
Of course, rear seal leakage wasn't the problem I was fixing. That was November 1992 but only 27K ago.
At 120K, if that motor of yours has never had work inside, likely will need new pistons, block work, heads redone, and other work if you pull it ...
... but if just low oil pressure .... a set of rod and mains and a oil pump will maybe buy time if the crank ain't tore up yet.
Again, I am not saying you are here yet, lifters may fix it ..... see what your oil pressure gage reads.
It's just food for thought.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 267
Likes: 13
i appreciate all the help.....here in california working through the winter aint too much of a big deal. the truck is at my aunts (she is the original owner) so ive got a whole garage to myself and while the weather is colder im not fightin snow
probably the only upside to living in crazy *** califonia
that aside after i take a test at school tomorrow i will attach the guage and report what it reads.
my last question: i dont have valve cover seals at the moment how long can i run her with just a few bolts holding down the covers? and will it effect the reading?
probably the only upside to living in crazy *** califonia
that aside after i take a test at school tomorrow i will attach the guage and report what it reads.
my last question: i dont have valve cover seals at the moment how long can i run her with just a few bolts holding down the covers? and will it effect the reading?
Moderator
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 22,415
Likes: 92
From: Denver Metro Area, CO
This won't affect the oil pressure readings at all, and how long you leave it this way is up to you and how long you can tolerate oil leaking onto the exhaust and smoking....
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,571
Likes: 2,525
From: The Shenandoah Valley
My '77 has some of those once pretty but hard to seal "moroso" chromed valve covers,
I once puit them back on with cork gaskets, one slipped between two lower bolts, oil leaked onto exhaust manifold, get maybe 1/2 mile from home going to town and I smelled oil bad, stopped, opened hood, I had a fire and no way to extinquish it on the pass side exh manifold. Slam hood, beat *** home, jerk hood and douse with hose hanging on wall at spiggot.
Granted, not a leak, more like a "poor" .... it'll tolerate seepage. When a steady supply is there, watch out.
I once puit them back on with cork gaskets, one slipped between two lower bolts, oil leaked onto exhaust manifold, get maybe 1/2 mile from home going to town and I smelled oil bad, stopped, opened hood, I had a fire and no way to extinquish it on the pass side exh manifold. Slam hood, beat *** home, jerk hood and douse with hose hanging on wall at spiggot.
Granted, not a leak, more like a "poor" .... it'll tolerate seepage. When a steady supply is there, watch out.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 267
Likes: 13
ok so just to be sure, i do take out the whole sending unit correct? because i am having a pretty hard time getting to it...it can turn freely is this supposed ot happen? also i cant really see the bottom but i believe there is a 9/16 nut on there..is this also correct?
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