Ecobuilder

Finished extracting carb cleaner out of head bolt holes using a siphon gun I had and taping a 5/16" diameter fuel line hose from HD to it. Then used just the hose assembly with my shop vac to do a thorough clean after giving the holes a pass with a thread chaser. Thanks ceasefire49! All my compressors are at jobsites.

Time has been fleeting with work and the recent long weekend but the next few days should prove productive.

Have right side head installed and just need to do final torque down on the bolts before moving on to the left side.

Pulled the PCV type connector on left side of intake manifold and found it fully sludged up. I think this engine is almost sludge free now.

BadFish523

Keep up the good work! Can't wait to see a video of this thing hopefully purr to life!

Ecobuilder

Well, I guess things were going a little too smooth. Broke a head bolt when doing final torque down. Either bolt was faulty or torque wrench was way off.

Will have to pick up a screw extractor set, remove head and get to work. Never done this before so will be going slow.

Now I know why the ARP studs are highly recommended.

One question, can I reuse the head gasket on that side? It was bolt #2 in sequence so the other 8 were only very snug.

F150Torqued

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I would say yes. I might divide the tightening sequence into a couple of extra tightening sequences before doing final torque to yield.


The way you cleaned head bolt holes, the part remaining might not be that tight in the threads. It might back out fairly easily without removing the head if your extractors will reach... (hopefully ... !)

Ecobuilder

Thanks Torqued. Will be trying that this evening. I think I'll swap the one set of head bolts for a fresh set.

Picked up a new torque wrench which ranges from 10-150 ft/lbs so should be safe to hit 30 for the head bolts and 18 for some of the other bolts including the timing parts.

Read not very accurate near the beginning or end of a torque wrench's range. Previous one was 30-200.

F150Torqued

That's a liiiiiiiiitle bit stout for lot of the aluminum stuff on these.


Save it for the 2wd front hub nuts. Calls for 250, but at my age I can't click my 200 without a cheater bar and standing on it. (But they haven't fell off yet).

MilosF150

Good God does not one know what sludge is or where it comes from?

Sludge is basically water got into the oil. Either through defective PCV parts, excessive blow by, or not running the engine up to temp.

Now a days oils alone isn't the cause of sludge.. there are additives to prevent it... but after so much water and oil mix they become ineffective.

Don't throw away the motor until you find out true cause. That's a $2-5k+ mistake.

First, replace all PCV parts. Check that all hoses are clear and not cracked.
Second, do a compression (or better) a leakdown test to see if there are and piston ring/cylinder issues.
Lastly, pressure test the coolant system to check for leaks.

The first issue is an easy fix. Depending on if/where you find the leak #3 could be easy or a devastating (a cracked waterjacket is not something I would want to fix).

If you have a low piston than its up to you... it is fixable for cheap if you can do it yourself and depending on what the issue is.

redfishtd

There have been a lot of bad bolts getting into our system . The military and utilities have been fighting this for awhile . Case hardened bolts being junk . I can't imagine a head bolt breaking at 30 foot pounds . That torque wrench would have to be way off . Not that anyone couldn't get a bad bolt . Are these bolts one time use like the phasors /crank .
I don't think it's good to torque one bolt all the way down . I would do all bolts a little at a time in sequence ,the same as you do cams .
Is it procedure to put a little engine oil on threads ? I really don't know myself but I would think so . I will wait for the experts on that .

Ecobuilder

Yes I picked up a lower range torque wrench and have tested it out on my rear diff bolts and we're all good.

I've been going through the process of cleaning almost the entire engine & components. Another engine wasn't my choice.

Have the PCV system fully cleaned, and will be doing a leak down test when I have the heads on and engine put together. Also will be doing a full cooling system flush when ready to fire and then will probably do a pressure test. There wasn't any sign of a leak, but wouldn't write it off.



It was either a bad bolt or more likely, the torque wrench was off. I did about 5 sequences of tightening before I started to do the final torque down. I recall thinking the amount of force for 30 ft/lbs being much higher than it should have been - it should have clicked much earlier. Rear diff bolts at 33 ft/lbs was way less with the new wrench.

Yes you put some oil on the threads and some under the bolt head.

Haven't attempted the bolt extractor just yet. Tried with a flathead screwdriver as there is a bit of ridge on half the bolt, but no go. Soaked it with Deep Creep tonight and will attempt hammering an old chisel tomorrow and see if it will turn. It's a good 3½" down so if I have to drill, I'll have my work cut out for me.

redfishtd

Key is to use brand new drill bits the best you can find . Try to keep it centered on the bolt shaft ,center punch it, start small, clean out hole often don't risk breaking bit .
Hope this doesn't slow you up much as we are waiting to see a very good outcome .