So this is bad...

[PRHeads]

Here’s one locally that happened recently.......

Third time around for a build that ate bearings the previous two times.
Cooked bearings the first time, second time they caught it before the bearings turned color.
For the third try they have a machine shop correct the clearance issues and assemble the long block.
Install motor in car....... it’s running at idle for about 5mins....... engine starts to skip...... valvetrain gets noisy..... they shut it off.
Pull the covers...... a couple of valves are stuck open.

I had gone through the heads prior to the first go around, and they survived two sessions on the dyno without issue.
They changed to different rockers that had no feed holes to the valves.
I told him I didn’t like that, but didn’t feel it was the cause of the stuck valves.
He was pulling the heads to bring them over for a look see.
I get a call a few minutes later...... they found the issue.
No one put coolant in it.

Sure enough....... stuck some valves.
I replaced the guides on the stuck ones, touched everything up, and sent them out the door.
There was a discussion about pulling the motor or not, and replacing the rings as a precaution.
The decision was made to try it without pulling the motor, so no new rings.

It smokes now.

 

[ckessel]

Make sure you use the Mopar 1 41/64" plugs and not the GM size 1 5/8" which is supplied in a lot of freeze plug packs. That little difference can matter sometimes.

 

[padam]

Make sure you use the Mopar 1 41/64" plugs and not the GM size 1 5/8" which is supplied in a lot of freeze plug packs. That little difference can matter sometimes.

I remember seeing somewhere in an old book that they used to put steel straps over them. Is that still recommended?

 

[ckessel]

Not sure.

 

[Paul_G]

Agreed.

I think the next ones would get the green loctite treatment if it were mine.

My next door neighbor had a tool to install core plugs with the engine in the car. It has a crooked end. It worked well, he also had a little bottle of brown liquid goop called Aviation Sealant. I used that. He is an ASE guy, gots the good stuff!

I took the engine and both heads back to the machine shop this morning. Ray was there. Nice older guy like me. There was no one else in the shop. He said Jim fired everyone at the end of 2018. That was right after I picked up my short block. Ray said he was off sick for two years, but came back when Jim fired everyone.

He would not say what it would need until he opens it up. I was pretty clear that I did not want a big bill for this. It was the second time now I brought that engine back to fix a mistake. When I picked it up in 2018, got it home, looked it over, the pistons were in the wrong holes, large valve relief small valve relief.... Had to bring it back to get that fixed. Now running it for a month and 2 core plugs come out?

He talked quite a bit about the old crew Jim fired. I told him there were a lot of 20 something's working there last time I was in the shop. Not experienced hands doing engine assembly, and it showed.

Next week I should hear back on what it needs.

 

[oldkimmer]

Good luck 2ya. Kim

 

[ckessel]

Maybe the youngsters couldn't multi task. It may have been hard to work when you are on the phone, pulling up your pants etc.

 

[R413]

Excellent idea. The radiator has an unused plug in the lower tank. I might figure out a low coolant warning of some kind.

This won’t help when a core plug comes out, the bottom of the radiator will still have coolant in it. Needs to be mounted up high to tell you the soonest.