Spark Plug and Oil Consumption (Rebuilt Engine)

[Mustang504]

Can someone help me identify what is going on with my rebuilt engine!?

2005 Mustang 4.6 3v
Brand New JE forged pistons
Brand New Mahle valve seals
Brand new Ferrea valves
Brand new Autolite HTO spakplugs

Recently did a cam phaser job on the drivers side head and wanted to check the bores since the coil packs were off just to see how things looked after the first startup. Engine idled rough maybe a total of 3 minutes here and there as I tried to diagnose the problem until I figured the tone ring or reluctor wheel was out of phase on my old phaser.

These are my questions... (1) Is the piston top too beat up for such short run time?

(2) What would cause severe pitting like this on a brand new piston with a total of 3 minutes run life?

(3) Why are my brand new spark plugs showing burn on just half the plug?


^^^This is cylinder 5. Car has high pressure oil pump (Melling 10340) btw.

 

[Mustang504]

Bump..

 

[Dallas281]

Bump, id like to know too!
Were the plugs gapped correctly to what your tuner should have told you? Car looks boosted, was the tune revised before 1st start up too? (you didnt state new comp numbers with the new pistons). This was first start up?

I figure there were some shavings or something. Possibly due to the cam phaser being messed up you were misfiring. Are your phasers not locked out? Heck could just be the piston is defective and its thrown everything off. But im here to learn, hopefully someone who knows more chimes in.

Id say talk to your tuner as well

 

[Midlife Crises]

Airflow through the cylinder will cause the plug to color on one side more than the other. You obviously have a lot of oil in there to build that much crap on the plugs in such a short time. Looks like an old 2 stroke with mixed fuel. Are you sure the cams and crank are correctly timed? What is the condition of the fuel?

 

[Mustang504]

Bump, id like to know too!
Were the plugs gapped correctly to what your tuner should have told you? Car looks boosted, was the tune revised before 1st start up too? (you didnt state new comp numbers with the new pistons). This was first start up?

I figure there were some shavings or something. Possibly due to the cam phaser being messed up you were misfiring. Are your phasers not locked out? Heck could just be the piston is defective and its thrown everything off. But im here to learn, hopefully someone who knows more chimes in.

Id say talk to your tuner as well

I am boosted. Plugs gapped to .025 if I remember correctly. Car should be 19+ psi with 2.75 upper pulley and 10% Overdrive crank Pulley.

Tune was revised before startup.

I went with Comp Cams limiters as I'm running a blower cam (127550) that requires them and upgraded valve springs.

 

[Mustang504]

Airflow through the cylinder will cause the plug to color on one side more than the other. You obviously have a lot of oil in there to build that much crap on the plugs in such a short time. Looks like an old 2 stroke with mixed fuel. Are you sure the cams and crank are correctly timed? What is the condition of the fuel?

That's what I'm thinking. I have a melling high pressure standard volume oil pump and I'm thinking maybe it's pooling in the head or could it be a faulty pcv system?

If I remember correctly, I was getting spark blow out above 3500 rpm before the rebuild.

 

[Midlife Crises]

faulty pcv

I don’t see the oil pump being a problem but the PCV system can most assuredly introduce oil into the intake side of the engine.

 

[Mustang504]

Woul

I don’t see the oil pump being a problem but the PCV system can most assuredly introduce oil into the intake side of the engine.

Wouldn't the car throw a code?? I have no check engine light but oil is being sucked into the combustion chamber some kind of way. Block was fully machined and rings are gapped properly so I'm stumped

 

[JC SSP]

I know it’s a rebuilt engine but have you done a compression check?

 

[Midlife Crises]

a code?? I

No. It would not normally throw a code.

 

[Mustang504]

So from what I have gathered, there is a pcv valve in the driver's side valve cover, the evap valve on the driver side Strut Tower and an emissions vent canister solenoid under the frame of the car attached to the spare tire housing.... which one is the culprit for burning oil?

I feel like we're narrowing in on the solution so big thanks to you guys!!!

 

[Midlife Crises]

The drivers side valve cover has a hose that connects to the intake manifold. That is most often where the oil gets into the intake tract. I can see the connection in the picture you posted of the Ford Racing manifold your running.

 

[Mustang504]

Should there be a hose on the passenger side? Because I have a breather filter on it. Would that affect anything? And there is a moroso catch can on the drivers side in between the valve cover and the ford racing Manifold

 

[JC SSP]

Three ways for oil to be inside the combustion chamber.

Intake track (PCV)
Piston rings
Valve guides/seals

A proper compression check (wet and dry) will eliminate two of these.

Also, if your issue occurred after the cam phaser repair you might want to double check something was not thrown off (cam timing) when putting it back together.

 

[Pentalab]

Can someone help me identify what is going on with my rebuilt engine!?

2005 Mustang 4.6 3v
Brand New JE forged pistons
Brand New Mahle valve seals
Brand new Ferrea valves
Brand new Autolite HTO spakplugs

Recently did a cam phaser job on the drivers side head and wanted to check the bores since the coil packs were off just to see how things looked after the first startup. Engine idled rough maybe a total of 3 minutes here and there as I tried to diagnose the problem until I figured the tone ring or reluctor wheel was out of phase on my old phaser.

These are my questions... (1) Is the piston top too beat up for such short run time?

(2) What would cause severe pitting like this on a brand new piston with a total of 3 minutes run life?

(3) Why are my brand new spark plugs showing burn on just half the plug?View attachment 87094 View attachment 87095
View attachment 87096

^^^This is cylinder 5. Car has high pressure oil pump (Melling 10340) btw.

Dumb question, but how do you gap that style of plug ??

 

[JC SSP]

Steeda sells a tool... I am sure others do too.

Steeda Spark Plug Gap Tool, 555 8901

 

[07 Boss]

Should there be a hose on the passenger side? Because I have a breather filter on it. Would that affect anything? And there is a moroso catch can on the drivers side in between the valve cover and the ford racing Manifold

Yes, there should be a hose on the passenger side if your hose on the driver's side is still hooked up. You see the vacuum from the manifold draws crankcase gases through your pcv valve but the air you are running through there is coming in unmetered. The hose on the passenger side should draw air from the intake tube after the MAF. Now you have the option of just deleting the system all together, but you must get rid of the hoses from both sides of the motor. If not they both need to be intact.

 

[Midlife Crises]

07 Boss is correct. There should be a tube connecting the passenger side valve cover to the clean air duct between the MAF and the throttle body. The tube and fittings act to regulate the airflow through the crankcase.

 

[Mustang504]

Three ways for oil to be inside the combustion chamber.

Intake track (PCV)
Piston rings
Valve guides/seals

A proper compression check (wet and dry) will eliminate two of these.

Also, if your issue occurred after the cam phaser repair you might want to double check something was not thrown off (cam timing) when putting it back together.

It was a problem I had of my last set up also. Just wanted to correct it this go around before I get to driving the car again.

 

[Mustang504]

Dumb question, but how do you gap that style of plug ??

I bought a gap tool from summit racing that has a twist style plunger in the middle that forces the plug gap tighter and I measured with a mini feeler gauge.