Engine knock and oil pressure

[cld783]

The engine will run forever on almost no oil pressure and the knocking lower end. Drive it until it don't drive no more.

I drove my other car for 3 months and took a few 200+ mile trips with a spun main thrust bearing. The crank had about this much play in it

[Mercracer]

84 F150 custom king cab with the 302... spun a rod bearing... knocked hard for another 10K before it was sold off and out of the loop (unable to find out about how it was doing - 7k before my dad sold it to a friend of his and the friend drove it for another 3k hauling and towing stuff before selling it yet again). Lopo rod knock is not the end of the world... just don't expect to ever hammer the throttle when it starts knocking hard.

Once the bearing is actually spun, you will not get 10 miles out of the engine unless you physically remove that rod and piston from it.
Simply un-possible....

The pistons are acually hypereutectic on the Explorer, not cast. .

All hypereutectic means is that the alloy has a higher silicon level. They are still "just" cast.
What this allows is for tighter clearances for piston to cylinder wall. This gives you higher efficiency but also low tolerance to detonation.

I drove my other car for 3 months and took a few 200+ mile trips with a spun main thrust bearing. The crank had about this much play in it

A spun thrust bearing would result in instant carnage.... Spun means actually spun in the journal...

[Neal 97 250]

Thanks guys. I have been loosing sleep over this decision between the Explorer GT40 and the H.O. block. It sounds like if you get an H.O. short block and GT40 heads you live in a perfect world.
As I understand it the HO doesn't have the good heads but it has a good bottom end. I remember a girl I once knew like that. Anyways...

I guess my big plan is to take the Explorer engine and be happy with that. If I plan to run NOS or anything that requires forged I will just drop back and punt.
I want an engine that will surprise most everybody when they take a ride.

I am thinking a GT40 or GT40p engine from an exploder and an aftermarket cam along with a 65mm or bigger??? TB and some good size injectors with the Mark VII ECM and I will surprise more than just the average bear.

Give me your input and your suggestions because I want it all. This will be a sleeper for shore. I live near Bristol, Tn. and I wanna surprise some local folk, maybe at the dragstrip even.

[Mercracer]

I guess my big plan is to take the Explorer engine and be happy with that. If I plan to run NOS or anything that requires forged I will just drop back and punt.
I want an engine that will surprise most everybody when they take a ride..

I run 11s on N2O with a Capri powered by an Explorer motor with P heads. A reasonable sized shot and a good tune is all you need to run nitrous with an Explorer motor. With forged pistons you need more piston to cyl wall clearance as forged will expand more under heat. That means that you can run the factory Hypereutectic pistons in your Explorer motor until you truly need forged (if that day even ever comes) and then just drop in a set of forged slugs with a fresh hone to size. Not a big deal.

[Neal 97 250]

What size injectors are good and still streetable?
Also I am curious about programming. I will be getting a Mark VII ECM so I can still run cruise. But how is the programming done? Is it a chip that plugs into the ECM or do I need to have the ECM reburned?
I am new to this type of computer controlled gas engine.
I do alot of work on the 7.3 Ford diesel with the computer but this is a whole new world for me.

Thanks in advance
Neal

[gadget73]

The Mark ECM probably will not be very happy if you change the cam. Speed-density is tunable but its generally easier to stick mass air on and quite often it just works out of the box without extensive tuning required. You cannot change injector size without a computer tune, but as long as your computer is programmed for the size injectors plugged into the motor, any size is streetable. There is a practical limit where you don't want to use a huge injector thats way beyond what the motor actually needs simply for cost reasons, but it should still run.

To tune it, you buy a tuner. The common one for eec4 Ford is called the Tweecer. It plugs into the side of the ECM, and you can program it with software on your laptop. http://www.tweecer.com/

[Neal 97 250]

I am new to this so please educate me on this.
I don't fully understand the Mass air mod. Do you still use the computer?

Maybe you guys could tell me what to do to make this engine really strong. I know I could go all out but please make reasonable reccomendations. LOL

I will have the Exploder GT40p engine and I understand I will need the Mark VII ECM. From there please tell me how to do the Mass air swap and what it does. Also reccomend injector size. Should I get a 65 or 75 TB? These are some of the questions I need answered. I may plan in th efuture to even do head work to help the power. Maybe even more.

Anyway just make me a good and fast engine that is streetable. Thanks

[cld783]

A spun thrust bearing would result in instant carnage.... Spun means actually spun in the journal...

my mistake...


the bearing wasn't spun, it was likely non existent or somehow the cap/caps came loose? I havent tore it down yet to find out.

[86VickyLX]

Only 30ish when cold and 10PSI when warm means a junk engine. Don't drive further than you can push it back as you will spin a bearing when it is least convenient. Time for an Explorer motor swap...

THIS^ That's all I was saying don't put stuff on a dead engine.

[86VickyLX]

96 and up to 12/96 build 97 explorer and mountainer 5.0 have gt40 heads

the explorer and mountaineer 5.0 up to 01 have gt40p heads

I have to disagree with you on this. My engine is from a (10/10/96) 97 and it has the GT40Ps

[Smokestacklightnin]

Hyper explorer pistons are just as good as forged for nitrous except for one thing. Forged are more forgiving if they encounter detenation under nitrous conditions, but hypers will shatter. As long as your timing is right and dont encounter a lean condition it will be fine.

[gadget73]

I am new to this so please educate me on this.
I don't fully understand the Mass air mod. Do you still use the computer?

mass air uses the Mustang computer, which does not have cruise control functions. The normal workaround is to piggyback the stock ECM and use it just for cruise functions. The Mark ECM keeps the cruise, but its somewhat inflexible as far as modifications go. Lose the stock cam, and things get dicey unless you tune it. Mass air is generally somewhat more flexible as far as engine mods without having to tune it goes.

As for how to actually do it, this ought to give you an idea. Its not that terribly difficult. I did my car, though my car has standalone cruise so I didn't have to do anything there. http://www.lincolnsonline.com/tech/00077.html

[87gtVIC]

What exactly is a "tune" on these cars?

[gadget73]

basically the fuel map and timing curve. In mechanical terms, its changing jets in the carb and re-curving the distributor. You do that when you monkey with the cam or other engine specs enough that the stock programming isn't properly suited. You also mess with the tune to put in bigger injectors, delete egr functions, etc. The stock ECM is not programmable as far as I know, only certain processors are compatible with the tuners. Probably more because nobody gives a rat's *** about tuning a stock Vic, but people are interested in messing with HO powered vehicles. Consdering the first thing we usually do to these cars to make any sort of real power is convert to HO or better specs, I can't say I disagree.

[Mercracer]

I have to disagree with you on this. My engine is from a (10/10/96) 97 and it has the GT40Ps

There was a crossover where both heads can be found on engines.