Hard start/Oil pressure issues

[seawalkersee]

So for a while I have been having hard start issues. When it got cold, I had to spray it. There was no maybe to it. What I had to do was start plugging it in when it was below 30, and then turn off the GPs, and spray it. That was the ONLY way to get it going. Also, I rebuilt this thing a few years ago, and probably have less than 10K on it. Definitely less than 20k. I did not do the machine work though. At the time, I did not want to spend a ton of money on the rockers so I just knocked off the high points and threw them back in. The problem with that is that the pass side is too far gone and clicks. Rock Auto had a sale and I got the remaining 13 sets for under 100 bux. So today I put the drivers side in and noticed that the front and second fuel caps were leaking. I put new caps and o-rings on it and that took care of the leaks. I started it with the valve cover off, and it took F O R E V E R for oil to start leaking from the rockers. I have what shows to be 50ish PSI cold and wonder if there is a restricted plug in the block or what. I can not say for sure if the rear rocker EVER started getting oil.

So, my question is, what people have seen for oil at the rockers with the engine cold. I want to see vids if anyone has them. I did not do the machine work, but will pull it and clean all the passages if there is anything that is definitely wrong.

It will be down for a few weeks while I am swapping out for a 5 speed.

SWS

 

[icanfixall]

50 lbs cold sounds fine to me.. As for the oil slowly getting up the pushrods.. Can't say much about that. Sorry but I don't have a viedo of that. Never felt it was a problem. The block oil passages do not have any restricters or orfices in them and we run a high volume oil flow. Not a high presure flow.

 

[idiabuse]

So for a while I have been having hard start issues. When it got cold, I had to spray it. There was no maybe to it. What I had to do was start plugging it in when it was below 30, and then turn off the GPs, and spray it. That was the ONLY way to get it going. Also, I rebuilt this thing a few years ago, and probably have less than 10K on it. Definitely less than 20k. I did not do the machine work though. At the time, I did not want to spend a ton of money on the rockers so I just knocked off the high points and threw them back in. The problem with that is that the pass side is too far gone and clicks. Rock Auto had a sale and I got the remaining 13 sets for under 100 bux. So today I put the drivers side in and noticed that the front and second fuel caps were leaking. I put new caps and o-rings on it and that took care of the leaks. I started it with the valve cover off, and it took F O R E V E R for oil to start leaking from the rockers. I have what shows to be 50ish PSI cold and wonder if there is a restricted plug in the block or what. I can not say for sure if the rear rocker EVER started getting oil.

So, my question is, what people have seen for oil at the rockers with the engine cold. I want to see vids if anyone has them. I did not do the machine work, but will pull it and clean all the passages if there is anything that is definitely wrong.

It will be down for a few weeks while I am swapping out for a 5 speed.

SWS

Well that is why I use 30 weight oil in my 7.3
It is much thinner and lubricates much faster when cold.
It never goes over 37 psi at cold idle and hot idle she likes about
16 psi the best part after a full day of driving you hold the engine
around 3000 rpm ant it will have 40psi

Just one viscosity drop to 30 weight makes a huge difference in the amount
of time it takes for oil to travel to the top of an engine.

I have about 6000 miles on SAE30 10W30 AMSOIL that I do not plan on changing
for at least 100,000 miles.
Oil Analysis only will give me the data necessary to achieve this, I am sure I will make it.
I was able to make it 5 years and 40,000 with no issues with a used engine.

Now I have an all new engine thanks to a collapsed lower hose with the old one that
caused a piston to scuff the cylinder and filled my crankcase with USDSL @ 7%

The wait was worth it cause my truck runs so good now


Javier

 

[seawalkersee]

Cold at idle it is like 50psi. When it warms up, it falls to below 10. Like I said, I did not build the lower end so I have to wonder if there was a problem with when it was put together. I will probably pull it apart and see what the bearings look like, but I think there is probably gunk in the block. I have already shimmed the relief spring with 2 washers. .070 comes to mind, but I can not remember exactly what it was. Regardless, I am less than pleased. Like I said, I had it running at idle and there was NO oil coming from the driver's side rear rocker.

SWS

 

[79jasper]

Maybe someone like Gary would know better, but in my thinking, really worn bearings that come in line before the lifters could cause it.

But I'm not sure how the oil galleries are on a Ford idi.

 

[hesutton]

Have you checked a used oil analysis? Might let you know if there is excessive bearing material in the oil from wear.

Heath

 

[seawalkersee]

No. Just found it. But wear will probably not be the problem. Remember, it is a fairly new engine and the pressures are the same as they were day 1. But when I put the OLD rockers on the engine, I cleaned the tips and ground them down because of the wear to the tips from the valves. They have already started to work their way into the tips again. Not really pumped about this, but I think I am going to have to pull the SC so I can do the other side and see if it suffers the same problem. If it does, I have to yank it out and check the gallies.

SWS

 

[CDX825]

Switch over to 5W40 or 10W30 diesel oil and I bet you will have oil to the top of the engine quicker. 15w40 flows like molasses when its cold. The top end of the engine is the last thing to be lubed in the oil plumbing circuit so that's why it takes so long to get oil flow.

 

[seawalkersee]

I know its slow, so I went and watched some vids of "cold starts" and saw the oil pressure on some of them were running a while before they got any pressure. That made me fell a little better. My next one will definitely get the gallies smoothed and cleaned so there will be no restrictions there.

Do the galley plugs in the back of the engine screw in, or are they pressed in? If they are screwed in, I will be able to check them in a few days since I am changing the tranny to a5 spd.

SWS

 

[hesutton]

There are pipe plugs behind the rear engine cover. The machine shop that did my block pulled them all when they hot tanked the big sucker. I told them to leave the factory freeze plugs and they did. They were nice enough to put the galley plugs back in the block for me................ but............ One of the first things I did when I got the block back from them was check all the galley plugs and make sure none were missing.

 

[icanfixall]

Leaving the factory stainless steel freeze plugs in during hot tanking is a good idea. If the coolant was run with enough rust protection then there is no reason to remove a good part. I have wondered for a long time why international choose to use this type of freeze plug instead of the easier to use cup type plugs. Or go all out and use the screw in plugs like the boss 429 has.. BTW those will screw in to our blocks with some machining and threading work... Problem is the block weight and shop size.. Most shops can't handle that much weight on their machines.

 

[seawalkersee]

Sorry for the delay, but the weather here sucks and there is no way I am working on the ground...in the rain. I am going to pull the plugs out of the back and check it out to see what I have. I HOPE there is some gunk or something in it that I can clean to at least make it work better. I would feel better anyway knowing where the problem was and then being able to fix it.

SWS