luigisho
SHO Member
for 100k? not too bad. remember that rod bearing replacement on these motors is sort of a maintenance item at this point, as heavy wearing has been noted over the years.
Common places for oil leaks
- Thread starter Captainblastem
- Start date
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for 100k? not too bad. remember that rod bearing replacement on these motors is sort of a maintenance item at this point, as heavy wearing has been noted over the years.
Captainblastem
New Member
Hmmm ok... Do you recommend I just replace them and be done with it, or put it back in? I suppose this would be a much easier answer if these bearings were cheaper
Replace them!
They have normal wear, but are worn out and need replaced.
They always wear faster on the rod side than on the cap side, because the main loading is on the rod side.
They have normal wear, but are worn out and need replaced.
They always wear faster on the rod side than on the cap side, because the main loading is on the rod side.
luigisho
SHO Member
What he said. Replace them. They're not terrible but they are accessible and have some wear. Don't wait until they are really bad and risk real damage.
Captainblastem
New Member
Thanks, guys! Sounds good 
Captainblastem
New Member
One last question, guys. In regards to the oil pan, is it best to just RTV the sides, or RTV the sides and the front and rear as well (along with the rubber seals of course) ?
Captainblastem
New Member
Cool! I have to admit, I'm falling in love with this engine... I can see why you guys are all addicted. I now have a huge pile of valve shims, is that required to join the official SHO club? lol
msteiny
Active Member
I love the engine as well. Its still being copied today.
The V-8 is even a more radical design. Problem is Ford dropped the ball for cost cutting and reliability improvement on the already lame AX4N transmission. Never mind the defective camshaft design that they refused to take responsibility for. Anyway they didn't sell it with this on it:
No doubt in my mind the V-8 is capable of at least 275 HP with this intake on it. At least with this one, both intake valves are used all the time on top of the air flow capabilities which are probably just as good if not better as the V-6's excellent design.
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DeepPower
Searchng4Truth
On the reliable 3.0L DOHC, common place for oil leaks is the front main seal. Mobile 1 also seems to leak more than other motor oils because it is thinner than specified. I recently switched to Valvolene Maxlife which is supposed to have terrific seal conditioners in it.
Captainblastem
New Member
Nice. I usually use Valvolene Maxlife
Luckily my front and rear main seals aren't leaking. I suppose when they do leak and I have to pull the motor, I might just be so inclined to do a 3.2 swap with an 8lbs flywheel
Luckily my front and rear main seals aren't leaking. I suppose when they do leak and I have to pull the motor, I might just be so inclined to do a 3.2 swap with an 8lbs flywheel
kevinspann
Don't take my advice.
The V-8 is even a more radical design. Problem is Ford dropped the ball for cost cutting and reliability improvement on the already lame AX4N transmission. Never mind the defective camshaft design that they refused to take responsibility for. Anyway they didn't sell it with this on it:
No doubt in my mind the V-8 is capable of at least 275 HP with this intake on it. At least with this one, both intake valves are used all the time on top of the air flow capabilities which are probably just as good if not better as the V-6's excellent design.
But why would they entirely redesign the intake if this one worked so well? We're assuming it's better because it's different. Only Ford knows...
80hp/L is possible, but maybe not with that long block. I don't think an intake would add 40hp.
Captainblastem
New Member
I'm a little confused as to why they dropped the V6 in the first place, and went to a rather small v8...only to have them continue with a newly designed Yamaha V6 currently... If they wanted to switch engines, wouldn't it have been more logical to change to the 3.5l Duratec?
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Captainblastem
New Member
AAAAAHHHH!!! Fixed Cam sprokets? Is that the trouble you speak of? My Volvo nightmares are all coming back to me now
at that point in time, they only had the 3.0 duratec, the 3.5 duratec came later.
they wanted to get away from sourcing engines with Yamaha and build them in Ford plants where they had otherwise unemployed UAW people who were getting paid whether they worked or not. so they took what they learned from Yamaha (and others) and designed the duratec engines.
they wanted to get away from sourcing engines with Yamaha and build them in Ford plants where they had otherwise unemployed UAW people who were getting paid whether they worked or not. so they took what they learned from Yamaha (and others) and designed the duratec engines.
Well when the torque converter goes out at 85K miles like mine did on a well maintained transmission, the answer is very clear. And the transmission wasn't abused, no neutral drops, or WOT all the time. Ford simply cut corners which is a shame. The platform itself is 10 times better than the previous cars.
The V-8's are actually stout engines. The more I read up on them, the more I'm impressed.
http://www.v8sho.com/SHO/teardown.htm
http://www.v8sho.com/SHO/V8 SHO Engine Teardown - Part 2.htm
For example this is the girdle. 4 bolt mains and 2 more at each journal for the girdle. Literally there are 6 bolts at each main bearing journal. This is straight out of racing. Notice how the girdle interlocks with the main bearing caps instead of being bolted on top of them like the V-6? The engine is designed for high HP and high revs.
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The cam sprockets on the V-8 are pressed on and held in place by teeth. Then the cam is expanded from the inside out to lock everything in place (they are hollow). Many owners have experienced cam failure because the teeth sheer over time and the engine being an interference design, causes valve to piston contact.
We've always discussed the reasons behind it but most of us agree, the V-8 was not produced to its full potential. At least in terms of being a production vehicle. No way Ford planned to have a V-8 with a mere 10HP over the V-6. The platform is easily capable of holding a more powerful engine.
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