Who knows old 352 ford FE motors?

[TRE Cup]

Hi
We have a good client's 59 T bird in the shop, and after approx 45 minutes of driving, the rockers start clattering. This is a new problem since we have driven it extensively on a warm day with no issues.
Oil is fresh, topped off, 20/50 weight, water temp excellent

any ideas?

[JackDidley]

Generic answer, not 352 specific. Oil gets hot and pressure goes down due to thin bearings.

[TRE Cup]

thank you, but its not an all the time problem (which an oil galley plug, or pressure relief problem would be) . It comes up after longer periods of time on the freeway, which gets the oil hot. We will see what a mechanical pressure guage tells us on a cold and hot drive cycle. The hydraulic lifters don't pump up enough so the rockers clatter away

Thanks

[TRE Cup]

we don't know the history of the motor, but the whole car had been "restored" . I have to do a little search for the prior owner history

[TRE Cup]

good suggestion. Another long time Ford racer also suggested that the cam bearings in these FE motors wear and could give the same symptoms

[John Rogers]

Does the engine have hydraulic lifters? I have seen many type 4 VW/Porsche engines with hydraulic lifters and unless the case was modified for them they would take forever to pump up. The oil would bleed out if the car sat for more than 3 or 4 days. Back to the Ford, a friend of mine had one back in 1963/4 and it always rattled no matter what was done to the engine?!

[TRE Cup]

yes it does have hydraulic lifters and most likely oil pressure is dropping as oil system temp goes up. Local cruising type driving never has this problem, but when driven on the freeway for half hour or more, they start clattering. Curious as a sprint thru the Sepulveda basin at , ahem... much higher speeds than you get on the freeway here, did not manifest itself this way
thanks

[Speedalac 930]

Hi Dave check pushrod length they are available in different lengths for machined heads and or deck once had an issue with a truck motor. Mechanical gauge first.

[craigster59]

Saw the car today, it's a beauty! Hope you get this sorted Dave.

[JackDidley]

It would be a pain but it would be interesting to put an oil temp gauge on it as well as pressure. Just to see the results. It kills me that my Cayman has neither. I spent about 20 years driving Corvettes that had both.

[pen15]

I have seen debris/coke in an oil pan get sucked into the oil pump pickup screen and after miles of driving eventually fully plug the screen. Shut engine off and it all falls back to the bottom of the pan until next time.

[Jim Bremner]

Pull a valve cover and look for sludge.

I had a 390 that would pull 6k in a 1966Fairlane GT I miss that car. My dad knows Fe motors. He has built plenty that did laps at Ascot, Mesa Marin, Ontario & Riverside. The ran a 400ci class and had 1 motor that the first cylinder on each bank would measure out right but the other 6 where 427 sized

[on2wheels52]

" had 1 motor that the first cylinder on each bank would measure out right but the other 6 where 427 sized "

That's racist!

[LakeCleElum]

I had a boss in a shop that had a sure cure for noisy lifters on those older engines:
He would drain the oil and put in 4 quarts of ATF......He would let it run on the lift for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the ATF and put oil back in.

It would clean the sludge out of the lifters and quiet the engine every time.

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

I had a boss in a shop that had a sure cure for noisy lifters on those older engines:
He would drain the oil and put in 4 quarts of ATF......He would let it run on the lift for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the ATF and put oil back in.

It would clean the sludge out of the lifters and quiet the engine every time.

That was going to be my suggestion. Once the sludge was reported That and I really think 1958 to 1960 T Birds are the ugliest Fords ever made

[asphaltgambler]

They're very basic engines. Since you cannot verify the history of the engine, assume the worst off the bat - then communicating that to your customer. Even if the engine was rebuilt you don't know what parts or skill level were involved.

A simple running oil pressure test over the heat cycle should give you the direction to go looking further.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by TRE Cup

. We will see what a mechanical pressure gauge tells us on a cold and hot drive cycle.

I'm curious what the oil pressure gauge said .......

[1990C4S]

I would suspect oil pressure. The spirited drive was higher rpm and therefore higher pressure...

[intakexhaust]

Great, tough motors. I had a 332 c.i. in a '59 Galaxie 500 and 352 c.i. in a '65 F-100.

Car restored, any paperwork? How long ago and mileage since? If a fresh rebuild, why the talk of sludge? That takes time to build up. Although I would question the quality and thoroughness of the overhaul. Was the old block boiled and really clean before the build? Starving bearing?

Temporarily line in a known and good oil pressure gauge and see how the pressure varies.

Regardless and without question, I would drop the pump and check the condition -was it a reman or poorly rebuilt?

Additionally, would definitely and first pull each rod cap, check telltale and Plastigauge.

Then proceed to the mains.

(edit: I'm assuming you've looked in the rear view mirror for throttle on and back-off exhaust / oil smoke. Basic observation for valve guide's and seals issues.)

[Jim Bremner]

Two good things about a bad 352 FE motor.

1st a 390 or a 428 looks the same as a 352 and a 390 motor will cost the same as a 352

2nd if you have a boat that you need to have in one place a 352 motor and a chain will keep it there. I think that the factory cast iron intake weighs in at 95# I remember helping my dad remove one of those ****bricks

His Camper special F250 had a 428 Cobra Jet with 427 cast iron headers. My younger brother claims he ran it fast enough at the Brotherhood drag strip that they told him not to come back unless he had a rollcage and would pass NHRA safety standards for a 11:20 car.

That motor is now in Pops '57 2 door fairlane