[boyt911sc]

HI am not superstitious but the current engine rebuild project has taken me to my knees and begging for help. Prior to this engine rebuild, I have successfully done more than a dozen engine rebuilds with no major problems at all. Here are the series......

11th rebuild..........completed, tested, and delivered.
12th rebuild..........partially done and put aside. This is my son's engine.
13th rebuild..........completed, tested, and delivered. This was a twin plugged, crank fired with individual throttle body fuel injection system at 10.3 CR.
14th rebuild..........this is actually the 13th that I am trying to finish and complete.
15th rebuild..........awaiting in the garage.
16th rebuild..........awaiting in the garage.

While I had successfully rebuild several engines in the past, I am not an expert by any means at all. Just an avid engine rebuilder and enjoying the successes through the help of other members like Bruce Abbott and a few others.

Background:

A PP member contacted me in 2014 to rebuild his 3.0 liter engine which two professional shops failed to do. The engine was delivered to me in several boxes and started sorting the engine parts. It was in the fall of 2015 that I started rebuilding the engine up to winter and was temporarily delayed when my wife and I traveled abroad from January to March (2015).

As soon as I got back home, the rebuild was initiated for the start up. It was in April 2015 that I began the engine start up. Right away, a noticeable problem was observed. Heavy oil leak was leaking from the flywheel end. Engine removed from the engine test stand and inspected the source of the problem. Wow!!!! What a stupid mistake I had committed. There was no flywheel oil seal installed. Corrected the problem and the engine is dry as it could be.

Engine installed back on the test stand for start up. It was almost end of April 2015 but have a month before Memorial Day. This was the first target date of completion. June 2015 came and still no luck getting the engine to even start or idle. July 4th passed with no progress!!!! Very frustrating and disappointing. It took me a few hours to test and run the fully rebuild engine/s in the past. But this particular motor refused to cooperate at all. After Labor Day, after months of trouble shooting, I discovered the problem for the fuel pump caused by a wiring anomaly. The engine wire harness was new from Timmy2. Contacted Dennis P. about the wiring problem of his wire harness. Initially he did not believe it was the culprit. And I explained to him why it was the culprit. The engine wire harness is a piece of art. Well designed and built but has a flaw which I believe Dennis has corrected.

Now that I could make the FP run and the CSV with correction to the wire harness, the engine still refuse to start. The CIS unit was removed four (4) times and tested. No vacuum leak. A clogged fuel injector line was replaced, and a newly rebuilt FD installed too. Still no fuel was coming from the injectors (?). The engine was not sucking air to create vacuum. The cams were inspected and discovered another mistake committed. The 964 cams were installed at the wrong side. What a blunder! I know which cam goes to the left or right, but when I installed them I inadvertently placed them at the wrong side of the engine. I had a senior moment to remember which is the left or right side of the engine. All the rockers were removed and cams switched.

Tests have demonstrated that the engine was creating suction from the intake manifolds. Installed the CIS unit back on the engine. FP running, injectors delivering fuel during manual tests, FD good, but no fuel delivery during cranking. This was a very discouraging time. I was hoping to finish this project by Thanksgiving Day and still have time to do it. But I have to solve the fuel delivery problem. After many hours of investigation, I discovered the problem. It was the aluminum elbow connected to the CIS. The elbow connector was removed and replaced with the correct one. Lo and behold, I got the fuel coming out of from the 7 injectors during cranking for the first time. It has been several months of work and finally got to the point where I could run the engine. I was ecstatic and jubilant. I was happy and celebrating for the success.

The celebration was short lived! I heard an abnormal sound like metal breaking apart. Found out that the exhaust rocker for cylinder 6th was broken. Further inspection showed bent valves (see my post about bent valves). And the engine won't turn more than 180 degrees and some sort of obstruction was causing it. The piston was hitting the valve/s as far as I could tell that required partial engine disassembly for the nth time.

To remove #6 cylinder, I have to remove the cam, rockers, cam tower, etc. Found a nut causing damage. Cylinder head was brought back to Atlantic Anchor for repair. Got the repaired head within 2 days. Bob Hirst was real helpful to work and have it done at a very short notice. Bruce Abbott kindly supplied me a couple of good rockers.

The weather was so cold to work outside last month (January). I don't have a heated garage so I decided to bring the motor inside my house and deliver it back at my basement. With a warm basement, I should be able to spend more time and finish the project. So I planned to bring the motor inside the house after my birthday on January 23. You know what happened on my birthday? A snow storm with 2 feet of snow buried my backyard. The ramps and dolly that I use to transport the engine inside my house were under more than 2 feet of snow and ice. Spent my 73rd. birthday doing snow removal for the whole day and was exhausted. Too much physical work for an old guy like me. This was another setback and won't stop me from finishing this project before Super Bowl Day. But my wife was not happy to see me working in my unheated garage with bone chilling temperature.

To my surprise, she asked me how much time I needed to finish the engine. I explained to her that I was planning to bring the motor inside the house and bring it back to the basement to work on it. Two weeks should be sufficient and it was almost end of January. But the ramps were buried in snow and it would take weeks to get the snow to thaw. My wife felt my disappointment and failure to get this motor finished. She voluntarily offered to me to use the kitchen for two weeks and bring the motor out before February 7.

In short, I was allowed to bring the engine and engine stand into the kitchen. My wife hates the odor of gasoline and oil. So to overcome this problem, she is running an electric deodorizer to mask the odor of the engine oil. I was able to assemble and complete the engine before the Super Bowl Day.

Cam timing, valve adjustments, sprocket alignment, etc. completed. However, I noticed something very peculiar. When you turn the crankshaft 360 degrees, it goes around with no impediment. Turned the crankshaft so many times and no restriction. But why is there a slapping noise from the engine at 120 deg. intervals? Another annoying problem? Here is a description of the problem when you rotate the crankshaft.

@ TDC Z1............a slapping noise of the cam/valve occurs between cylinder #1 going to cylinder #6. It is about 1/3 between #1 and #6 markers on the crank pulley.

Cylinder #6.........a similar slapping noise occurs between #6 to #2. Same as before, 1/3 distance to cylinder #2.

Cylinder #2.........same as above.

Cylinder #4.........same as above.

Cylinder #3......... same as above.

Cylinder #5..........Same as above.

The slapping noise occurs consistently at a 120 deg. sequence. The cams and rockers were abundantly lubricated.

Anyone had encountered this problem before? Any suggestion or recommendation welcome. This was not observed before, so there is something very wrong that I have obviously overlooked. I will post additional pictures. Thanks.

Tony