1968 Checklist for initial start of a rebuilt engine

[admin]

I'm getting ready to fire up my rebuilt 289-2V for the first time and want a sanity check to be sure I'm not missing any steps:

Fuel

• Carb was running fine when I pulled the engine, but I cleaned out the bowl, float, jets, needle and seat with liberal sprays of carb cleaner to get rid of any varnish
• Right before engine start, pre-fill the bowl w/ fuel
• Fresh gas in the tank and manually pump some through at the engine bay side of the line to confirm no blockages or junk in the line
• Added a temporary clear fuel filter so I can confirm gas is pumping to the carb when I go to start the engine

Electrical

• New spark plugs (gaps checked), new wires and new ignition coil
• Fully charged battery
• Distributor dropped in to align rotor with plug wire to #1 cylinder while at TDC position (compression stroke) This also corresponds with "0" tick mark on my new harmonic balancer
• Confirmed good ground wires from battery to block, from block to firewall

Fluids

• Crankcase filled with break-in oil and fresh filter
• Right before I start the engine for the first time I'll manually prime it by spinning the pump shaft w/ a drill (did this already during engine assembly and verified oil getting to all rockers)
• Rebuilt C-4 transmission has 3 quarts in it now (torque converted wasn't pre-filled) so after the engine starts I'll add more as the converter fills up (8-9 quarts total)
• Rebuilt radiator filled with 50/50 mix of coolant. Will top off as needed once engine starts and all the air pockets work their way out

Items I'll have on hand as I start the engine

• Oil pressure gauge
• Vacuum gauge
• Timing light (planning on needing to be about 10-12 deg BTC, vacuum advance plugged)
• Transmission fluid and coolant to top off as needed

Break-in procedure

• Immediate startup (that's the plan anyway!)
• Run for 20 minutes at 2,000-2,500 RPM
• Change oil immediately after initial engine run

 

[rvrtrash]

Jon, if you used a flat tappet cam, make sure your break in oil has ZDDP in it, or get an additive. I run the engine at 2500 rpm for 30 minutes. Does your thermostat have a small bleed hole in it? This will help in getting the air pockets out. Watch your transmission fluid level closely. If you don't get fluid up to spec quickly, you can ruin the front pump bushing.

Steve

 

[CougarCJ]

Fire extinguisher should be on hand.

 

[admin]

Jon, if you used a flat tappet cam, make sure your break in oil has ZDDP in it, or get an additive. I run the engine at 2500 rpm for 30 minutes. Does your thermostat have a small bleed hole in it? This will help in getting the air pockets out. Watch your transmission fluid level closely. If you don't get fluid up to spec quickly, you can ruin the front pump bushing.

I'm using Lucas break-in oil which has a lot of zinc.

Yes, I was going to drill a hole in the t-stat, but when I got it from the parts store it already has a hole with a rubber stopper, which I assume is to act as a one way valve.

Thanks for the note on the transmission fluid. I thought my rebuilder would have pre-filled the torque converter, but he said no. Just to add fluid as soon as it starts.

Fire extinguisher should be on hand.

Yes, good call. I always have one mounted on the wall of my garage, but I'll be sure it's ready to go.

 

[admin]

Just an update... that my son and I still haven't been able to fire the engine. We had everything all set; oil pump primed, electrical all connected, radiator topped of with distilled water, and fire extinguisher at the ready. But on our very last step (filling the carb bowl with fuel) we found a serious leak from the front of the carb. The pump diaphragm has a rip in it. So off to the parts store to get a rebuild kit. Fingers crossed, we'll be able to start it tomorrow.

2 days later... Put in the new diaphragm and... still leaking. Took off the pump cover and noticed it's very warped. So we sanded it back flat again with various grit sandpapers laid on a sheet of glass on the work bench. Reassembled and no more leaking gas! Although now the pump cover is even thinner, so more likely to warp again. I don't think anyone makes this cover new, so I'll have to source a used one.

Pic below of the warp before sanding:

Pic below showing sanding progress:

Pic below after sanding out the warp:

 

[rvrtrash]

Scott should be able to help you on getting a new one.

 

[66hcs-conv]

Jon, Don't know what carb you have, but I have a spare pump off a 4150/4160 Holley carb that you can have. I am Sun Lakes (way south Phoenix).

Cell phone is 970-two-two-two-9785

dave

 

[admin]

Thanks Dave! I really appreciate the offer, but I have an Autolite 2100 2V carb, so I don't think the Holley pump cover will fit.

 

[admin]

Success!!! We were finally able to run the engine for the first time yesterday. Maybe fate was being kind and making up for all the road blocks we had to overcome to get to this point, but everything went extremely well.

It fired up right away, but wouldn't keep running the first couple of times. Fuel pressure was good and timing light confirmed spark, but it stumbled. Turns out the timing needed to be advanced more than I expected. I had stabbed the distributor in at about 10* BTD, but I needed to advance it to more like 18*-20* BTC to get it running smoothly.

Once the timing was right it ran very well. Pushed it up to about 2200 RPM and let it run for 25 minutes.

1. Filled the C-4 with another 5 quarts quickly.
2. It smoked/smelled quite a bit for about 3-5 minutes after startup, but then it cleared up. Nothing visible out of the tailpipe.
3. Didn't need to add any water to the radiator. We had worked out all the air pockets beforehand by temporarily pulling the temp sending unit from the top of the intake manifold.
4. Amazingly, not a single drop leaked from the cooling system, transmission or fuel system! I did have several drops of oil from the bottom of the bellhousing. When I installed the engine and C4 together I really had to tilt them at a severe angle to clear the radiator support. Oil dripped from the bellhousing then too, so my hope is that what dripped today is the remnants of that oil from the install. Time will tell. Not really looking forward to trying to fix a rear main seal.
5. Vacuum was a consistent 14 inch Hg, which seems low, so I may have a vacuum leak somewhere.
6. Oil pressure was about 75.
7. Exhaust manifold temps at each cylinder were about 630-700 deg F on the passenger bank and 510-580 deg F on the driver bank. Not sure if the discrepancy between the 2 sides is a concern. This was at about 2200 RPM and with new rings and freshly bored cylinders. I'll be curious to see how much they drop the next time I fire it up, now that everything is broken in.

At high RPM the engine runs very smooth. But it idles like crap, so obviously needs some tuning. We need to test for vacuum leaks, then dial in the carb mixture screws and set the timing properly.

All in all, I'm very pleased with how it finally came together. Lots of stress melted away once it started running and it was obvious no major issues were popping up.

Thanks again to everyone for their advice and encouragement. I haven't rebuilt an engine since I was in college and it was way more stressful this time around! Back then I was too stupid to know if I was doing it right or not (although I never managed to blow up an engine!)

 

[CougarCJ]

Modern Ford SB cams use a different firing order than what is shown on your vintage intake manifold. Are you using the 351W firing order?

 

[admin]

Original cam and intake.

 

[Mosesatm]

Is the vacuum advance working?
If so, and if your timing is that far out you may want to reinstall the distributor or rotate the spark plug wires one notch in the cap to see if that helps.

 

[franklinair]

IIRC, Timing is initially set at 8 - 10 degrees, with NO vacuum to Distributor. Then connect the vacuum to the Diistributor and the timing will then advance to 18 degrees +/-.

Neil