Time will tell. The mains get oil before the rods far from the pump and the rods were OK and mains are not.

Either way, I'll let you know.

 

Yeah, heads took some damage. Enough for me to replace the engine for a 4th time? Dunno... I'm going to put the bottom end together and see what the oil pressure is like. If it's bad, then I won't take the truck out of town and I'll start the hunt for a 3v.

As you can see from this picture, this failure was not due to lack of maintenance.



I can see some aluminum seeping out under the cam journals here. Since it didn't come out in "lathe shavings" like the mains did, I'm rolling with it.

 

Maybe that will work. From here it looks like they were just starting heat up. Still, I'd pop the caps/check the journals and mic the cam/check tolerance. No aluminum dust piles?

Did you realize how close the 3V 10 is to the blown lightning ?

2005 up V-10...362 hp @4750 rpm, 457 ft/lb torque @3250 rpm (3-valve)

2004 L Eng V-8... 380 hp @ 4750 rpm, 450 ft/lb torque @3250 rpm (SC 2-valve)

 

It's also a cheaper swap, I expect.

 

Has this swap been done yet?

 

Not that I'm aware of. I only know of 3 V10 swaps into F150's - well one's an EXPY and they were all 2V.

 

OK, I'm not going 3V. I don't want to take that project on because it seems I can't use the 4R100 without a separate trans controller. I also don't want to tackle drive by wire. Maybe just because I'm pessimistic right now, but it just seems like more work than I'm willing to tackle. I'm exhausted and my turbo Lexus needs a clutch, plus I still have the 72 Mustang convertible EFI/AOD project in the garage - though it runs and drives now.

 

Then I couldn't as well probably, - I know who to talk to about that. E40D on the outside/ 4r100 on the inside lol.

 

Well, the oil pump is fine. It must have spun a main. I'm not tearing into the rest of the mains until I have parts.

I'm sorry Ford fans, I hate these modulars. Engine #1 died at 140k and was religiously maintained by my friend who worked with me at a Ford dealership. Engine #2 I killed. Now engine #3 spins a main on startup.

I run 18 pounds of boost through my Lexus daily on stock internals at over 200k with ARP head studs being the only upgrade and I can buy a used good long block for $500.

Sigh... End rant...

 

I posted from my phone yesterday and pictures are a pain to do with it, so here's the oil pump...

 

After my earlier rant on the modulars, I started to think - what if I caused this failure too? These engines have seen 3 times the mileage I have. I did possibly rotate the engine backwards for one revolution while tightening the torque converter nuts. Could I have un-primed the oil pump and caused the failure? The answer is no. I called Melling and spoke to George - the same dude who does the tech videos on their site! - and told him about what I did. He said absolutely not. Every time the engine is shut down, all the oil drains from the pump other than the stuff that sticks, so it is essentially un-primed.

Anyway, this whole thing still doesn't make sense to me. Thanks for listening.

 

The pump looks perfect from here, but you weren't pumping any oil? What else could it be. You tested that. Unless you didn't have enough oil in it? I don't think that's the case, but things obviously got hot and the pump failed according to your testing. Iduno, how was the o-ring?

Did you tell him no visual shavings in the heads but grey matter evidence ? That's an easy way to tell the lower is fried, - pull the cam covers. You found grey matter, (tiny shavings). There's really no way to tell the extent without pulling the caps.

It sucks for sure, I'd be upset, but like you I would try to blame it myself if I could. Cause I just feel better knowing, no matter what lol.

I've always ran short trips with the 98. At times I'd change the oil at 2000 miles because the truck hadn't run long enough to burn off bi-product, water/moisture and would eventually contaminate the oil. 307,000 miles and runs perfect, sounds good and healthy. I've had good luck with these engines.

 

When the gauge didn't show pressure, I shut it down and checked for oil. It was full. The o-ring for the pickup is good. The pickup is totally clean and clear. I'm replacing the pump anyway. Maybe the check valve stuck long enough to spin a main. A spun main will certainly eliminate oil pressure. I should know more tonight.

I didn't tell him about the damage to the engine, I just asked about whether the pump being drained by moving the engine backwards could cause a loss of oil pressure. I know there are lots of modulars out there with lots of miles - my buddy who has basically the same truck as me (my truck was his dad's, his is a 2001) has close to 200k on his 5.4 and has had no engine issues.

Like you, I want to know WHY - not just fix it.

I'm fabricating an engine support so I can pull the mounts to get at the rest of the main caps. I'm not touching the cam caps because what I see in there will not affect my decision to run it again.

 

That's right I didn't think about that. - As the bearings wear, clearances increase allowing increased flow which reduces pressure... Right?
Right, that was a good question, at least you can eliminate that. I would have tried for more info lol, unless he seemed rushed. I talked with Mike Troyer once about my E4OD. The truck would no longer move. After about 5 minutes of questions an answers, I knew what to do. Saved the trans and it's still in the truck today.
Cams look okay? I've just seen where they looked okay, but badly scored under the caps and on the guides.

Well, I'm curios as well, - hoping to learn some things. You definitely learn allot from others experiences. I'm subscribed.

 

I started thinking about that... I was initially thinking that it spun a main and that's what cause no oil pressure due to a blocked port on the bearing. But that would cause HIGH oil pressure. So here's what I'm thinking now... I spun a main on startup and blocked the oil passage. Oil pressure is now so high, it just opens the bypass valve and shows no pressure on the gauge. Hell... I don't know. I need to stop speculating on this and tear it apart. I have not slept well because I have not solved this mystery.


Thanks for that suggestion, I hadn't considered camshaft damage. I suppose I could at least pull a couple caps and look at the cam journals.