Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Blown Duratec Engine

ok, got that spelling thing fixed.

Redhawk, how do you propose for me to back up my statements? How does anyone here back up their statements in a public forum.

As for testing of engines at Ford engine plants. Please feel free to visit the following plants and tell me if you see them testing every engine that goes down the line: Romeo, Cologne, Windsor, Lima, Cleveland, and Chihuahua.

Well, there are a couple of ways...

Post documentation
Provide reference documents
Pictures

The simple fact is, you have posted something that is somewhat confusing for a person who just replaced and engine with a rebuit unit. I think it is only fair to explain where your information comes from so that they can see the difference between a re-built unit and a new one.

Even if every new engine is tested before, here are couple of issues that I would like to know. And if you are familiar with the procedure, you may be able to answer some of these:

Are the engines tested on engine stands, mounts, etc or when they are in the car?

How long are they tested?

Is the engine pre-oiled, tested, drained and refilled? Or just run and stopped after pre-oiling?

Is there a seperate line that only tests engines?

How many engines are tested per day?

It seems to me these are all variable to consider when evaluating the depth and scope of the pre-testing.

I understand you may not know all these questions and I don't want to seem combative but I do think it is necessary for the original poster to understand the difference from a new engine and a remanufactured one. Since you are in the know, you can help them out.

Plus I would like to know because I'm a geek!

Redhawk, there is one problem with posting reference material. It's a little thing called confidentiality agreements. Don't expect to see pictures from inside Ford assembly plants either. Picture taking is generally not allowed.

Back to engine testing. The engines travel down the assembly lines on pallets. Different plants have different types of pallets depending on how things are set up. The engines/pallets are pulled off the line into the testing bay. Obviously they must be full of oil already but I can't remember if they are primed. It sure wouldn't be hard to do.

Since they are not in vehicles, fuel, coolant, exhaust, intake and wiring hookups are required. The engine is then started and run for a short period (maybe 3 min) with certain parameters being monitored. Then you put the engine/pallet back on the assembly line for any remaining items.

Cool.

OK- so if you can't get reference documentation, can you provide some more specific information on the oil pump re-design you posted about? I think that would be valuable for everyone to know as that is a major problem with the duratecs.

I have to say I am still a little bothered by your spelling of Duratec.

Redhawk, What Procyon says about the engines being tested I can confirm. They do in fact test run each engine on a stand before it is installed into a car or truck, Once the car is built there is a person that gets in the car starts the engine and drives it to the lot where it is parked and awaits delivery. I have worked at a couple Ford plants and have seen this practice with my own eyes. It would be hard to get pictures of this because as Procyon says NO PHOTOGRAPH'S are allowed to be taken by employees and you are not going to walk out with any of there documents. Redhawk where is the proof there is a major problem with the oiling system on the Duratec? I have not been able to find any evidence that Duratec's fail at a rate any higher than any other engine. If you know of a source of info. on the failure rate and proven causes please tell me where to veiw it, as I'm very interested in it. The oil pump redesign if I'm not mistaken was possably the by pass valve which if stuck would blow the oil filter. I think they redesigned the by pass valve only.

I'm surprised you've never read about it on these boards. Here is a link to 32 topics I found using search.

Oil Starvation/ engine failures

I would still like to know what the re-design was for the oiling system. If there was no problem, why was it re-designed?

Redhawk, thats not proof of anything. If you had read some of those threads you would find me there proposing someone do an experiment to prove there theory that all the oil is pumped up in the heads thus leaving the oil pan with only a half a pint of oil. No one replied back! You know why? Because its not true! If they performed the very simple experiment I proposed which would either prove there theory or disprove it, they now know its a bunch of BS. There is no oil system design flaw with the Duratec! What there is however are operators of a vehical that will not accept responsabillity for there own actions. Its always somone or something else at fault. and as far as the redesign I beleive I mentioned the bypass valve. I think it was stated the bypass valve was redesigned so it would not get stuck so easily,so the filter would not be blown by too high oil pressure.

I said something to that effect. But what I said was in mass produced engines, the parts are probably not measured as they are installed. Where in a rebuilt engine, the clearances must be measured to see what parts need replacement.

I certainly didn't say no new engines are tested, but testing certainly costs something, so if I were cutting costs, I'd go to a sampling of engines rather than testing them all.

But only if the costs associated with testing were higher than the costs with removing and replacing the few bad engines we find.

FWIW,

TB

Sounds like a raging case of denial to me.

Taking responsibility for their actions? Taking right hand sweeping turns at 55-60 mph in a car that can pull about .9 (IIRC) on the skidpad and causing frothing/ starvation is driver fault? Seems to me that if the car can pull that high a rating, a couple of off/ on ramps should be no problem.

In case you think I am pulling this out of thin air, post a topic titled "There is no oil starvation problems with the Duratec" or "The Duratec has a very reliable oiling system" in the general forum and defend your position. I bet you won't do it.

Oh bugger.....I started a row and didn't even intend it. javacontour, your post is the one I remember, I just misphrased it.

I did not mean to suggest that new engines, unless pulled from the assembly line, do not receive testing. What I did mean to suggest is that a rebuilt engine goes through a longer & more stringent test and therefore would be a better replacement.

Group hug everyone......