Luke warm line strikes again!!!!????

BustedKnucklez · July 16, 2008

I have an oil leaker from none other than the bedplate. I measure the damn thing and the flat surface area isn't warped. But when I measure the depth of the gasket groove it has variances between .147"-.159". I think it should get a new shortblock because the machining on this bed plate is absolutely terrible, very visible with the naked eye. It's been in for service 2 other times for the same concern in which other dealers put a new o ring on the dipstick tube. At this point the customer is going to qualify for a buy back. LukeWarm line says: replace bedplate gaskets and retest. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banghead.gif If it leaked from the factory, wouldn't it leak again? If the groove has hi and low spots wouldn't the gasket not seal properly at the low spots and thus continue to leak? Have any of you had this issue before? What was the groove machining like and did a reseal solve the issue?

Jeff_E · July 16, 2008

Back in the ol' 6.0 days, hotline told me that as long as the machined grove doesn't exceed .164 deep or wide in any spot it is technically in spec. That said, I have permanently fixed several bedplate leaks that other dealers already attempted prior, and their groove dimensions were almost always within specs - Luke warm hotline indeed.

The solution is this: Yank the engine, mount it on a stand, flip her over, disassemble, then thoroughly de-grease and dry both the block and the bedplate. Then lay the new seals in the bedplate groove and run a small bead of the light gray ultra silicone sealer (7.3 oil pan stuff) on the inner side of each seal the full length of the engine. It's ok if the silicone touches the rubber. Then within 3 minutes - lay the bedplate back on the engine block and torque the bolts to spec (Careful not to damage the tone ring). You will see the silicone squeeze through the seam inside the block, yet the engine's exterior will show no signs of this "hardware update". Much like the saying "pain is weakness leaving the body", this sight of silicone squeezing out is "design flaw becoming irrelevant." Odds are if you replace the short block for this concern, the one you get will be just as flawed in the machined surface, so better to just improve the design yourself and be done with it. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thumbup.gif And for God's sake, don't try this "in vehicle" like some dorks on the Ford boards claim to do. The reason is that gravity will work against you if the engine isn't upside down, and thus contaminate your uncured silicone with oil that runs into it. Not to mention trying this "in vehicle" would be a miserable experience in it's own right, and probably not save you much time if any.

Since it's a 6.4, don't forget to also seal the threads on the breather nipple that screws in the block before reinstalling the engine because they like to leak through the threads. Its a lot harder to do after the the engine is reinstalled (see bottom picture).

Posted Image

BustedKnucklez · July 16, 2008

Good info, thanks man. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/notworthy.gif

jaysonfordtech · July 19, 2008

I have seen this too on the 6.0 blocks. It looked like the final machine work was done with a cheese grater. We also use silicon on all of our bedplate jobs.

sondogg12 · October 16, 2008

Those otc engine stands are freakin scary mounting 6.4s. The norco engine stands make those job way easier.i also put silcon on outer side of bedplate seal.just a lil insurance.. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cheers.gif

Tony302600 · October 16, 2008

Ya, im sorry but if you dont lay a thin coat of sealer you are just asking for a problem. We do it on all CP job's that are in hard to get areas. E.G. right now im doing a oil/egr cooler in a ambulance, i recomended while the intake was out getting cleaning, to do the HP pump fitting because it's all taken apart, they ok'd it so before putting the cover back on i cleaned everything perfectly. Then added some sealant. I don't wanna do that job twice.

mchan68 · October 16, 2008

Ya, im sorry but if you dont lay a thin coat of sealer you are just asking for a problem. We do it on all CP job's that are in hard to get areas. E.G. right now im doing a oil/egr cooler in a ambulance, i recomended while the intake was out getting cleaning, to do the HP pump fitting because it's all taken apart, they ok'd it so before putting the cover back on i cleaned everything perfectly. Then added some sealant. I don't wanna do that job twice.

Since you say it is a "CP" job, (to mean "CP" means c*u*n*t pays, if I'm not mistaken) what are you charging for labour hours if you don't mind me asking?

Tony302600 · October 16, 2008

Originally Posted By: Tony302600

Ya, im sorry but if you dont lay a thin coat of sealer you are just asking for a problem. We do it on all CP job's that are in hard to get areas. E.G. right now im doing a oil/egr cooler in a ambulance, i recomended while the intake was out getting cleaning, to do the HP pump fitting because it's all taken apart, they ok'd it so before putting the cover back on i cleaned everything perfectly. Then added some sealant. I don't wanna do that job twice.

Since you say it is a "CP" job, (to mean "CP" means c*u*n*t pays, if I'm not mistaken) what are you charging for labour hours if you don't mind me asking?

15.9. That includes, egr oil cooler replacement, turbo cleaning, thermostat, HPOP fitting replacement, L.O.F., and Fuel Filters, and send the intake out to clean all the carbon out of the coked egr port from idling.

This companies inside wiring is REALLY user friendly. To straps and the whole unit can be moved back to access the dog house.