Engine failure?  Have you looked beyond the obvious?  Marvin McAfee at MCE Engines in Los Angeles teaches us how to do engine detective work - and how to keep it from happening again.   One hint is to check thrice.

Engine failure is heartbreaking and gutwrenching, especially if it's a fresh engine and you've spent a fortune, not to mention time.  First thing people want to do is blame the builder or the parts.  Truth is, engine failure isn't always the obvious - a snapped rod, wiped camlobe, granaded lifter, broken oil pump shaft, dropped valve, cracked piston, hole in the cylinder wall, spun bearing, or broken valve spring.  The obvious is the end result, but not always why it happened.

When you build an engine, you want a foundation that is square, where everything fits together perfectly.  The crank should roll over smoothly with a light touch.  All clearances should be checked with great attention to detail.  We catch flack over suggesting readers check important steps three times.  "Three times?" you ask.  But, it takes less time to check three times than it does to tear a new engine apart and do it all over again.  We speak from raw experience, and so does Marvin McAfee of MCE Engines. 

You want to design, blueprint, and build an engine to be as fail safe as possible even when you're building a stocker.  Some would call it overkill.  We call it smart engine building based on the way flight organizations maintain aircraft.  Airplanes don't have the luxury of pulling over when engines or systems quit.  They can't wonder.  They have to know.  This same approach should be applied to automobiles.  The best engine builders have a system of  checks and balances that ensure the job is performed properly before heads, pan, and valve covers go on.  It involves putting your hands and fingers on each item - thrice - before buttoning it up.  It's just good common sense engine building.

Before you are failed engine components.  The failed timing set didn't break due to material failure.  The oil pump ingested metal fragments from a failed rocker arm, causing the pump and camshaft to lock up, snapping the pump shaft. 

Broken piston ring lands didn't happen due to an absence of lubrication or ring binding.  Failure happened due to improper engine tuning and severe detonation.

Broken valve springs, rocker arms, and rocker arm studs aren't always due to material failure, but instead valve spring bind because someone didn't check for coil bind.  Remember - you need a minimum of .060-inch clearance with the valve wide open both at the spring coils and between valve and piston. 

Marvin McAfee suggests installing a powerful magnet at the oil pick-up to keep fragments out of the pump.  He also suggests screens in the oil drain back holes for the same reason.  Secure as much as you can with safety wire or cotter pins.  And again, eyeball these things three times for extra added security.

Remember - engine failure isn't always the obvious, but the not so obvious.

For more information from a terrific engine building professional, contact Marvin McAfee at MCE Engines, 323-731-0462 or email at mceengines@aol.com.