Sometimes, the causes of engine failure aren't always the most obvious. MCE Engines in Los Angeles shows us how to take a closer look at engine failure and how to prevent it.
For nearly five years, we have enjoyed a successful working relationship with Marvin McAfee of MCE Engines in Los Angeles, California. Marvin, long associated with aviation and automobile racing, can easily be called a master engine builder. A more accurate way to describe Marvin is engine architect. Every MCE engine project has a master blueprint for success. Marvin spends his waking hours thinking about how to achieve greater mounts of power and reliability from his engines. And Marvin never kids himself. As meticulous as he is with every engine he builds, he knows failure can happen at any time for more reasons than we can list here because not all engine failures are obvious.
Sometimes, it isn't always the obvious in engine failure - but instead what isn't so obvious - a root cause that led to the main cause of failure. Engine failure can take years to unfold in some instances. Lack of regular oil and filter changes. Dirty air filter. Poor crankcase ventilation. Excessive end play or connecting rod side clearances. Tight piston-to-cylinder wall clearances. Detonation from poor engine tuning or too low an octane rating. Improper valve timing. Excessively worn rail-style rocker arms that get into the retainer. Oil starvation at main and rod bearings. Oil stagnation at main, rod, or cam bearings due to tight clearances and poor flow. Debris in the oil we cannot see. Header tubes too small along with high exhaust gas temperatures. Flooding from sticking float needle valve, which washes oil off the cylinder walls and hurts lubricity.
Would you like us to go on?
Engine failure happens when we don't examine everything in great detail during an engine build. Sometimes, it's the things we cannot see or measure that bite us hard. In invisible weakness in a casting or forging. Improperly installed part that never caught our eye. And - a host of other things we haven't thought of.
When engines fail or begin to perform poorly, we need to do a Quincy style forensics tear down where every single part is examined closely to find a cause. Even healthy engines deserve close inspection on tear down to see if there were any shortcomings no matter how small. Abnormal wear patterns call for close inspection and measurement. Even a tiny grain of sand or dirt will cause engine failure when it does bearing damage and hurts oil pressure. Carelessness installing piston rings can hurt our feelings later on.
If you would like to know more about engine building and, more importantly, engine failure, give Marvin McAfee at MCE Engines a call or email. He will sit and jaw with you for hours because he wants to help. And, if you want an extraordinary engine builder who doesn't come cheap, but who's darned good with a whole lot of experience at 76, contact Marvin at 323/731-0462 or mceengines@aol.com. Read about MCE Engine projects here at www.mustangmonthly.com and at our sister magazine, Modified Mustangs & Fords.