Fairmont engine poofed

I'm assuming then that you're making right around 450-500hp.

Blower, turbo, nitrous, naturally aspirated... that's around the point where the 5.0 likes to turn into a pair of fours. I wonder what failure came first.

I forgot to mention that there was some evidence of intake gasket failure at the water crossover. The mechanic helping me (who has a 10 second Fairmont and actually thinks that the fun part of motorsports is fixing broken E36 M3) thinks that the water leak happened first, causing the engine to ingest more water than it could handle. He's also thinking that my tuning inexperience may have been the root cause.

The intake leak could also have been because the block was splitting. Since the intake manifold bolts are all vertical, if the decks start to spread apart, the manifold can drop and release some of the tension on the intake bolts.

Y'know, I had always heard that you can measure the bore distortion in the main journals just from installing the intake manifold, but I never really considered the exact mechanism until writing this post. Anyway, proper torque on the intake bolts is important.

It may have been a faulty tune but realistically, block failures have been a problem in road racing 8.2 deck blocks since the Boss 302 days when the head technology got good enough for them to start making enough power to hurt themselves. If you used a 5.0 block (lighter/less metal than a 302) then that only made coming apart more likely.

Now I am wondering if putting jackscrews in the intake manifolds to press down against the China wall on both ends would help make the blocks last longer, or if that would just be shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

Oh, sorry to hear that the damage was so extensive. It sounds like it is time for a Boss block or the like.

Vertical intake bolts are definitely a weird issue sometimes. I've seen head gaskets start leaking after someone over-torqued the intake bolts on the later Magnum versions of the small block Mopars.

I was thinking this could be the issue but when this happens it is usually a much more spectacular failure.

If you are up in the mid 400s hp no tune saves these blocks. At those hp numbers it is just a matter of when on a stock block.

The new block is most likely gonna be a Boss. They say that there can be a problem with strokers in those blocks if you don't use Mahle pistons, which I have, so I should be okay.

I've heard that a "top end girdle" can help stock 5.0 blocks. Apparently, they machine for dowel pins in the little ears under the intake, and put bars there to keep the block from splitting.

At this point. I'm being amazed at what's not broken.

So, it sucks that you had that happen but since it did...can we see some pictures?

'Also, the block was split right down the middle' holy e36m3!?!!! I've heard of pipe spools failing in hydrotesting, but .......sheesh. Good luck with this

In reply to 759NRNG:

Pretty common failure mode north of 400hp in a ford 302/5.0, the lightness in those engines comes at a price.

APEowner wrote: So, it sucks that you had that happen but since it did...can we see some pictures?

Apparently, my engine failure has spread to my ability to host photos. As soon as I get that figured out, I'll put 'em up.

I got your back, Snailmont :)

Thanks, brother.

Do it right or go the berkeley home.

Im hoping our challenge engine doesn't do this. Were hoping for 450 on the spray.

Surprisingly enough, it looks like the Scat 4340 crank, Probe 4340 rods, and most of the Mahle pistons will be reusable. One piston touched a valve, so it may have to go.

In reply to snailmont5oh:

If the rings can still move easily, and the piston skirt isn't cracked or bent, piston's fine.

Glorious carnage photos BTW.

In reply to snailmont5oh:

That statement of mine was in reference to the carnage. Not the rebuild plans. I hope you didn't take it the wrong way.

Dusterbd13 wrote: In reply to snailmont5oh: That statement of mine was in reference to the carnage. Not the rebuild plans. I hope you didn't take it the wrong way.

I somehow managed to take that as you meant it. That's wierd, considering that this is the Internet.

I did it right, and went the berkeley home. [Drax] Because the car didn't run. So I went home. [/Drax]

Ok. Was second guessing myself because this is tbe internet.

That Failure to me is way more epic than a TF'r grenading a blower... that e36m3 is hall of fame material.....maybe even coffee table worthy, say for the discriminating gear banger in your life....birthday, anniversary, Xmas, perhaps?

Upon closer review, the lifter valley alone was worth the price of admission

759NRNG wrote: Upon closer review, the lifter valley alone was worth the price of admission

Thanks for the encouragement. Where are you located? Do you want the block? :D

Down in MazD's neck of the woods.. naw not really...

Very seppuku. Sorry to hear you're off-track for the mean time.