The Windsor is Dead

[escortwgn]

I knew this was coming for a while now but it finally happened. Traveling to Florida from South Carolina to pick up my Mini Cooper from it's repairs. Had to keep refilling the engine with oil at every gas fill up, approx 150 miles. Used 4-5 quarts going down. The carb back fired 4 times rapidly and was unable to travel less than 1500 rpms or 15 mph. Once it cooled the oil was now over filled.....Put the trailer on warmed up the bronc increased idle and put a tool box on the gas pedal to keep it running. it was missing a back firing out the tail end. At a stop I had to press the gas and brake at the same time to prevent a stall. Made it home to South Carolina in one piece while traveling through bad weather back on the 17th. Following morning while unloading the car and prepping to return to trailer, I had no oil in the engine. It was all over the driveway, the rear main had given way. Not sure what all to make of this but the new 351w will be installed this coming weekend and i'll be going through the old engine to see if it can't be salvaged. I'll try to post my progress on both the install and hopefully the restoration of the old.

 

[Seabronc]

Good luck guy /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

>-

 

[Broncobill78]

Well at least you're not left high & dry in the meantime. Lots of poor bastards wind up parking their rigs for a few months when this happens (or worse still selling them off for pennies on the dollar). Now I don't honestly know if this is a commentary on newer engines versus the older designs but I can *vividly* remember cking the oil on my very first Bronco (a 78' with a 400) at LEAST 4x and finding nothing on the dipstick but whipped up brown foam. I'd put in 5 or SIX quarts right there at the gas station and drive it on home. 5 or 6 wks later I'd remember to ck it again and have to do the same damn thing. A year later I replaced it with a 460 but gave the still running engine to a friend who rebuilt it and stuffed it into a 2WD F100 and ran it for 10 MORE yrs until I moved & lost track of him. I had a few more 351M/400's over the years and have never bofore or since seen an engine take the kind of abuse and neglect that those engines did. I'm not entirely convinced that the newer generation engines (by newer I guess I mean the Windsors, although the Modulars are really the current generation) are as rugged. That's not to say they can't be *built* as tough or that they won't do as well if treated to synthetics but the 351M/400's and the 429/460's just seem so indestructable compared to modern engines that seem like they're constructed with watch parts by comparision.

 

[RBuffordTJ]

I knew this was coming for a while now but it finally happened. Traveling to Florida from South Carolina to pick up my Mini Cooper from it's repairs. Had to keep refilling the engine with oil at every gas fill up, approx 150 miles. Used 4-5 quarts going down. The carb back fired 4 times rapidly and was unable to travel less than 1500 rpms or 15 mph. Once it cooled the oil was now over filled.....Put the trailer on warmed up the bronc increased idle and put a tool box on the gas pedal to keep it running. it was missing a back firing out the tail end. At a stop I had to press the gas and brake at the same time to prevent a stall. Made it home to South Carolina in one piece while traveling through bad weather back on the 17th. Following morning while unloading the car and prepping to return to trailer, I had no oil in the engine. It was all over the driveway, the rear main had given way. Not sure what all to make of this but the new 351w will be installed this coming weekend and i'll be going through the old engine to see if it can't be salvaged. I'll try to post my progress on both the install and hopefully the restoration of the old.

Very sorry to hear that man. Did you perform an appropriate service?

 

[Justshootme84]

RIP, ye boat anchor...

If you didn't run it out of oil, you could prolly replace the rear main and be good to go fora while longer. I ran the 351M without oil for about 20-30 seconds. Filled'er back up and she runs fine. Did have a few metal pieces and filing on the magnetic drain plug, though.

 

[Broncobill78]

Well, without beating a dead horse & waving the flag of a long-dead warrior the 351M/400's took some serious abuse. Maybe a modern engine could take the same sort of abuse that only a 16yr old kid can dish out, but DAMN, does anyone ELSE remember taking apart those old engines and mic'ing them only to be amazed at what was in there and still turning over & running day in and day out ? Now I'm sure everyone else has their stories but I started out in 10th grade working at a Sears Service in Mass and helping the shop steward maintain all the old Sears vans. We would *routinely* bring in 300K 351's, throw in a set of rings & bearings and return them to service & they'd do *another* two years of fleet service before blowing. It was absolutely amazing what they would handle. At the other end of the spectrum it was unbelievable what some guys would DO to their engines. "well it started sounding like a helicopter so I drove it 90 miles home on the turnpike, gosh, what's wrong with it now ?" " If I can't hear the radio over the rapping of the engine should I call you ?"

 

[RBuffordTJ]

Well, without beating a dead horse & waving the flag of a long-dead warrior the 351M/400's took some serious abuse. Maybe a modern engine could take the same sort of abuse that only a 16yr old kid can dish out, but DAMN, does anyone ELSE remember taking apart those old engines and mic'ing them only to be amazed at what was in there and still turning over & running day in and day out ? Now I'm sure everyone else has their stories but I started out in 10th grade working at a Sears Service in Mass and helping the shop steward maintain all the old Sears vans. We would *routinely* bring in 300K 351's, throw in a set of rings & bearings and return them to service & they'd do *another* two years of fleet service before blowing. It was absolutely amazing what they would handle. At the other end of the spectrum it was unbelievable what some guys would DO to their engines. "well it started sounding like a helicopter so I drove it 90 miles home on the turnpike, gosh, what's wrong with it now ?" " If I can't hear the radio over the rapping of the engine should I call you ?"

Yep. run it till the noise over runs the radio and tires! :-"

 

[escortwgn]

well the service is planned once i get it home. i had to leave on base at the hobby shop with the truck. took a while to get the old one out, 4 hours! connected all that could be connected to the new one and began to drop it. turns out to be more difficult than i thought. the tranny needs to be lifted at the same time as dropping the engine and pushing back to line up with the tranny and mounts. so tuesday when they reopen i'll be back and hopefully finish and bring it home. i was looking at the old rear main and i saw no damage, but the oil is coming from somewhere. but on the lighter side looks like it's not going to pose any problems with lining up with all the rest of the parts and accessories. i drove the truck friday and still had oil from when i topped it off that past monday.....? i had maybe 2-3 oz of oil in the bucket under the truck. i swear she's playing with me! but it's still throwing a fit at low idle and speeds. i have already got an offer from a co-worker for the old engine but i'm taking my timing gears with me. hopefully i'll have some good news and pics come tuesday, keep your fingers crossed, and if any of ya'll have any suggestions on easy ways of getting it in please, please let me know.

many thanks!

 

[escortwgn]

HOLY CRAP!

got the engine in today.......pretty much stood the engine on it's hind end, lifted and pushed the tranny back and lined in up.....tried bolting the fly wheel to the tranny, nope. the studs aren't sticking out enough. tried rotating engine by hand, well with a 1" socket, nothing, won't even budge! so continued to attach the rest to the engine......i had a choice on what to loose, a/c or voltage, the main pulley drive doesn't line up. i have a 3 v-belt system and power steering, water pump and alt is all, just 2 belts that can connect so i guess i need one of those harmonic balancer spacers. the locker for the distributor doesn't even come close to holding down. i tried cranking the engine to see maybe, just maybe that the engine was just in a position where human muscle could not turn but i guess a bad ground. have no power to anything. good news tomorrow, i hope....

 

[love_my_bronco]

how can you tell if your motor is a high output motor or not???

 

[escortwgn]

It's done! almost. the engine is in, it runs but seeking a pro for last little stuff. but i have pics of the job.



Loaded up for SC



Trying to mount new one



Got almost everything on



The old one

amazingly enough, the old engines' rear main DID NOT blow out as i had thought. the lower seal on the oil pan was what is leaking. still planning on rebuilding