Elite Marine

After exactly one month of trouble shooting, numerous phone calls across the country and posting like a lunatic, my engine is fixed and going into the boat later today!!!

For those of you not familiar with the situation, here are the links to my dilema and what got me to this point:

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...threadid=47022

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...threadid=48133

So after all of the above, I resolved to pull the motor off the dyno last Friday and drive it up to Performance Marine in Oshkosh

http://www.perfmarine.net/

Rod Dash is the owner and has spent hours online and on the phone with me trying to help. From my view, he was the only one with the confidence and expertise that I felt could fix the problem.

So prior to pulling motor, we did a couple more pulls to get good data to bring to Rod. We did several pulls and the engine reacted the same with the # 2-8 cylinder bank shutting down at high RPMs. After the last pull, we shut it down and started to remove the engine from the dyno. A few minutes into the disconnecting of the engine, the owner of the dyno shop came in and asked to see it run one more time. We connected the few items we disconnected and started it up.

While sitting there idling we suddenly heard a loud popping/knocking noise coming from the # 1-7 cylinder head.
We shut the engine down and pulled the valve cover.

The #3 exhaust valve rocker arm was off of the valve stem and compressing the spring!!!!!!!!! Although there was minimal damage to the rocker arm, and the valve did not appear to be damaged, we elected to pull and dissasemble the head.

Upon disassembly it was determined that the bronze valve guide was .001" tighter at the bottom than at the top. The build sheet showed the clearances to be the same top and bottom during the rebuild of the head. Upon inspection of the rest of the guides all but one had the same taper!!! So - off with the other head.
These guides also had the same .001" taper! All the guides were then honed and the engine reassembled.

Last night we ran the engine for over 1 hour with absolutely no problems!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Evidently as the cylinders creater more heat at the higher RPMs, the valves expanded enough to not fully close due to the guide being tapered at the bottom. How or whay this effected a whole side of the engine at a time is and probably will remain a mystery.

Here is one of the dyno runs, of course its not the one that hit my magic number 650HP, but it is close enough and i am pleased with the outcome.

Thank you very much to everyone who made suggestions and offered words of encouragment. I would like to personally thank the following:

Rod Dash of Performance Marine in Oshkosh, WI

http://www.perfmarine.net/

George Buber of Marine Performance Products in Darien, IL

http://www.marineperformanceproducts.com/

FindMe, Blown1500 and everyone else!

Enough typing, I have an engine to install!!!!

razor1115

I have spoken with Rod several times during engine rebuilds...this guy KNOWS his sh*t!!! Not only is he intelligent/ inciteful, but he is willing to help the everyday guy above and beyond anyone's expectations. I have heard NOTHING but praise for this gentleman's work, demeanor, and integrity. I would gladly conduct business with him ANY day. Never once have I heard anything negative...great all-around guy...

Nuff Said,
Zack Richey

Mr. Demeanor

Congrads, now there will be nothing interesting to read in the tech area though!

Just kidding of course.

CESSNA

No one notice the rockers after all that ??? oh well con grats

Cord

Yes, I also confirm that Rod is a stand up, bend over backwards for the customer kind of a guy!

Pantera24

Congrats!!!!

Back4More

Yep, .001 is was enough to cause one of my lifters to bind up which hung an intake valve open and you know the rest.
Everything happens for a reason......
Glad to here Rod got you fixed up.
Rod, Im still looking for the drive lock keys to get that drive off and to you..

28Eliminator

Kirk, Way to stick with it. Time to go boatin now.
So are you going back to Machine shop that did the heads. Man you don't really expect that kind of problem from a new rebuid. Definitely something I wouldn't have guest. It does cost to have a good machine shop, but it's worth it.

formulafastech, Good job on your fix as well

Playn

That's great news! And thanks for posting the links to those guys.

Elite Marine

I never got the engine to Rod. The problem occurred while on the dyno and was repaired at the shop that did the heads.

Not to take anything away from all the time and help Rod has been on the issue!! Just wish he and his shop were an hour or two closer!!!