Aluminum Oxide

[TXPD]

Hey guys, I need some help. You may have seen where I am doing a 4.6L Aluminator project that broke on the dyno. I have been told that a high level of aluminum oxide caused the failure of 6 cylinders that lost compression after dyno runs on the new engine.

I understand that aluminum oxide is an abrasive. This is a new engine that was assembled by a highly respected engine builder. Can anyone help me figure out what happened here?

FRPP has washed their hands of it. Any thoughts?

 

[wheelhopper]

Aluminum Oxide is used to make sandpaper. I would guess that it would also be used on cylinder honing equipment. Probably on head porting tools as well.

How the heck did that get in your engine?

 

[TXPD]

i have no idea. the engine was assembled when it was delivered. i am trying to figure out the same thing. thus, this thread.

 

[tomshep]

I believe aluminum oxide is also a media blasting material.

One item that has been the demise of many a freshly built motor is an intake that has been beed blasted, or whatever material, and then not fully cleaned and put on a motor. The abrasive material will quicky eat a motor up.

Tom

 

[tomshep]

Hey guys, I need some help. You may have seen where I am doing a 4.6L Aluminator project that broke on the dyno. I have been told that a high level of aluminum oxide caused the failure of 6 cylinders that lost compression after dyno runs on the new engine.

I understand that aluminum oxide is an abrasive. This is a new engine that was assembled by a highly respected engine builder. Can anyone help me figure out what happened here?

FRPP has washed their hands of it. Any thoughts?

How did you determine there was aluminum oxide present?

Tom

 

[TXPD]

FRPP told me to send them the engine for warranty. They said they sent a piston to the lab for analysis.

 

[GJMCAR98]

I would have to also go with the media blast material. That stuff will get impregnated into stuff like pistons and heads very quick if it isn't cleaned and I would also go with the intake and heads as the best hiding spot. It only takes a small bit hidden somewhere to ruin an engine....

 

[TXPD]

frpp says that new mac headers do this. we used mac long tubes.

 

[r82of250]

don't see how anything would be sucked into the engine from the headers? flow would be out, not into the heads, right?

 

[mu22stang]

That is really unfortunate. You would think with their knowledge on the MAC headers problem, they would fill in customers. Talk about throwing you under the bus.

 

[TXPD]

i wonder what mac would do if they got a chance to read that email.

 

[1993R]

I sure would send a copy to the CEO after FRPP takes care of you.......

 

[99COBRA2881]

There were alof of failures severl years ago after MAC headers were installed. MAC headers has been made aware of this issue and had supposedly taken care of this problem several years ago.

The cause was due to the EGR pulling either media blasting material or left over welding slag out of the driver side header back into the intake and ultimately the combustion chambers ruining compression in that engine.

Search the forums for more info on this subject. Alot of people had problems with MAC headers but I havent heard of anything recently.

I deleted the EGR on my MAC headers and intake/tune. Why not do the same on this motor its for a race car correct? EGR doesnt function at WOT.

 

[TXPD]

well...that is exactly what happened to my engine. 6 dyno pulls to tune a new engine and it lost compression in 6 cylinders

 

[tomshep]

VERY interesting.....I had never heard of this issue.

Rob, did you have the EGR connected?

Tom

 

[b4409]

well...that is exactly what happened to my engine. 6 dyno pulls to tune a new engine and it lost compression in 6 cylinders

hey rob, this gives me the warm and fuzzies about my frpp crate engine!

sorry you are having a problem. what a bummer man.

 

[cobra186]

A friend of mine lost the engine in his low mileage 99 Cobra back in about '02-'03 time frame after installing Mac Longtubes. The engine started blowing blue smoke out the tailpipe within 50 miles & he thought it might just be the coating on the new headers burning off. Within another 50 miles or so it started blowing oil out the tailpipes.... and that was all she wrote.

This happened just about the same time everyone else started posting on line about motor problems with their 4.6s after installing MAC longtubes. Every other company/brand had no issues... it was just the MAC brand. MAC about that time switched to a chinese source for their exhaust products... quality went to crap & fitment of the products went to crap too.

 

[TXPD]

hey rob, this gives me the warm and fuzzies about my frpp crate engine!

sorry you are having a problem. what a bummer man.

Oh, I know. I not only have to get this engine built asap somehow and now afraid to put an intake or headers on it, I also have a freshly built 5L Cammer coming from the same engine shop that assembled the ill fated Aluminator.

I am scared to death. BTW....anyone want a cammer? I need to sell one.

 

[oldmodman]

It sound like the previous posters have it covered with header contamination.

But about ten years ago I had a customer's engine destroyed by impossible to remove particles after he had an intake manifold "ported" with Extrude Hone. Their abrasive flow porting left millions of microscopic particles of the abrasive material in the manifold after the porting process was complete. And the manifold was washed in an engine washing machine and pressure washed afterward. But the abrasive was still present and the engine was destroyed with one pass at Bonneville.

 

[wheelhopper]

I had Mac ceramic longtubes installed nearly 2 years ago. They were new, but I bought them second hand. The guy decided he needed the money more than the headers. So no problems. I hope it stays that way. I also had no problem with fitment. Where your headers new or old stock?

It sounds like everyone is passing the buck on this. Hopefully one of the companies will accept some responsibility for this. Aluminum oxide could not have gotten there by itself.