Modular 5.0 stroker kits, any high mileage builds out there?

[cobraman1024]

My concerns about the piston side loading caused by using the custom pistons and required shorter 5.85" connecting rod needed for the 3.8" Kellogg crankshaft have not been alleviated. In fact, I'm about 99% convinced that I should just stick with a stock stroke 4.6L build.

Does anyone out there have a high mileage modular 5.0 stroker build? I'm looking for engines that still run well without any unexplained increase in oil usage between changes.....generally 50,000+ miles. I was told that the pistons used for this build would basically need to be replaced before reaching 50,000 miles which is why I threw out that number.

 

[SNK-BITE]

I am sure others will chime in and give their advice/opinions/first hand experience but, I personally have never seen, read, or heard about a stroker going north of 60K with any type of driving habits.

I am in no way a seasoned engine builder but have been into my share of mod motors so take what I said with a grain of salt.

 

[NastyNate420]

Subscribing!
I was wondering this myself

 

[AntiHeightPunk]

im doing a stroker on my car...although i dont expect to get 50k miles
ls3 build next

 

[racecougar]

Subscribing to this as well. I haven't even reached 6K miles on my stroker yet, and I've been running it for almost six years now. I'm not sure I'll be around to see 50K miles.

 

[SVT_Troy]

I'm considering a MMR stroker kit so this is a very interesting topic to me as well. I don't want to get anything that isn't totally reliable and able to be beat on. I'm building my motor and wanton it to be more reliable than a OEM motor while making good power. I know it can be done.

I also am no way an engine builder or have any real engine building knowledge so I need a good builder with experience to tell me what setup to go with

 

[Modular Racing]

The Stroker kits (when properly engineered) have no adverse wear conditions,the 3.800 stroke crankshafts have been used by OE companies such as Saleen for years. The 3.800 Stroker crank and Geometry was designed by Kellogg who supplied Ford with the Factory Cobra cranks. The designer also played a huge role in the Modular engine development in the early 90's.

For those that would simply like to sway away from the larger strokers the MMR 4.75 is a great option. The 4.75 uses the identical stroke to the Coyote and is a nice Middle ground.

For more information please call anytime.

MMR
Modular Motorsports Racing
1-877-MOD-POWR

 

[cobraman1024]

The Stroker kits (when properly engineered) have no adverse wear conditions,the 3.800 stroke crankshafts have been used by OE companies such as Saleen for years. The 3.800 Stroker crank and Geometry was designed by Kellogg who supplied Ford with the Factory Cobra cranks. The designer also played a huge role in the Modular engine development in the early 90's.

For those that would simply like to sway away from the larger strokers the MMR 4.75 is a great option. The 4.75 uses the identical stroke to the Coyote and is a nice Middle ground.

For more information please call anytime.

MMR
Modular Motorsports Racing
1-877-MOD-POWR

Once again MMR, I responded to this copy/pasted post when you stuck it into my thread on the corral.
Do you know of any of your customers using this stroker kit that have used it for over 50,000 miles? If not, then it sounds like your post was intended more for sales than anything as it doesn't really answer my question, just kind of skirts around it.

 

[SNK-BITE]

Well since this thread has not attracted the kind of attention I was expecting, I will offer you my first hand experience OP. My buddy has an 02 Saleen S281, he had a short block assembled by a reputable shop in austin texas using a 5.0 stroker kit from a well known(for good and bad) vendor on here. I assembled the rest of the engine allong with cushman/vt cams and the same shop tuned it. Car ran like a raped ape for nearly 3 years. During that time its only had 4 passes at the track with a decent amount of back road play. At approx 40K miles it started using a noticeable amount of oil. At 50k he was changing plugs nearly every month, and at 58K it smoked so bad he wouldnt drive it any more.

Same guy then picked up a 04 cobra with a freshly built 5.0 stroker built by a shop in dallas that had less than 200 miles on the build and was still on a break in tune. running only a 2.8 upper and 0 track passes and very very minimal back road play it made it to 21K before it lost all compression on all cylinders. That one never used any oil oddly enough.

Take all this for what its worth but I am a firm believer a stoker motor is not for those who are not surrounded by $$$ for the rebuilds to come.

 

[cobraman1024]

Well since this thread has not attracted the kind of attention I was expecting, I will offer you my first hand experience OP. My buddy has an 02 Saleen S281, he had a short block assembled by a reputable shop in austin texas using a 5.0 stroker kit from a well known(for good and bad) vendor on here. I assembled the rest of the engine allong with cushman/vt cams and the same shop tuned it. Car ran like a raped ape for nearly 3 years. During that time its only had 4 passes at the track with a decent amount of back road play. At approx 40K miles it started using a noticeable amount of oil. At 50k he was changing plugs nearly every month, and at 58K it smoked so bad he wouldnt drive it any more.

Same guy then picked up a 04 cobra with a freshly built 5.0 stroker built by a shop in dallas that had less than 200 miles on the build and was still on a break in tune. running only a 2.8 upper and 0 track passes and very very minimal back road play it made it to 21K before it lost all compression on all cylinders. That one never used any oil oddly enough.

Take all this for what its worth but I am a firm believer a stoker motor is not for those who are not surrounded by $$$ for the rebuilds to come.

Thanks for sharing!!
Kinda funny how that happened prior to that 50,000 mile "magic" number isn't it?

 

[IUP99snake]

I haven't had luck with any modular motor that wasn't assembled by Ford.

In my own experience, I've never seen a built modular motor last any longer than a few years. Most of them have problems right off the bat such as piston slap, ticking, oil consumption, overheating, and knocking.

Keep in mind, I don't speak for everyone and I'm sure there are expert builders out there who will stand behind the reliability of their work and the design of the parts used.

Like you mentioned, this thread isn't getting quite the attention you expected. I think that speaks for itself. :beer:

If anyone's put more than 50K on a stroker, or any aftermarket build for that matter, please stand up.

 

[NastyNate420]

MMR guys says if they are engineered correctly then they will last?!?
How come EVERY piston I have seen come out of stroker motor (MMR's or others) has had EXCESSIVE wear on the piston skirt or catastrophic failure?! And these motors havent had more than 50k like the OP stated!

I love how MMR always puts there noes in Engine building threads trying to make a sale!

 

[Cobra03SC]

Problem with determining the life of one is, most people who spend the money to get one, are usually running 1.5-2x+ the hp of a person with a normal engine. Now i will say if my stroker lasts 50k+ i will be extremely happy, thats around 8-10 years of driving for me...

 

[NastyNate420]

Problem with determining the life of one is, most people who spend the money to get one, are usually running 1.5-2x+ the hp of a person with a normal engine. Now i will say if my stroker lasts 50k+ i will be extremely happy, thats around 8-10 years of driving for me...

I thought about that as well and you are corrected. But the truth is most people with a built motor of any type are going t be pushing it to the limits as well.

 

[cobraman1024]

MMR guys says if they are engineered correctly then they will last?!?
How come EVERY piston I have seen come out of stroker motor (MMR's or others) has had EXCESSIVE wear on the piston skirt or catastrophic failure?! And these motors havent had more than 50k like the OP stated!

I love how MMR always puts there noes in Engine building threads trying to make a sale!

My sentiments exactly!!
When I posted the same question in two different sections on the Corral.net pages, MMR had to answer in the SVT/DOHC section.......here is our little back/forth on that:

Modular 5.0 stroker kits, any high mileage builds out there? - Ford Mustang Forums : Corral.net Mustang Forum

 

[SlowSVT]

All you are hearing from the people extolling the virtues of a stoker crank in a 4.6 are "crickets". Big surprise here.

Here is a picture of Hangman's piston off his boss stroker that never made if off the dyno. What I suspect happened was the piston was rocking what was left in the bore which broached the skirts on the edge when entering the cylinder. There is absolutely no heat dis-colorization of the piston which would suggest a seizure. :nonono:

I suspect there are scores of stroked 4.6 fatalities yet the owners are reluctant to admit this was not a good idea.

 

[Modular Racing]

All you are hearing from the people extolling the virtues of a stoker crank in a 4.6 are "crickets". Big surprise here.

Here is a picture of Hangman's piston off his boss stroker that never made if off the dyno. What I suspect happened was the piston was rocking what was left in the bore which broached the skirts on the edge when entering the cylinder. There is absolutely no heat dis-colorization of the piston which would suggest a seizure. :nonono:

I suspect there are scores of stroked 4.6 fatalities yet the owners are reluctant to admit this was not a good idea.

Interesting you show that picture, here is a picture of the same persons piston from a prior motor with a hole melted in it (and Travis - the owner here on SVT can vouch for it as he has held it in his hand). Long story short - 2618 alloy swells before it melts, the piston you have shown was just seconds from looking like the one below, but it makes complete sense since the tune was never corrected. Some say one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different outcome. Two different engines but same owner, same tune, same result. But hey, what do we know, we have only built the worlds fastest and highest HP modular engines.

 

[SlowSVT]

All metal swell before they melt.

I don't think we need to resurrect that thread. The damage to the piston I posted appears it was not related to the tune. Looks more like a loose fitting piston on a stroked crank led to that failure. From the pics I've seen of the crown I say that engine life expectancy was measured in seconds :nonono:

Putting a brand new engine on a dyno didn't help either.

 

[Modular Racing]

To clarify, We completely agree with you in your first post that the piston seized, BUT, it seized from heat, the same exact reason that the piston we posted seized (and melted) the difference between the two is simply the amount of time the piston continued to run. The Piston you have shown would have looked no different than the one we did just seconds later. It is simply a progression of the detonation and its affects on the metal.

This link shows damages done to pistons from detonation, it is sometimes apparent on the skirt, the crown or both

piston detonation damage - Google Search

 

[SlowSVT]

To clarify, We completely agree with you in your first post that the piston seized, BUT, it seized from heat, the same exact reason that the piston we posted seized (and melted) the difference between the two is simply the amount of time the piston continued to run. The Piston you have shown would have looked no different than the one we did just seconds later. It is simply a progression of the detonation and its affects on the metal.

This link shows damages done to pistons from detonation, it is sometimes apparent on the skirt, the crown or both

piston detonation damage - Google Search

I don't know about that. Seizures are related to heat and the source of that heat needs to get to the piston crown before it can propagate to the skirts. Here is a picture of that same piston and I see no signs of excessive heat exposure. Maybe I'm not seeing something but This piston looks like it never even saw an ignition cycle :shrug: