Ford Essex Engines.

Hiya all,

the earlier engine with the front well sump was put in the Mk4 Zephyr/Zodiac, but 'cos of the front well sump the engine could get starved of oil under hard acceleration, generally regarded as "a bad thing". The rear well sump engine went into the Mk1 Granadas and Capris (and Transit ambulances) They all took about 4 1/2 litres of oil including the filter.

pottsy

Ford stupidity.

How many Ford's have 350bhp engines? Lots have 350-500bhp brakes and even classics that don't still have brakes over twice as powerful as the engine.

Only have to look at the 0-60mph and 60-0mph to work out that most vehicles DEaccelerate quicker than they accelerate. So the oil gets thrown forward out the rear sump and leaves the pickup uncovered under braking far more often and to a greater extent than from a front sump under acceleration.

Takes the same power to stop as it does to go.

at 3.5 secs would need over 500bhp braking power. Never seen atruck with a 0-60 time in less than a aeon but the site claims theycan stop from 60 in 6 secs - how many 1000bhp brakes? Even now Ford are still clueless on how to keep the oil in the sump. Lots of cars can create cornering G forces greater than acceleration, much the embarrassment of Ford. A motoring TV program had a Ford fwd model on test and gave it a dry G force test, round a 50m circle. It spewed white smoke. Oil is thrown out of the sump so far up the end wall of the crankcase that it hits the crank and gets thrown up the bores. The rings can't cope will that volume of oil.

-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!

hiya Peter

You're completely right and there is no substitute for a proper dry sump system. Even so, IF I HAD to make a choice, I'd rather have the engine lose pressure on the overrun than on acceleration. :)

m

Oh so true! - more so than you realise, but I couldn't possibly comment!

What is typically the problem in that case is the oil separator in the breather system flooding, and feeding the engine an oil/air mixture rather than petrol/air, which is not exactly desirable.

In news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com, Peter Hill decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

More than you think. I.E, a Porsche 911 Turbo has brakes which produce around the equivalent of 2800bhp.

And this makes Ford clueless? You're talking s**te.

I originally posted this query as I'd had experience of my low mileage (since rebuild) Essex engine occasionally showing signs of burning oil - blue smoke issuing from the left bank of cylinders (as you view engine from the front of the car) Not just a puff or two either, copious amounts - to an embarrassing degree, initially I thought I'd blown the rings or a piston or worse! The peculiar thing however was that it soon disappeared. For example I noticed it on one occassion as I left a car park - the rear view was masked by blue smoke. I drove about 4 miles home at a steady pace. Upon arrival I checked it out by leaving the engine at tick over - the amount of smoke seemed to reduce and then disappeared altogether and did not return at all for many miles.

Initially I'd assumed that either the valve stemseals were faulty, the piston ring gaps had not been properly spaced, or the engine was over filled with oil.

The dip stick showed not over filled.

The blue smoke was only ever intermittent - sometimes weeks between me noticing it happening again. Close checking after start up - even when the car had been left idle for days on end - mostly there was no smoke on first start up which seemed to rule out valve sytem seals. Also there was no oil smoke noticed, issuing on the over run.

I eventually tried to rule out that the engine was over filled - albeit that the dip stick showed this not to be the case. I compared other 3ltr. Essex engine dipsticks. There seemed to be a variance. Hence the question.

The reply concerning oil thrown up the bores interested me, not because the car gets thrown around but because if it was over filled this might be the reason it spews out the blue smoke.

Regards Gee.

Oil is thrown out of the sump so far up the end

hiya all,

Just got back from the pod (the european finals, ace weekend, pity about the weather interupting things) and picking up the mail, and just remembered:-

Ages ago I had a Mk4 Zephyr and had the same snag. It was the emission control valve that sits in the right hand (yes, I know you said left bank but they share the plenum chamber if it's the later inlet with the holes cut in it) rocker cover, and it was sticking. (with a pipe leading to the spacer plate between the carb and the manifold) Cleaned it out with carb cleaner and it was sorted. A cheap fix to a expensive looking problem.

m

Thanks M. I'll certainly do as you suggest but I must say this is something I clean periodically so I may still be looking for a solution. Regards Gee.