BP Engine Clacking Noise After 160 Miles

[Oshkosh Rob]

I finally got my Mk4 licensed and insured and after 4 days of driving and 160 miles the engine developed a clacking noise. I thought it was a bad lifter and pulled off the valve covers. Checked pre-load and went through the adjustment process to verify. Still had the same noise. Called BP Engines and sent them a video and they suspected the same. Pulled the motor apart and replaced the lifters but the cylinder walls got me very concerned. The rear 2 cylinders on both side shows this abnormal wear. The top side of the cylinder wall has the same markings. Anyone see something like this before? I have another call into BP to see about next step. Motor is a 347. Sounds like crap when you drive it.

218526

[Jeff Kleiner]

My question is why did you pull the heads to change the lifters? Question #2 is why tear anything down when you have a Blueprint warranty?

Jeff

[Mike.Bray]

My question is why did you pull the heads to change the lifters?

Pretty sure you can't get a hydraulic roller lifter out on a short deck SBF without pulling the head. Same for an LS3.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Pretty sure you can't get a hydraulic roller lifter out on a short deck SBF without pulling the head...

Mike, this is true for link bar lifters but with the spider and dogbone arrangement they can be removed with OEM Windsor heads installed---caveat in this case that the casting of the BP heads might not allow it.

Jeff

[cv2065]

Question #2 is why tear anything down when you have a Blueprint warranty?

Jeff

Agree. If it isn't something simple that can be addressed over the phone, pics or video, they should be crating and sending back for review or having a local repair shop take a look. When you start messing with it yourself, things can get suspect with a warranty. That especially includes rocker arm adjustments, setting lifter pre-load and/or replacement. You paid for the warranty in the price of the engine.

[Oshkosh Rob]

Agree. If it isn't something simple that can be addressed over the phone, pics or video, they should be crating and sending back for review or having a local repair shop take a look. When you start messing with it yourself, things can get suspect with a warranty. That especially includes rocker arm adjustments, setting lifter pre-load and/or replacement. You paid for the warranty in the price of the engine.

The lifters can’t be removed without removing the heads. BP asked that I replace if possible to try and get the car back on the road quicker. It’s not something I haven’t done before and was hoping it would get me back on the road. I’m expecting a new motor now. My next question is whether or not should pull the body off to remove the motor. Body and paint ain’t done yet.

[bobl]

Looks like some significant scoring on that cylinder. There's probably a lot of debris. Blueprint will have you send it back to them. They've had me pull and ship customers engines before and paid my labor.

Bob

[gbranham]

If BP asked me to tear apart an engine I bought from them complete with a warranty, I'd tell them to come get it and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. Sorry, but that's ridiculous.

[Reddrig]

When did you take delivery of the motor? Did it sit for a long time over a year prior to your installation? Are those the first 160 miles, did you have more miles during the go kart phase? I’m more curious about these because I just started karting my new SBF 427.

[Oshkosh Rob]

When did you take delivery of the motor? Did it sit for a long time over a year prior to your installation? Are those the first 160 miles, did you have more miles during the go kart phase? I’m more curious about these because I just started karting my new SBF 427.

I took delivery last October 4th from Mike Forte and did first start on Nov 3. The 160 miles includes some go-carting as the dash and speedometer was installed. I believe this is a one-off issue caused by something in the assembly process. There are hundreds of BP motors in others cars that have worked flawlessly.

[Oshkosh Rob]

Mike, this is true for link bar lifters but with the spider and dogbone arrangement they can be removed with OEM Windsor heads installed---caveat in this case that the casting of the BP heads might not allow it.

Jeff

BP heads don’t allow the lifters to be removed without pulling the heads. Not what I wanted to do but after waiting so long to drive the car, I was so hopeful that it would fix the problem and I could continue to drive this thing. Those were the best 4 days of my year.

[Ford & Jeep Fan]

When did you take delivery of the motor? Did it sit for a long time over a year prior to your installation? Are those the first 160 miles, did you have more miles during the go kart phase? I’m more curious about these because I just started karting my new SBF 427.

No amount of time sitting will make a bored cylinder No longer round and that is what i see in the photo in that first post. That cylinder has a high spot where the rings have a bit of added pressure. to see that crosshatching gone at 160 miles is a bit eXtreme.

If i was the OP, Id Note the engine serial number and maybe Hide my own 2 digit number on that block so that it could be Identified if were were to get it back.

[Mike.Bray]

The lifters can’t be removed without removing the heads. BP asked that I replace if possible to try and get the car back on the road quicker. It’s not something I haven’t done before and was hoping it would get me back on the road. I’m expecting a new motor now. My next question is whether or not should pull the body off to remove the motor. Body and paint ain’t done yet.

You can pull the engine with the body on. You can leave the radiator in too, I've done it check my build thread.

[egchewy79]

Bummer...Hopefully BP will make this right.

[Norm B]

Not that it matters now but, I think I see the same unusual wear pattern in cylinders 3 and 7. Both on the same crank journal. Looks like the rings were not gapped correctly or something shed a lot of metal in that area.
The engine can be easily removed with the body on. I went in from the side. Support the transmission. Put a little tension on your engine hoist and undo the motor mount to block bolts and bell housing bolts. Used my engine leveller to slide the engine straight ahead off the transmission input shaft.
It’s up up and away from there.

[MB750]

I finally got my Mk4 licensed and insured and after 4 days of driving and 160 miles the engine developed a clacking noise. I thought it was a bad lifter and pulled off the valve covers. Checked pre-load and went through the adjustment process to verify. Still had the same noise. Called BP Engines and sent them a video and they suspected the same. Pulled the motor apart and replaced the lifters but the cylinder walls got me very concerned. The rear 2 cylinders on both side shows this abnormal wear. The top side of the cylinder wall has the same markings. Anyone see something like this before? I have another call into BP to see about next step. Motor is a 347. Sounds like crap when you drive it.

218526

I've seen damage like that before, not in a SBF, but in multiple Harley motors. Ultimate cause was running the engine too lean with not enough oil available to cool the piston down and it ended up swelling and scuffing the cylinder walls. Harley eventually went to piston oilers in the crankcase, and I think the Coyote uses them as well, but not the SBF. Slinging oil around in the sump seems good enough.

I'm NOT saying that's what caused this, but where I've seen similar wear in my past. Good luck with solving this.

[Oshkosh Rob]

Not that it matters now but, I think I see the same unusual wear pattern in cylinders 3 and 7. Both on the same crank journal. Looks like the rings were not gapped correctly or something shed a lot of metal in that area.
The engine can be easily removed with the body on. I went in from the side. Support the transmission. Put a little tension on your engine hoist and undo the motor mount to block bolts and bell housing bolts. Used my engine leveller to slide the engine straight ahead off the transmission input shaft.
It’s up up and away from there.

It doesn’t show up well but cylinders 4 and 8 have similar wear but not as extreme. We will take your advice and pull the motor from the side and leave the tranny in. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Oshkosh Rob]

I've seen damage like that before, not in a SBF, but in multiple Harley motors. Ultimate cause was running the engine too lean with not enough oil available to cool the piston down and it ended up swelling and scuffing the cylinder walls. Harley eventually went to piston oilers in the crankcase, and I think the Coyote uses them as well, but not the SBF. Slinging oil around in the sump seems good enough.

I'm NOT saying that's what caused this, but where I've seen similar wear in my past. Good luck with solving this.

Matt, if anything, the motor was running rich. Oil level was to the top of the markings on the dipstick. BP asked if the motor overheated which it didn’t. Never went over 190 degrees. #1 cylinder is often the one to overheat due to air pockets.

[Oshkosh Rob]

You can pull the engine with the body on. You can leave the radiator in too, I've done it check my build thread.

Thanks Mike. I’ll go read up about this.

[ggunter]

I have had to deal with BP engines two times and both times they were great about handling my warranty. They wanted the engine back, but I told them what I needed, sent pictures and we both agreed, and they sent me the parts. I didn't want to send the engine back because it would have been eight weeks to get it back to me. (which was basically the whole summer) They called a couple weeks after to make sure everything was running well. As for the OP's problem he doesn't have much of a choice. That baby has to go back.

[Oshkosh Rob]

After waiting for 13 weeks, the motor finally came back. Thanks for the advice about pulling and installing the motor from the side as that worked out really well. Blueprint hasn't told me much as to what they did but using a bore scope, I figured a few things out. The original block did come back but with new cam, lifters, crank, pistons, bearings. Went up the oil drain plug with the scope and see laser etched on the bottom of the piston 0.040 so I believe they bore the block out another 0.010 to clean up the cylinders. The motor is installed and runs well as I did get in a 10 mile drive last Saturday. BP told me back in October, once they tore the motor down, that the cam bearings went out on the motor and sent shaving through the motor. I'm not sure if that's the whole story and I want to try to follow up with them once again. One person at BP noted that this was a complicated warranty rebuild which is why I think it took an extra 4 weeks.

I think I have the first BP 349 motor now.

[BornWestUSA]

Great news! I hope you get some seat time in soon running the new engine, I'm not sure that is possible this time of year in Oshkosh?

OSH is still on my bucket list, I've owned airplanes for 25 years, the stars just have not aligned for me yet.

[rickster991]

Happy for you and the positive outcome. Now for some spirited driving!

[TrackDay17]

Glad to hear you got everything resolved.
Also great to hear Blueprint standing behind their product and warranty.