Definitely not valves

mikewood869

Well-known Member
We were going to do the valves on our 1950 ford 8n with cast iron sleeves today but when we got the head off, we found a puddles of oil in the cylinders. Would that be valves or rings? The compression is below minimum in 2 of the cylinders. I didn t do a compression wet test. I did the test while the tractor was still hotish. I also ended up draining the oil in the motor and that had gas mixed in. There also a good amount of sludge in the pan to.
 
I forgot the pictures. The picture with a oiley finger, that oil came from the intake and exhaust port on the motor.
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The engine experts will chime in later, but I would say it's time for an overhaul. Rings, probably sleeves, and a valve job. Poor thing, someone didn't treat it very well.
 
Mike,I 'll agree with Jim,Looks like #1 and #3 cylinders are scored and can't see the other two completely.Also needs new valve guides and seals.Possibly a complete rebuild with bearings,valve job and oil pump rebuild.
 

Your post leaves out a lot of details.

What was the issue that you experienced that gave you the idea to do a compression test and pull the head?

WHY did you assume it needed valve job?

WHY was the oil thinned with gasoline?

What are your needs/expectations from this tractor?

I would have first figured out why the crankcase oil was thinned by gasoline, and fixed the issue and changed the oil.

THEN, I would have RUN it and WORKED it and warmed it up, then worked it some more, and THEN decided if it needed work, and did a compression test and a cylinder leakdown test, as doing a compression test with gas diluted oil would be next to meaningless.


If you desire a perfect repair, at this point, where you are at, if you remove the engine and have it hot tanked, and have the crankshaft professionally checked, as well as the "line bore" and the rods checked, and have a valve job done and sleeves installed and pistons fitted along with the details to make this happen, figure on tossing two grand at it, including parts. or even more.

Are you prepared to spend that kind of money on the 'ol critter?
 
1. It sounded like one of the cylinders were fighting each other, it s miss firing with new spark plug and we cleaned the rotor.
2. We thought the tractor needed a valve job because we didn t replace some of the valve guides. Compression test revealed low numbers.
3. I think gas got into the because we didn t shut off the fuel and maybe from one of the cylinders when one of the spark plugs died. That and the oil hasn t been changed in 10 years. The carb used to flood out before the first valve job.
4. The tractor mostly pulls; trees, brush, hay rake, different wagons, plow, discs mows, kind of a atv/ pull start tractor, and the tractor might get the loader back.

I have new sleeves and pistons and new main (I would have to check again). Are the 8n blocks from 1950 - 1952 have the same bore? I have sleeves for a steel engine block as a 1952 ford 8n block had steel sleeves. I have no clue if the motor is going to need machine work.

As far as I know the motor hasn t been overhauled since we had it (I think my family got the tractor in 1954) and it was the main work horse to the late 70 s or 80 s (had a farmall h or m but my grandfather didn t like them) when they got the ford 3000. The ford 8n was supposedly pulled apart to redo the motor, but that doesn t seem to be the case.
 

Mike, "It sounded like one of the cylinders were fighting each other" is not likely a sound that anyone is going to recognize.
 

Sometime along 1951 they went with .090 sleeves... It was the last 1-1/2 to 2 years of production best i remember... No doubt its burning oil...
 
The on the 8n are junk, turns out the block cracked at one point in one of the valve seats so the block needs a custom valve seat. The piston rods are scorned. The rings are junk. We have new pistons and sleeves. The motor will get sleeves if compression doesn t increase. We didn t pull off the motor and drop the crank.
 

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