sloppy Mechanics

FIRE UP wrote:
...snip(s)...Anyway, I've always been fond of the 460 and had great luck with the two we had...Ours almost never, ever even ran hot...I've heard of the older 454 Chevy engines in trucks and motor homes cooking spark plug wires left and right but, just not too many 460s.

X2

Our '96 class A ran like a champ all over the country.

One of the things that can go on them when not used for long periods of time is the fan clutch. If you don't hear a roar from time to time when you're in stop and go traffic, or pulling a hill on a hot day, something is wrong.

Also if the prior owner was negligent, I wonder how the radiator is.

prism wrote:

RLS7201 wrote:

popeye766 wrote:
RV mechanics worked on my 460 before I bought it.....they did not clamp the hoses in my A I R system which I blew off climbing in Nev. Every since then it blows manifold gaskets and eats plug wires every 250 mi......
why would the damaged AIR system cause this.....everything was perfect till those hoses were blown off....
any ideas......
tom

Tom, your 460 should not have manifold gaskets. It came from the factory with none. The gaskets were probably installed to seal warped manifolds. Remove the manifolds, take them to a machine shop and have them surface ground. Then clean all the old gasket off the heads and install the manifolds with out gaskets. As with most 460s in motorhomes, the right rear manifold bolt will eventually break and start leaking again. The permanent cure is headers.

Richard

sorry to disagree,I have seen lots of 460 engines come from Factory with gaskets and they(gasket) also have a built in plug wire heat shield

Yes you have seen lots of PRE-EFI engines with exhaust manifold gaskets. BUT we are talking about a 1988 and later fuel injected 460.
So your observations do not apply to this conversation.

Richard

RLS7201 wrote:

popeye766 wrote:
RV mechanics worked on my 460 before I bought it.....they did not clamp the hoses in my A I R system which I blew off climbing in Nev. Every since then it blows manifold gaskets and eats plug wires every 250 mi......
why would the damaged AIR system cause this.....everything was perfect till those hoses were blown off....
any ideas......
tom

Tom, your 460 should not have manifold gaskets. It came from the factory with none. The gaskets were probably installed to seal warped manifolds. Remove the manifolds, take them to a machine shop and have them surface ground. Then clean all the old gasket off the heads and install the manifolds with out gaskets. As with most 460s in motorhomes, the right rear manifold bolt will eventually break and start leaking again. The permanent cure is headers.

Richard

If One Used the correct FORD manifold factory syle gaskets there is nothing to clean? and they won,t blow out and they shield the plug boots from overheating and melting.although there should be factory plug wireshields there anyhow unless someone left them off.
If one uses the Race car Boot shields this will cure the plug wire boot melting issues.I used JEGS Thermal Heat Sleeving and Accel Pro Sleeve Boot Gaurd

You can buy those plug heat shields from Auto Zone under the Mr Gasket brand. They did the trick for me on a 454 & then on the 460 & will probably do good for you.

One little tip I can give you, dont just start up & take off, idle the engine for a good while, so every part of the engine can get up to operating temps to keep the exhaust manifolds from over expanding.
The AIR system, it is trying to add air to the exhaust for a cleaner burn after the cylinder, but I think it was a Ford smoke & mirror deal, adding air to cool those high exhaust temps to keep from replacing manifolds.
Anyway, I sure hope the engineer that designed in all those air hoses on the 460, dont find a job nowhere else in the engine industry & design that stupidity into any other engine.
But wait, maybe they did & is in the way of computer & sensor controls.
Neil

Hello ..
I agree Neil....iam considering not hooking up the air system to my new Gibson headers...what say you ?

popeye766 wrote:
Hello ..
I agree Neil....iam considering not hooking up the air system to my new Gibson headers...what say you ?

thats fine but I doubt it will pass air car cert if thats a requirement where u live? If not delete it

Did you order the headers with the flange outlets for the AIR system? I would not modify a new set of headers.
If you did order with flanges, I would insure the system is working right and install the AIR system.

enblethen wrote:
Did you order the headers with the flange outlets for the AIR system? I would not modify a new set of headers.
If you did order with flanges, I would insure the system is working right and install the AIR system.

If I was assuming here one would assume his headers are designed to have AIR system hooked up and that would be why hes asking for opinion.That would be my opinion.Its pretty tuff to cut and modify headers and would again in my opinion make no commen sense to do so.
I looke up those Gibson headers.They look great but exspensive.

The reason for the AIR system back then was to dilute the exhaust gasses so that the engine would meet the emission level for that year. It doesn't cool anything down or burn off any of the exhaust in the manifolds. Modern engines use the secondary air system to "light off" the catalytic convertors and 02 sensors.

Yes they are fully equipped for smog stuff..AIR , EGR. THEY WERE $640 from the factory as a kit. They have to be made. Should get them this week....and two BIG magnaflow straight thru type muffs.
As I studied the AIR system today I see no connection to the computer, only operated by vacuum ....Ican see where at part vacuum the pump may cool the manifolds somewhat. Part throttle, idle & so forth..... 0 vacuum it shuts off....I cant see any advantage to AIR except emissions...
MY new walker muffs have been totally destroyed by heat... outside casing wrinkled and puffed up.....maybe collapsed ..causing mucho back pressure and heat. 1000 miles... AND PROBABLY CAUSED extreme HEAT AT MANIFOLDS....
Iam redoing my entire dual system... Iam OBD1...no cat. TOM