RONIN FC

Front cover o-ring.

mazdaspeed7

That o-ring is at the very beginning of the pressurised oil's journey through the engine and back to the pan, and any leaks there are very noticable on the gauge. Typically 0-5 psi at idle and 20-30 psi max.

RONIN FC

Granted it doent leak only at pressure.

mazdaspeed7

Due to its location before any of the restrictions in the oil system, any oil escaping form this area will cause a pressure drop, which will be magnified by the restrictions, such as the oil cooler and oil filter. Not to mention that the oil pressure is much higher off the pump than it is at the pressure gauge.

RONIN FC

Maybe its some magical, paranormal phenomenon, that no one can explain... Or all the evidence has been quietly thrown in the dumpster.



Two definate possibilities:



1] poor engine assembly and/or crap parts.



2] the tuner was so oblivious to the engine running so rich it saturated the oil in minutes.{unlikely...}

mazdaspeed7

I think the likely cause is actually a multitude of causes that wouldnt cause a major problem by themselves. Its normal for a rebuild, especially with any used parts at all(like oil control rings which often are not replaced), to allow fuel to seep into the oil during break-in. Its always a good reason to do your first oil change within the first 500 miles on a rebuild because the oil will get contaminated very quickly until the seals all wear in. Poor tuning can exacerbate this, simply from there being more fuel in the chamber that can get past the seals and into the oil.



But if the oil losing its film strength were the only cause of the bearing failure, you would have seen excessive wear on all the bearings. The front may or may not have failed catastrophically like it did, but I would expect to see all of the bearings in poor condition. A failed thermopellet can and will cause the problems you see, by bleeding off oil pressure from the eccentric shaft. A failure of the oil thermostat in the oil cooler can allow the oil temps to drop below the temperature at which the thermal pellet blocks off the bleed in the eccentric shaft if the air temp is cool enough.



Any of these(or other problems listed previously) may not be enough to do serious damage on their own, without the car spending a lot of time at redline, but if you start adding a few up, things can change very quickly.

BLUE TII

This is a likely the cause of the bearing failure. In a rebuild with new bearings a longer break in period is recommended. When a bearing is pressed in it can be distorted and cause high spots in the surface.



You can avoid problems by easing the press process with chilling bearing, heating the rotor or stat gear and using the proper fittings and press. Once it is pressed in you can provide the proper clearance and eliminate high spots by flapping the inside of the bearing. Measure the bearing in several locations as well.



Still, a new bearing is more of a gamble than a used one that is within spec and that is why it is recommended to re use bearings when possible.

teknics

the bearings were installed properly and they at least told me they chiolled them and heated the rotors/gears, i also saw their press tools and know theyre the right ones.



flapping and measuring i dont know if they did.



thermal pellet was replaced with a thermal pellet plug.



oil was changed about 5 miles after original startup, then changed again at 500 miles, then again at 1,000 miles...200 miles later it went blammo.



i'm 99% sure i bought new oil rings and springs, have to double check that.



only poor tuning i can think of is the fuel pump sock clogged up one time and create a severe lean out, but nothing too rich, richest i saw was maybe 10:1 11:1 for a short time while i tuned it out.



either way ive replaced everything in the oil system this time, even the lines to the coolers, and ive now upgraded a new set of r1 dual coolers.



we shall see what happens.



kevin/

Lynn E. Hanover

Well, there is not much filter paper in a Fram. There used to be a sales kit made up by Wicks filters, a division of Dana corp. to show the difference between a Wicks and a Fram. They chose a Fram because Fram sells a lot of filters, and are one of the poorest built filters you can buy.



The cans for both filters was cut off and you could take out the parts and inspect them.



The burst strength of the can was 200 PSI.



The Fram had paper end caps. A flat sheet metal spring. the end plate was thinner and not the full width of the filter can. The total area of the media was 104 square inches.



The Wix had metal end caps. A real coil spring. Thicker and full width end plate. Total media area was 416 square inches. Burst strength was 350 PSI.



So, if you have a Fram screwed onto that high dollar engine, think about a trip to the NAPA store for a Wicks filter for your baby. Or better yet, see if there is a K&N that will fit. Way better than Fram and a 550 PSI burst strength. You have not seen a real oil fire until you blow a Fram filter can off its end plate.



Lynn E. Hanover

ColinRX7

As far as filters go, purolator makes filters that are on par with wix. Purolator filters are cleverly disguised as "valvoline" brand filters on the parts shelf.