Well, today was the last autocross event of the year. We race on a 3/8 mile and use the infield and drag strip shut down area to make it very interesting at times. Well this track layout was almost a free for all with no cones in the oval and the speeds were very high.

On my last of 6 runs, I came into the stop box after a long, hard drive through turn one and two. When I turned into the infield to pit, the car was misfiring. Someone standing there said "what is that noise?" With my helmet on, I didn't realize the engine was clacking all to hell for few seconds.

I suspect the oil sloshed to one side of the oil pan in that long left hand turn and starved the engine of oil. Has anyone else experienced this? Can it happen with these engines? Should I worry? This is the first time I have been able to basically run an oval, we normally never do this as it is more of a normal style autocross with lots of turns.

Please add your 2 cents worth.

Here is a link to a video one of the guys took of a few of the cars. I am the only Mustang. Not the best quality, but I still like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHoJ2j6dba8

 

are you running full syn oil?

 

No, just regular 5W20. Forgot to mention, this is a bone stock engine.

 

How is it running now? Any unusual sounds or vibrations afterward?

 

Interesting.

Does anyone make a baffled oilpan for the 4.6? Steeda,Roush or someone?

 

Everything is fine now. Never in 5 years of owning this car had a similar issue. One thing I also forgot to mention was I was almost out of gas. I had 10kms to empty, or 6 miles. The sputtering could have been from low fuel, but the engine was clacking like crazy. Only happened on the last of 6 runs, so in retrospect I think it may very well have been a fuel issue.

 

If I had to guess, I would guess it was fuel related. Probably not oil related unless you were low on oil.

 

You most likely got air in the lines. With a low level and turns, the pickup may not have pulled any fuel for a few moments. The engine was just being starved, and lean misfires.
Since it was brief you should be ok, no damage.

 

Back in the mid seventies I started autocrossing with a brand new '75 Formula 350 Firebird. After several weeks I noticed that when I completed a run I was getting valve clatter that would last for 10 to 15 seconds of idle. I did some research and found that the oil journals on the 350 Pontiac V8 were smaller than on the Chevy 350 V8 and my lifters were collapsing due to oil starvation. This was back when GM was getting into PR problems mixing it's branded motors. Back then there were very few synthetic oil products but some racers hooked me up with a product called Black Moly Gold. It was a fully synthetic oil and after switching I never had a problem with oil starvation to the lifters. Unfortunately BMG is gone but there are plenty of great fully synthetics around. BMG came out of the can black with a silvery sheen so it was hard to tell when it was dirty.

I'd suggest getting some good fully synthetic motor oil for your next change.

BB
Semper Fi