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Part: Self Oiling Valve covers for a 6.4 Power stroke Diesel Engine
Condition: New
Brand : Choate Engineering Performance
Fitment: Fits 2008, 2009, 2010 Ford Power stroke equipped vehicles
OE Part number :1848011C2 & 1848318C2
The Choate Self-Oiling Integrated 6.4L Powerstroke Valve Covers were designed out of necessity. Anyone with experience with the 6.4 understands this issue all too well. The 6.4 was coming off the heels of the 6.0 platform that used a HEUI fueling platform.
This hydraulically actuated electronically controlled unit means that the injector, upon firing, emits a stream of oil as it is exhausted. This extra oil allows for lubrication on the top of the rocker arm conversely.
This allows the 6.0 rocker to last many miles without failure. However, upon the arrival of the 6.4, International changed to the High-Pressure Common Rail design.
This was to achieve the injection pressures that were needed to meet the emission standards set at that time. In doing so this did away with the oil that was so desperately needed for the rockers. And ended up in many catastrophic failures.
Studies were done to determine how long the oil would take to reach the rocker arm upon start-up.
This obviously will vary based on the pour factor of the oil, viscosity, and ambient temperature. The study was done using a 15w40 diesel engine oil ASTM D-97 pour factor -15c with a cetostoke of 12.
It was noted that based on the location of the rocker arm to the oil galley, it took up to 3-5 minutes before lubrication reached the rocker arms at 750 rpms at 60 psi oil pressure.
That in and of itself should alarm any 6.4 owners!
The wear on the rocker arm creates a reactionary chain of events to take place that end in the cataclysmic failure of the engine. Once the rocker arm begins to wear down, metal enters the engine, leading to loss of valve lift, performance, and fuel mileage. Most importantly, the geometry between the valve bridge and the hydraulic lifter is compromised.
Incorrect preload of the lifter creates a shockwave with each camshaft rotation as the valve opens. This force transfers into the engine’s smallest bearing, the lifter’s needle bearing, leading to premature lifter failure. Consequently, this damages the camshaft lobe, which is installed from the rear of the engine.
So this means that the engine must be removed and all the contamination from the failed parts must be cleaned. Which requires entire engine disassembly. At this point, the owner is going to be buying an engine.
The Choate valve cover addresses this issue with a machined oil galley within the cover itself. This galley is fed from the oil cooler housing that supplies the turbo cartridge. The oil is regulated through an orifice, restricting the flow to 0.343 GPM at 40 ps. It then enters the valve cover and flows through the oil galley to each spray jet, which is machined and installed directly over each rocker arm. Consequently, this provides oil to the rockers just milliseconds after startup.
This eliminates the wear of the rocker arms and provides two other purposes for the engine.
A study on the same vehicle under identical operating conditions showed a noise level of 98.8 decibels with the factory cover. After installing the new Choate valve covers, the noise level decreased to 86.9 decibels.
The second byproduct of the cover is that it allows for noise reduction in the cab. This means no more having to turn the engine off at a drive-thru.
Thirdly, the gains also provide heat dissipation via the aluminum cover that reacts as a heat sink to the oil. These results show a five-degree reduction in oil temperatures. Tests ensured the oil deviation didn’t cause adverse conditions in the oiling system. Pressure tests before and after installing Choate covers confirmed no alteration from the factory setup..
Building engines the way the OEM factory should have in the first place.
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