I think I'll work backwards tonight..cause this project is surely going that way.
I started out this morning thinking that I would be able to get the engine cleaned and painted, and then work on getting the monster engine out.
I got the engine clean enough to paint. I wanted to paint it in a Titanium, but that color wasn't available as an engine paint. There aren't any choices at the local auto parts stores,...they all have removed most of their engine paint in favor of plast-dip junk.
I eventually chose a wheel paint. Its called graphite. It's heat tolerant, and chemical resistant. It'll be the new color.
After that I decided to do a leak down test to determine the health of the engine, the spark plugs all looked bad. They were wet with oil. But I didn't know for sure that I didn't do that as a result of of all of the work trying to build the oil pan with the engine upside down, and all of the oil getting into places it's not supposed to.
So I got out my homemade leak down tester, rolled the engine around to TDC on #1, and filled that cylinder with 100 psi.
The leak down gauge read 88 psi. Potentially 12% leakage . But it was a cold engine, and if I can trust the gauge,..I'll take 12%cold.
I checked 6 since it was also up..
Un acceptable. Over 40% blowing by the valves
I removed the cams, thinking maybe since the engine was dry
The valves might be sticking...now all of the valves are closed...I give the springs a little bump with the butt of a hammer to make sure they're seated...still showing 40% leakage., so much air coming through both the exhaust and intake ports that it would eventually blow my hand off if I tried to seal it .
and it was at this point the sht hit the fan.
I removed the head...it doesn't matter anymore.. I got one cylinder that's leaking like a bitch, the plugs show me more are likely doing the same..
It's like a BMW....stem seals that have been heat fatigued, and aren't keeping oil out of the chamber anymore. I need to see the tops of those Pistons....if this is a 50-60k mi. engine, it should have dry carbon on top of the Pistons..
Nope...each chamber is wet...each piston top is wet. I take the wire brush on my drill to them as I rotate the engine...
Each cylinder shows the crosshatch from the hone from 20 years ago,....there is no ridge in the cylinder ...the engine is clean...
Is this just a cylinder head fix?
I resign myself to doing what I can do...despite the fact that I've said the the oil pan is 80% done, I decided to do the other 20% and bolt the damn thing on.
So,..this is what the pan looked like before I started...
( Only I've been working on it already...there's now a dipstick port, and bolt down points for a baffle.)
I made this ugly sonofabitch...I wanted to be able to clean it should I ever have to tear it down again considering that it's attached to the side of the pain, and it's another one of a kind.
Once you get that thing clearanced, and bolted to the side of the pan,..the next thing you gotta make is a baffle,.to keep 5 Qts of oil where it belongs..( in the rear sump of your DIY homemade swap pan)
Then that gets bolted on,..using lock washers, and blue lock tite.
Then....nothing left to do but bolt that bitch on.
And you go into your pile of 2jay sht,..and bolt this thing on, and that thing on...
See the head gasket on the ground? The head is only sitting on for the pics.
I was so prepared to buy an oil pump, timing belt, and water pump so i could put this thing back together,..but now, clearly I'm getting the head freshened...who knows how much money that's gonna be?