Coolant etching on cylinder walls

Cannon77550 · Apr 8, 2020

Hey guys, I have an issue and was looking for everyones opinion. So I have been doing head gaskets on my 95 5.0 for a few months, working on it here and there when I have time. Well when I pulled it apart I water in cylinder #4 & #8. I soaked up what I could and went about cleaning everything up. Well yesterday I took on doing final cleanup under the hood before I start reassembling and discovered both cylinders have some etching on the cylinder walls where coolant was sitting on top of the rings. It isnt terribly bad but it definitely isnt good. My problem is I cant afford to rebuild the bottom end right now. Question is, do I let it sit until I can afford to do it. Or do i put it back together and see what happens and do the bottem end at a later date. Right now with all this virus bull I'm out of work, and it is ussually my daily when im working. Let me know what ya think. Thanks guys

General karthief · Apr 8, 2020

Pics please.

Cannon77550 · Apr 9, 2020

This is #4. I think its shot looking at the pic. What do you guys think?

91TwighlightGT · Apr 9, 2020

I wouldn't build that with any intention of it lasting - some of those pits look pretty deep. It may live for a bit in a pinch, but don't put good money after bad.

Monkeybutt2000 · Apr 9, 2020

Can you feel the etching with your fingernail? I've polished out crap like that before with sandpaper. I'll probably get crucified for that statement but it worked. Looks like you never sprayed any lubricant on it after you cleaned up the coolant. If it were me,I'd clean it up,buy the cheap Felpro gasket kit and put it back together.

revhead347 · Apr 9, 2020

Catching on the fingernail is the generally excepted standard of not being useable.

Kurt

Cannon77550 · Apr 9, 2020

I can barely feel it with my finger nail. I think for now I'll just try to use some fine sand paper and knock it down a little and put her back together. I understand it probably wont last forever, and I'll prolly get some blow by but it shouldn't be the end of the world. It's a stock motor anyways, so it's always been slow lol. Eventually I'd like to build a motor for it anyways.

revhead347 · Apr 9, 2020

Throw some Marvel Mystery Oil in there and turn it over by hand a few times. That looks like light surface rust, and if you can't feel it with your finger nail, I wouldn't waste your time on it. What's the worst that can happen, you have to do a bottom end rebuild for low compression later instead of doing a bottom end rebuild now? I'd send it.

Kurt

90sickfox · Apr 9, 2020

To be honest, I wouldn't touch it. Wipe the wall down with oil and turn the engine over by hand. If you can't catch it with your finger leave it alone. One teeny tiny low spot is one thing....if you sand the wall you could make a big dent that would be worse.

revhead347 · Apr 10, 2020

90sickfox said:
To be honest, I wouldn't touch it. Wipe the wall down with oil and turn the engine over by hand. If you can't catch it with your finger leave it alone. One teeny tiny low spot is one thing....if you sand the wall you could make a big dent that would be worse.

I wouldn't sand it unless the piston was pulled. The sanding would put a bunch of debris in the cylinder that is nearly impossible to get all out with the piston still in there.

Kurt

Monkeybutt2000 · Apr 10, 2020

Probably should've been more clear. I'm not advocating going in there and dry sanding the wall. I get the piston at the bottom of the hole and stuff a rag in there. Then 6-800 grit paper and shoot the wall with some wd40. Lightly, LIGHTLY sand the wall,it doesn't take much really. Done this a bunch of times on JY engines,never had an issue. But hey, OP do whatever you think is best.

Cannon77550 · Apr 10, 2020

Appreciate your opinion guys. Tomorrow I'm gonna go down and clean it up real good and oil up the cylinders and turn it over by hand. If I think it needs any smoothing out I'll lightly hit it with some 600 grit. Just around the edges to take any "ridging" I may feel out a little. But honestly I think I'm gonna try to stay away from doing that. Shes prolly just gonna get cleaned up and get some oil. I know one thing.... it might not run worth a but itll look good under the hood when I'm done lol. I have cleaned and repainted everything as I went along.

General karthief · Apr 10, 2020

^^ he wrote 'prolly' ^^

Coolant etching on cylinder walls

Cannon77550

Active Member

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Cannon77550

Active Member

91TwighlightGT

Monkeybutt2000

Mustang Master

revhead347

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

Cannon77550

Active Member

revhead347

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

90sickfox

Wasn't a pretty sight...and I've got big hands

revhead347

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

Monkeybutt2000

Mustang Master

Cannon77550

Active Member

General karthief

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

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Coolant etching on cylinder walls

Active Member

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

Active Member

Mustang Master

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

Active Member

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

Wasn't a pretty sight...and I've got big hands

Apparently my ex-husband made that mistake.

Mustang Master

Active Member

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

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