~ Cleaning up engine. Questions and concerns ~

Biggest concern; I wanted to rotate the engine a LITTLE. That didn't happen. Rotated, on it's own, till intake and exhaust ports were facing up.
Intake ports have a ton of carbon buildup which is pretty damned loose.
Should I just go ahead and pull the head, do I need to?
I guess I could lap the valves while Im in there, but I never planned to.
Just wanted to clean up the block and inspect bottom end.

That said, I have the oil pan out. What's the best way to clean it in and out?

I can move connecting rods front to back, back to front. Not much, but audible. Im not sure if this is normal or not as this is the first time Ive been this deep into a block. Thoughts?

While I have it all apart, what about cleaning the crank case area? God forbid I get any debris in there.
Basically I want to at least thoroughly clean the outside and paint it, but still worried junk will fall inside. Whats a safe way to do this at home?

Any other tips or recommendations welcome!

how many miles are on the engine.
As for cleaning the pan, elbow greese the big stuff off the outside using a putty knife or screw driver. then get some degreaser for the out side and inside. then wire wheel the outside and give one final bath in brake clean.

i'd replace the oil pump while you have the block out and able to do so now. Peace of mind.

Dragonlich1961 said:

how many miles are on the engine.
As for cleaning the pan, elbow greese the big stuff off the outside using a putty knife or screw driver. then get some degreaser for the out side and inside. then wire wheel the outside and give one final bath in brake clean.

i'd replace the oil pump while you have the block out and able to do so now. Peace of mind.

Click to expand...

Thank you sir!
130k so says the previous owner. Other than that, and told it was running perfectly before being rolled over, I know nothing.
Recommendation on oil pump?

good quality oem replacement will be fine, but probrably not needed at 130k. at 130k that engine is just broke in. i'd inspect the bearings while you are at it for any defect. if everything looks fine, i'd say run it.

Easy off yellow top will remove all things unwanted with minimal fuss from the oil pan. Perfect time of year to do it too.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

Look for a lip coming from the front cam bearing, but otherwise that engine should be fine, provided it wasn't running upside down for long.

I would avoid washing out the block unless I was rebuilding it.

Unfortunately I have no idea how long or if the engine was running upside down.

What do you mean lip on cam bearing? How can I check this?

My concern about cleaning inside block was worry about debris falling inside and in turn wreak a crank bearing.

Considering the depth of your understanding, I would do as little as possible in there. If you have the pan off, clean and straighten it. Clean the gasket surfaces with the engine on its side. Wash all debris out with brake cleaner or carb cleaner, but only with the engine situated as to run everything out the bottom. I would avoid washing the crank, rods, or under the pistons. I would also keep it wrapped in a trash bag to avoid dust settling in it.

I would have washed the engine with everything intact before unbolting any covers.

This is also an excellent time to change the rear main seal, but it involves removing the rear main bearing cap, and depending on the year, a truss as well. The nature of your questions indicates to me that this may be beyond your experience, but if you know someone who owns a torque wrench with the knowledge to use it, now would be the time.

I may not know what you mean by CAM bearing lip, but I am not entirely incompetent, just fairly new to internal engine.

Engine was cleaned before anything was unbolted, but as I unbolt things... hidden dirt and debris everywhere. And tbf, the oil pan was leaking all over, even after the engine was drained. And yes, crank and bearings is exactly why I am so concerned. If cleaner can damage bearings, so certainly can debris. Also, I havent gotten any debris in the case as far as I know, just asking encase I did or was some sort of procedure for doing so while it's apart.

I do plan to replace the rear main and Im also familiar on how to do it. I do own torque wrenches

80ft lbs IIRC?

SouthSeaPirate said:

130k so says the previous owner. Other than that, and told it was running perfectly before being rolled over

Click to expand...

SouthSeaPirate said:

Unfortunately I have no idea how long or if the engine was running upside down.
What do you mean lip on cam bearing? How can I check this?

Click to expand...

I would be very suspect of any damage done and would recommend pulling a couple of bearing caps. As far as what you could see concerning the cam bearings, I doubt much can be seen except any evidence of extreme damage.

Well, I once had pictures from when I had my pan off, and you could visibly see a lip of material from the front cam bearing. I probably got another ten thousand miles and a couple of out of state wheeling trips before I let it get hot and it started making some real noise.

To the OP, look up basic engine disassembly procedure. You can remove bearing shells, clean them, and put them back in if the orientation remains the same. It's not the best practice, but it can be done. Be sure to assemble with Lubriplate or similar.

At least one main cap will come off for the rear main.

I am not above replacing cam, lifters, etc.

Overland, do you mean assembly lube? Lupriplate apparently has a lot of products.

Yep, any kind of assembly lube should work. Mark your caps so they go back the same. If they don't, you will have some bearing problems in short order.