Did I waste a lot of money?

[turbo_lebaron]

I had my bottom end rebuilt about 6-8 months ago, and I've been working other things since. I didn't realize how far i was actually going to take this project, so I didn't go with forged pistons... The head has been off the car for several months and i didn't even think about covering the pistons i go out to the car the other day and notice this...







am i SOL, or can i clean it up somehow??

Thanks in advance guys,
Ed

[3Bar_Mopar]

Damn, you ruined it!!!
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Just kidding!

Get some motor oil on a rag and wipe down the walls real good. Then turn the engine and get the rest of the rust with the oily rag.
You could even squirt some oil in between the cylinder walls and pistons, then turn the engine by hand until the rust is gone.
Should be just some surface rust...unless water sat in the bores for a long time, I don't think you will have a problem.

[turbo_lebaron]

thanks, i'll do that tomorrow. what should i do about the tops of the pistons? should i wipe them down too?

i hope water didn't sit on the pistons... not sure how that would have happened. what kind of damage could that cause and how could i tell if that happened?

sorry for all the questions, i'm just a little worried if this engine gets destroyed, i want it to be after at least SOME use

[Putter]

You'll be alright, its just surface rust, wipe it out with motor oil and WD40 and you should be shiny as ever, but definatly keep the walls oiled down if its going to sit outside, the hood closed and something over holes.

[supercrackerbox]

It doesn't take water to do that. Had I had a camera with me today, I could have shown you what water WILL do. Wasn't pretty. But clean bare iron can flash rust within hours, but usually won't go too deep. You should be okay following 3_Bar's advice. One thing I would do however, once you get it together, use some non-synthetic oil, run it for a few miles, and then change the oil again.

[turbo_lebaron]

i appreciate the feedback guys. I'll get this done tomorrow, and hopefully it'll look good as new

so should i clean up the tops of the pistons the same as the walls?

thanks

[puppet]

My advice would be to pull the pistons and mark everything. Pull the rings out, clean everything and reassemble everything back as it was.

[turbo_lebaron]

I'm not too familiar with the bottom end, so if I were to do something like that... I'd have to pay someone to do it and i guess if I'm going through all that trouble, I would for sure buy forged pistons this time.

[supercrackerbox]

It's not that bad really, you'd be amazed just how few parts there actually are in the shortblock. Most repair manuals will have a step by step with photos, the big thing is just to make sure that everything is super clean, installed the right direction, and torqued to the proper spec.

[turbovanman]

I'm with Puppet on this one. Looks like some water did sit in there. Most likely, the rings will be seized to the piston so you can clean the bores all you want but when you run it, it will have low compression and oil burning issues. So you will have wasted all that time putting the head back on when you can spend a few more hours and fix it now.
If you get forged, you will have to pull the engine as most likely, the bores will need honing out alot for more piston bore clearance.

[mo' parts]

a nice way to keep an engine's cylinders covered is to lay a plastic trash bag over the deck surface and then lay a used h. gasket onto the dowels to hold it in place.

[turbo_lebaron]

I hate when this happens, a few of you say to wipe it off, a few say to take it apart hmm

only bad thing is that as of right now, i don't have a garage to work in. the head isn't too bad, but taking out pistons is a little more involved. i don't know what to do

[Moparmonster]

You're in a humid part of the country, making flash rust an enemy that you have to ward off with either WD-40 or something similar. Bare metal, like freshly machined cylinder walls, can develop flash rust in as little as 15 minutes, depending on where one lives. I'd try some spray lube with a clean, nonlinting towel and see what happens. At worst, you'll have wasted a few mintues of your time. Don't worry about forged pistons at the moment until you determine whether you have to pull the engine or not. Wipe the pistons down to make sure there's no solid debris, but other than that, don't worry about the top of them. The rust won't hurt anything. The biggest concern I'd have is if the pistons are rusted to the cylinder walls. In that case, I'd fill the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil and leave it for a week or two. Drain the cylinders and try to turn the engine by hand to see what, if any marks are left. Good luck.

[UltimateBaron]

Dude, I wish I could tell you what to do but I have no idea since I'm not an experienced mechanic. HOWEVER, I would drench it in PB Catalyst or WD40, cover it with the trash bag, leave it overnight to work, then turn it the next day by hand, clean the walls and check to see if the rings left an "impression" If the crank turns fine and no scrapes on the wall, I'd put it back together since I'm a lazy dude. BUT, think about one more thing. You're almost halfway there to slapping on some forged pistons. If you have the loot, go for it.

2 cents from a useless mechanic.

[turbo_lebaron]

i have the money for forged pistons, that's not the problem... but i don't wanna pay for someone to do it again if someone wants to do it for me for free, then forged pistons here i come :banaride: