Mechanic Fixed Head Gasket, At Completion Tells Me I May Require Engine Rebuild (2 Viewers)

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sorry guys but I've been battling COVID for the last 7 days so my thoughts have been a little choppy.

I'm stuck on the fact that 1 mechanic gets good compression on cylinder 1 and another shows only 65lbs. So I worked through the process in my head trying to account for this.

For the benefit of the OP I'll run through the process.

So the head gets bolted down, camshafts installed, timing chain, distributor, spark plugs and valve cover. Or there abouts.

At this point the lower intake is installed. I always wad up paper towels and stuff the runners so nothing can fall inside as the intake holes are facing straight up. If something were to fall into a runner it would likely disappear out of sight.

The next step is to wrangle the engine harness back into place which requires threading it through the lower intake and then plugging it into all the injectors and sensors along the side of the block.

I think something might have fallen down the #1 intake runner and is banging around the back side of the valve. Somethings holding the valve open slightly. Maybe an M8 flat washer.

I would pull the upper intake and go fishing with a magnet. It's a simple job and you might hit pay dirt.

That's a great suggestion. There's plenty of things that could go down the intake, and not make it past a valve straight away

Skip the mobile phone endoscope though, go get one from Harbour Freight or similar
 
Skip the mobile phone endoscope though, go get one from Harbour Freight or similar
Why? I was just looking at those. Heckuva lot cheaper than I thought they'd be...
 
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I picked up one of the cheaper usb endoscopes a few years ago and have found it very useful. Running it on a phone allows for portability but I prefer to run it on a larger screen like a tablet or laptop when possible. The dimmable/switchable lights are important and work well. There are some potentially useful attachments included.
 
sorry guys but I've been battling COVID for the last 7 days so my thoughts have been a little choppy.

I'm stuck on the fact that 1 mechanic gets good compression on cylinder 1 and another shows only 65lbs. So I worked through the process in my head trying to account for this.

For the benefit of the OP I'll run through the process.

So the head gets bolted down, camshafts installed, timing chain, distributor, spark plugs and valve cover. Or there abouts.

At this point the lower intake is installed. I always wad up paper towels and stuff the runners so nothing can fall inside as the intake holes are facing straight up. If something were to fall into a runner it would likely disappear out of sight.

The next step is to wrangle the engine harness back into place which requires threading it through the lower intake and then plugging it into all the injectors and sensors along the side of the block.

I think something might have fallen down the #1 intake runner and is banging around the back side of the valve. Somethings holding the valve open slightly. Maybe an M8 flat washer.

I would pull the upper intake and go fishing with a magnet. It's a simple job and you might hit pay dirt.
I have a 1965 Mustang that had a full engine rebuild a few years ago and an aftermarket carburetor was installed. The adapter plate for the carburetor has two bolts with hex heads that hold it down. The shop did not use thread locker on these bolts and over time, one worked loose and fell down into the valve train. Thank goodness the head of the bolt was just a little too large to fit through an open exhaust valve and go into a cylinder!

My excellent mechanic friend and I were able to find the bolt with a borescope and could see the threaded part of the bolt sticking into the cylinder. with a tiny magnet on a piece of twine, a vacuum and air compressor, we were able to floss the twine through a spark plug hole and up out of the intake manifold with the carb removed. We were then able to catch the bolt with the magnet. The valve and seat were undamaged and the top of the piston was just barely avoiding making contact with the bolt. Super scary and close to complete disaster, but I got lucky that time.

OP, if Landtank's theory is correct, it might be worth getting a borescope and doing some investigation. If you do find something and can't reach it easily try the string, magnets and air trick that I used.
 
I bought an endoscope for work. Made by a company called Depstech. It is wireless (produces it's own wifi signal) and there is an app for iOS, and Android. Not a bad price either. $38 for a gently used one on eBay. HD camera and dual viewing modes. Depstech WF028. Hope this helps!
 
Quick update.

Original mechanic took another look after talking to the new mechanic. At this point he has dropped the pan 4 times...
The OG mechanic was sold his business by his previous boss who retired. This boss was in town and took a look at it as well. When he found nothing wrong with the top end they took it to the owner of Lexota in Evergreen. The three of them found nothing wrong with the top end. Checked the cam, valve clearances and much more. Everything looked good.
At this point if there is a loud knock coming from the top end and everything looks perfect in the top end, it must be a piston. This still somehow hasn't been diagnosed, but that is the conclusion I have reached.

Mechanic told me when I pick up my Cruiser tonight he is refunding all my money. Not sure how I feel about that, but I didn't fight it this time. I feel anxiety about going to pick it up, am I being a weenie or a nice guy for feeling sorry for this mechanic? I kind of wonder if he told the old owner/mentor the full story and the guy told him its only right that I get my money back. Or if he realized that at the moment I have a 1-year warranty from him on something that he cannot make work and the only way he can guarantee not having to see my Cruiser again is a refund.
At the end of the day, I need a full engine rebuild and my mechanic is out a ton of time and money. No one wins.
 
Dude. Get your money back. You are owed this. For your time, energy, effort, stress, time, time, time. He owes you more! He owes you a solid running Land Cruiser. You’re out.

Get your money back, cut your losses. Do not feel anything, but lucky as fu*k that you get your money back and learn an extremely valuable lesson without huge cost/loss.

This is a good thing. Start over bro.
 
Sounds right to me. Since you reported the sound changing when plug wire was removed it's really seemed like the wrist pin / rod small end was the most likely culprit for the knock but it made sense for easier options to be ruled out.

The money you get back will go a long way towards putting a temporary engine in and getting the current engine fully diagnosed or a rebuild of the current engine started, should you decide to go with either of these.
 
Quick update.

Original mechanic took another look after talking to the new mechanic. At this point he has dropped the pan 4 times...
The OG mechanic was sold his business by his previous boss who retired. This boss was in town and took a look at it as well. When he found nothing wrong with the top end they took it to the owner of Lexota in Evergreen. The three of them found nothing wrong with the top end. Checked the cam, valve clearances and much more. Everything looked good.
At this point if there is a loud knock coming from the top end and everything looks perfect in the top end, it must be a piston. This still somehow hasn't been diagnosed, but that is the conclusion I have reached.

Mechanic told me when I pick up my Cruiser tonight he is refunding all my money. Not sure how I feel about that, but I didn't fight it this time. I feel anxiety about going to pick it up, am I being a weenie or a nice guy for feeling sorry for this mechanic? I kind of wonder if he told the old owner/mentor the full story and the guy told him its only right that I get my money back. Or if he realized that at the moment I have a 1-year warranty from him on something that he cannot make work and the only way he can guarantee not having to see my Cruiser again is a refund.
At the end of the day, I need a full engine rebuild and my mechanic is out a ton of time and money. No one wins.
The previous shop owner told him to refund your money and cut his losses.

If he takes back the truck and works on it, he then assumes ALL responsibility for it, including the short block rebuilding which will cost him even more money, but more importantly, his time. He can do a hundred oil changes with little risk and ok profit in the amount of time it will take to rebuild your truck.

Take your money and schedule with a new, better shop. Buy a good used engine to throw in it, then either sell your old one with a fresh head, but needing a rebuild, or keep it and learn how to rebuild it on your own for replacement later.
 
Yeah; that sound means the thrummalator has failed and put the moneysucker into overdrive. Unfortunately the thrummalator is NLA, so eventually the whole truck will explode. Best I take it now, before someone gets hurt. What’s the address?
 
So did you get your moneys back and moving forward with another shop?
 
So did you get your moneys back and moving forward with another shop?
Yes, I got my money in hand and am moving forward with another shop, I think I will drop it off tomorrow.

I've lost some steam when it comes to my 80 recently. I am hoping once the weather warms up and camping weekends are in-sight that I will refer to her once again as my "baby". Recently I have been calling her "that vehicle". That also has to do with me finally receiving the 1-owner LS 430 with 78k miles that I bought for $5k. Everything functions perfectly and it is a much different experience from buying my Cruiser at the markets peak and having it fail on me within months.

Sorry to be a downer, hopefully in the next month I am back with a smile and videos of a smooth running Cruiser and the diagnosis we never got. Cheers
 
Yes, I got my money in hand and am moving forward with another shop, I think I will drop it off tomorrow.

I've lost some steam when it comes to my 80 recently. I am hoping once the weather warms up and camping weekends are in-sight that I will refer to her once again as my "baby". Recently I have been calling her "that vehicle". That also has to do with me finally receiving the 1-owner LS 430 with 78k miles that I bought for $5k. Everything functions perfectly and it is a much different experience from buying my Cruiser at the markets peak and having it fail on me within months.

Sorry to be a downer, hopefully in the next month I am back with a smile and videos of a smooth running Cruiser and the diagnosis we never got. Cheers
Good to hear, sounds like everyone lost in your recent transactions, keep your head up and hopefully you found a new shop that knows cruisers and is honest. Keep us posted.
 
thank the sweet lord your done with that 'dude'
move on and let by gone's be by gone's
the bs will pass and you'll fall in love again, if not so be it, and sell it and buy a different cruiser
 
Yes, I got my money in hand and am moving forward with another shop, I think I will drop it off tomorrow.

I've lost some steam when it comes to my 80 recently. I am hoping once the weather warms up and camping weekends are in-sight that I will refer to her once again as my "baby". Recently I have been calling her "that vehicle". That also has to do with me finally receiving the 1-owner LS 430 with 78k miles that I bought for $5k. Everything functions perfectly and it is a much different experience from buying my Cruiser at the markets peak and having it fail on me within months.

Sorry to be a downer, hopefully in the next month I am back with a smile and videos of a smooth running Cruiser and the diagnosis we never got. Cheers

get it going and drive it again. decide if its love or hate after a few weeks driving it
 
I went over to the shop at lunch today to check in on the Cruiser.
Mechanic showed me how the sprocket on my camshaft had failed, and that he ordered a new sprocket arriving tomorrow. At that point he will slap it back together and we will cross our fingers the tick is gone.
 

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