head surface, valves, and pistons...how does it look? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Arizona Wilderness
- Start date
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The pics are taken to far away to give you any accurate opinion on either the head or the cylinder block. Here's what you can tell from the pictures, there may have been a small leak on #4 cylinder. There is a slight clean spot on it that looks like what happens when coolant steam cleans your piston tops. However, the corresponding portion of the cylinder head looks identical to the other 5. Also, #1 looks like somebody has been trying to clean it with a scraper, don't. There is no need to clean off the piston tops, you will just make things worse. If you are pulling the pistons then you can clean away after they are out of the bores.
When you clean the block deck look for pitting around and under where the fire ring of the HG sits. Take the cylinder head to a reputable shop and have them look it over. Most likely they are going to tell you it has some warp and will need to be shaved flat. If you want have them clean up the valves, seats, and put new valve stem seals in while they have it. All good PM and money well spent since you already have the head out.
When you clean the block deck look for pitting around and under where the fire ring of the HG sits. Take the cylinder head to a reputable shop and have them look it over. Most likely they are going to tell you it has some warp and will need to be shaved flat. If you want have them clean up the valves, seats, and put new valve stem seals in while they have it. All good PM and money well spent since you already have the head out.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thanks for weighing in. I am impressed you were able to tell that I hit the #1 cylinder with a carbon scraper, because I only did so for a very short time! If you don't mind I'm going to go out and shoot some close ups. This is the second head gasket job on this motor. The first one was one by a professional mechanic. But still, I want to do what I can to make sure that it is worth completing the project on this motor. I'll be back in :10 with those photos, if you would take another look, I'd appreciate it.
SmokingRocks
hopelessly addicted to Cruisers
Need more informaiton. Half K nails it though.
After I polished my deck I noticed that it had severe pitting.
it should look like this:
Now you can just polish the deck and throw a new gasket on there but there's no guarantee on how long it will last.
After I polished my deck I noticed that it had severe pitting.
it should look like this:
Now you can just polish the deck and throw a new gasket on there but there's no guarantee on how long it will last.
- Thread starter
- #5
get a straight edge and check for warpage. you would want to go front to back and in an x pattern from a front corner to the opposite rear corner. and do that after cleaning up the deck and head so its a smooth surface when you straight edge it
if you want to clean your piston, as mentioned before don't scrape it, but you can use brake clean and a plastic brush to get some of the heavier stuff if there is any
if you want to clean your piston, as mentioned before don't scrape it, but you can use brake clean and a plastic brush to get some of the heavier stuff if there is any
Hard to say from those images, but the block doesn't look bad to me. Looking at the head image, #6 intake valves are noticeably different in color. That's not uncommon in my experience when the 1FZ head gasket needs replacement. I carefully scrape my block with a good shop vac in one hand and a sharp razor blade in the other careful hand. I don't leave scratches and never use a wire wheel or anything else. Most pistons won't need any surface cleaning at all. Have the head checked, stem seals replaced with OEM seals, and surface that head. Then put it back down on an OEM gasket. I advocate new head bolts but that's expensive, and many others reuse them and have no problems. My $0.02
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Just looked at them. They really don't tell me much, the block surface still needs a lot of work before you will be able to see anything. Also, @SmokingRocks posted a picture of his block before and after it was decked. I don't think he was trying to be misleading, but you will not get yours to look like that with the standard cleaning that most people do. It will look more like the first photo. When you get time answer the following to the best of your knowledge and hopefully the collective will be able to steer you in the right direction.
1) what caused you to pull the head the first time, and what caused you to pull it the second time ? Low compression on a cylinder, leak down test, coolant in oil ?
2) there is a lot of oil on the #6 piston, was that there when you pulled it ?
3) the oil passages between cylinders look jammed with white stuff is that correct ?
I used 3m Roloc discs to clean my block surface and they did a great job ( just make sure none of the Roloc material gets into the oil passages !!)
SmokingRocks
hopelessly addicted to Cruisers
yea I second the 3m roloc disk's. Infact the the photo of my pitted block I posted earlier is after I spent a complete day on it with the 3m roloc disk.
- Thread starter
- #11
Here is my block after about an hour or two of prep. I started with a razor blade, then moved on to the 240 grit 'roloc,' (I used the Ace brand), then hit it w/a scotch brite blue sponge and brake cleaner. Thanks!
block surface after prep
block surface after prep
Run it
SmokingRocks
hopelessly addicted to Cruisers
I'd focus on getting more of the carbon deposits off with the roloc..... Of course take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, I wouldn't be happy until the deck looked brand new.
