I have had the heads off and cam out of my car for over a year. Since then I have drilled holes in the block (coolant) and ground reliefs in the cylinder walls, plus the normal accumulation of dust and dirt. What would be the best way to clean this stuff (metal and dust) out before I start putting everything together this weekend?

I'm thinking of using gunk and high pressure air followed by a liberal dosing of oil. The crank is still in the block so a littled worried about stuff running down on / into that...guess the gunk wont hurt it?? I've already greased, rotated the engine, and wiped down the cylinders to get as much metal out of there as I can. I will prime the oil pump/system with a drill before starting and then change the oil again.

 

pull everything and get the block boiled.

 

hard to argue with that advice.....

 

Guys - the block isn't coming out of the car. What's the next best way to flush out the metal and dust while it's in the car??

 

Just as you guessed...

I use WD40, 125PSI+ air, rags/paper towels... rotate the crank several times for each cylinder...

Follow up with lacquer thinner or brakleen & air... rotate the crank several times again... each time cleaning with rags/paper towels...

Take a thin feeler gauge blade and run it around the piston between the piston & wall to "feel" for any beligerant cookies... while blowing with air.

Then I put a thin coating of engine oil on all 8 walls and rotate it again, looking for any signs of errant goobers.

I have a piece of brake line suitably formed & mounted to my air gun to reach down into the cylinders to make the job easier, and to do a better job.

I buy WD40, lacquer thinner, and brakleen by the gallon and have special applicators for each. Who woulda guessed.

Edit... one tip... keep the rag/towel close to the tip of the air stream so the crud can be contained and not transferred to another part of the engine, and cover the entire lifter valley with your best underwear.

 

What kills engine life is dirt....don't know if you can be 100% positive you can remove all the impurities other than boiling.

 

Sounds risky ... if anything got down into the crankcase.
If it's just cylinder walls and coolant jacket - you should be able to clean it up.
Still, after it wakes back up - I would do several oil changes -
each after a short period of running. New filter - then change
the filter again when done with these initial changes.
If the filter gets clogged (unlikely but possible), the bypass will
open and let crappolla back into the motor.

 

Yeh... but... boiling doesn't even do it.

When you receive a block back from a machine shop, you should still clean it with soap & water & then re-oil it. SOP

After I boiled blocks, I would douse them with oil because the solution is caustic.

The solution is just like any other supply....it is great when fresh, and over time gets weaker & weaker. Plus it's expensive to get rid of. So it doesn't get replaced very often. This means if you're lucky to be the first customer after a solution change.... you're the lucky one. If you're the last, then your block will be boiled, but not edible.

It's standard procedure when doing a valve job (or a head swap) to leave the block in the car.... removing the block is not an option in almost all cases in a commercial environment. A valve job has to be quoted ($) based upon doing ONLY a valve job... not a engine removal & cleanup. So it is very common (standard operating procedure) to leave the block in the car when this work is done. This is the situation he is in... i.e.- the block is not coming out.

Also, when you boil a block, the crank, rods, pistons must be removed, and the cam bearings must be replaced. It's a whole different ball game than a head swap or a valve job.

Not ragging on anyone here.... just providing some pertinent info.

An interesting thing I've found with internal engine buildup.... after boiling, and after solvents (soften it up and remove it to an extent) - try spraying Westleys Blech-White tire cleaner on it after the solvent....
you'll think it was never boiled.

 

Tom, what you said is common sense and should be practiced by all....washing the block and cyl walls with soap and oiling to prevent oxidation.

Now, if this much care must be taken to ensure a clean block, how do you expect to clean a block sitting in the chassis that has had the heads off a year, accumulating dust and dirt, not to mention the poster said drilling and grinding were done....and what is the residue of those tasks? Ummm...tiny tiny very very tiny metal particles?

There's two ways to do a job...the right way, which takes time, and the quick way which may come back and nip ya in the bum.

 

Well... let me put it a different way...

I was in business running a large shop which had a machine shop in the back 2 rooms. I did this work for a long long time... and had several business associates (who ended up being friends) who followed the same procedure as I posted above. One of them was a NASCAR engine builder. We all did valve jobs exactly the same way... the blocks almost never came out. There were some ricer cars that were pretty tough to do without pulling the block, but the others did not require it. We all left the blocks in the car.... the customer would not pay for any unnecessary work. It was considered unnecessary to remove a block when doing a valve job because the method above is sufficient to remove contaminants. I can't speak for my business associates, but I have never had an engine rebuild call-back... for any reason. All my engines ran strong, with good compression.

Machine shops boil the block BEFORE the machine work is done. They don't want the crud getting mixed in with their recirculated machining oil. At least that's the way I and my friends did it. So... boiling has nothing to do with removing the small metal particles left after machining. Boiling is primarily done for cleaning out the rust from water jackets, secondarily for removing sludge. That is why they tell you (or your engine builder) to wash it thoroughly with soap & water when you get it back to the shop.... to remove the metal residue and machining oil left by the machining process.

If your water jackets are fairly clean, there is no need to boil a block in the first place.

I now work in a lab environment where "clean" takes on a whole new meaning. So... I am sensitive to the point you are trying to make.

Edit... Here is an email I just received... were' working at the "nano" level....

The MSE (Materials Science & Engineering) seminar speaker today is Dr. Matt Ferber, a staff member in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Metals and Ceramics Division. Dr. Ferber will present today's (4/15) seminar at 3 pm in 1011 EBI, with refreshments at 2:30 in the usual area. The subject of Dr. Ferber's seminar will be processing and properties of nanostructured ceramics.


The next time anyone receives a block back from the machine shop or your engine builder, take a white cloth with some Westleys Blech White and wipe the INSIDE of the crank chamber. Do it with acetone and/or lacquer thinner as well... see what you come out with. Machine shops do not do a very good job of cleaning the block... it's too cost prohibitive. That part is left up to the engine builder.

Since I'm "officially" out of the business now, I'l tell you how I clean blocks... I no longer have a "boiling" tank. Well... I do but it's not functional.

If the water jackets are bad, then I will bite the bullet and take it to a friends machine shop to get it boiled.... but I would do that first.

I first scrape them off manually, then soak 'em and clean the sludge with solvents. Then I remove all of the plugs, cam bearings, freeze plugs... anything that is not part of the original block casting. This includes the oil gallery plugs that are sometimes hidden or recessed. There are a few.

I then mask off the main saddles where they are machined and several other sensitive areas, and I media-blast the entire block, avoiding the cylinder walls. There are some tricks to avoiding damage to the block.
If in doubt, I mask it.

Then I clean it again in solvents, soap & water, and use a rifle cleaning kit to do all of the passages repeatedly until there is not one single grain of media, or any baked oil contaminants. You can get some of the water passages, but not all. The brakeline attachment I have for the air gun helps a lot.... the air exits the line inside the passages, rather than me trying to blow it in from the outside. This forces the particles out, as opposed to them getting moved around and trying to fight an incoming air stream.

The media has to be a medium grit. Too fine will take forever, too coarse will be too tough on the gray iron and not get into the smaller shrouded areas.

Edit.. I also run taps/thread chasers in all threads while applying compressed air... both before & after the cleaning.
Before, because gasket cement or any semi-soft gunk will not come off during media blasting.
After, because the media gets trapped in the threads and must be removed physically.

I sold my heavy equipment... so I no longer have a boring machine.
But I still do head work..., I kept my valve equipment.

When I now get a block bored, the shop is amazed at how clean the block is when I bring it to them... they think the blocks are brand new... and they are typically 30 to 40 years old. They ask me how I do it... but I just smile.

Don't know what else to tell ya.

If he cleans the block as I described above... he will have no issues.

 

Tom, again I will reiterate...you are not telling me anything that I already don't know or practice...of course you wash the cyl walls with soap and water and apply a light coat after boiling the block, that is common sense....don't leave anything to chance, if there's engine/bearing failure due to dirt, contamination, only have to look in the mirror where the blame lies. If I'm not mistaken, I acknowleded that in my previous post.

Also, one doesn't pull the block to do heads, I don't, haven't, and won't unless necessary...but for that matter I also don't leave the cylinders exposed to contamination, and corrosion...when the heads are off, and all spilled coolant is wiped, the cyl walls are coated with oil and sealed tight. Also, I tend to assemble the heads and the motor as fast as possible, and get the car running again. I don't think you or your friends wait a year with the heads off....I don't know, maybe you do.

[QUOTE=Hvymtlc5]I have had the heads off and cam out of my car for over a year. Since then I have drilled holes in the block (coolant) and ground reliefs in the cylinder walls, plus the normal accumulation of dust and dirt. QUOTE]

The above statement leaves me to believe the block was left unsealed and accumulation of dirt, dust, grime, metal particles from grinding and what else have you. you can tell me the till you're blue in the face, how clean you think you can get the block...yea right, I will bet you if you take the pistons out, the rings will be caked with contaminents that will make your head swirl.

How you choose to clean a block in that condition is up to you...me, I would pull the block, yank everything out and thoroughly wash everythng. As far as new rings and bearings, well that's the price one pays for letting the block sit for a year...

 

I read what he posted.... still wouldn't pull it.

Edit... I did make a boo boo though... I forgot 1 crucial step...

I use a high power vac assisted by compressed air on each cylinder before I do anything.

 

Great discussions. This is some great learning material.

Question: Is there a strategy to make another cleaning activity when the engine is completely assembled, but not having been yet fired up?

What about taking the spark plugs out , so there's no compression or firing stresses, and then running the starter motor with the engine oil being very lightweight- say 10W. The idea here is to circulate high pressure oil through the engine so that unfound metal scraps, etc, are collected in the oil filter. With no compression, the starter motor will turn the crank at a pretty good speed. Then replace the oil filter before starting the engine for the first time. Anyone ever did something like this?

 

On a fresh non-roller engine.... it would be a no-no. The assembly lube that is needed for cam break in will get wiped off the lobes and rendered ineffective for your 20 mimnute 2000 rpm break-in exercise.

 

Good suggestions from all. Block out is the would be the preferred way to clean, but in this case I will do the best that I can with the procedures recommended.

One last question. If I "prime the engine by rotating the oil pump" will that circulate the oil enough where I can change it once before I fire it up?

 

how do you plan to prime it? Take the distributor out and use a 1/2" drill? If yes....do it that way...the 1/2" drill will be strong enough to rotate the pump and move the oil.....

 

Use this number at Summit...

pro-66896

You need one of these to pressurize the entire engine, otherwise you'll miss the valve train. Without the tool, most of the pressure just drains off at the oil gallery passage near the distributor hole.

gdaina is right though... they (Summit) suggest 3/8" drill but it takes a 1/2" drill to really get the oil pressurized at max.

 

Better yet, if you have an old Chevy distibutor, grind off the cam gear teeth, yank off the top parts so all you have is the shaft and the base....nothing better than that...stable, no wobble, and this seals, so there's no back splash of oil coming out of the distributor hole.