Help! I got sand in my new block...

[Pyrice4]

I just got a new short block ( pistons and crankshaft and the thing they go in) and the got sand in were the crank shaft is. Im pretty sure I need to remove this before i put the engine all back together. How would I go about doing this? I dont want to mess up a brand new engine. Thanks

 

[delta448]

I just got a new short block ( pistons and crankshaft and the thing they go in) and the got sand in were the crank shaft is. Im pretty sure I need to remove this before i put the engine all back together. How would I go about doing this? I dont want to mess up a brand new engine. Thanks

Did this involve alcohol?

Yes, I would definitely remove sand from the block before trying to start the engine. I think I'd tear it down and have it hot tanked again. Then I would carefully inspect every moving part of the engine as I rebuilt it. Better safe than sorry. BTW, that really sucks.

 

[Pyrice4]

Cant I just like pressure wash it then dry it off and spray it with wd40 or soemthing?

 

[delta448]

It's your engine, you do what you feel is necessary. Personally, I wouldn't take the chance of destroying the engine. It wouldn't take much sand to kill a bearing.

 

[ZmanIV]

That is just break in compound all the racers are doing that now.

 

[Pyrice4]

What should I do.....? I dont have the money to go get it all re-cleaned and crap. I dont have the knowledge to take it apart and clean it. And I definitly dont have the money to get the engine redone if it dies. If I spray the inside down with wd40 or something and get all the visible sand out will it be alright.

 

[black91awdturbo]

you do know what happens when you wet sand right, its gonna turn into a muddy oily mess. I would for sure take it back to the builder and have them look at it and tell you what the best thing to do is if you dont have the know how.

 

[Pyrice4]

I dont know who the builder is. I just bought the car a few days ago and it came with the block. Im going to see if spraying it down the wd40 will get all the sand out. Its not like I dropped it in the dirt. It was really windy and sand blew into it.

 

[ZmanIV]

It was really windy and sand blew into it.

Please explain this better.
Valve cover off, head off, oil cap off.

 

[Nicks2319]

Put it on the engine stand, grab a can of compressed air and go at it from underneath.

 

[Pyrice4]

It has no oil pan and no thing with the valves. From the top you can see the pistons and from the bottom you can see the crankshaft.

 

[ZmanIV]

since it is already almost all torn down finish it off to remove all the offending bits of sand. And since you live in florida be sure and cover that thing with some oil and a tarp to keep the corrosion down.

 

[1g_tsi_awd]

Newspaper works well to shield from debris, for future reference.

 

[DSMjrv]

i would definitely use a compressor to blow it out, since it was already assembled when the sand blew into it, i doubt and sand got into the bearings...

 

[Sharkcus]

Sand would most definitely stick to assembly lube. Blowing won't remove the stuck particles. If you aren't comfortable tearing it down, I would talk to a local engine builder for an estimate. Maybe he will cut you a break. I don't think they would even need to hot tank it, just remove everything, clean, re-apply assembly lube and assemble.

 

[TSG59_Steve]

Bite the bullet, get it hot tanked/cleaned by a shop/builder or face the consequences, AKA crap engine, back to where you started but even further in debt. Next time keep it away from sand. Why didn't you have it covered up or in a place where sand couldn't get in it?

 

[Pyrice4]

I didnt cover it up becasue I had no clue what I was doing. This is my first project and it came with the engine out of the car. I didnt know it would be that hard to clean. I guess I could take it to a builder to see what it would cost for a cleaning but I dont know of any around here (deland, fl) and im not going to pay over $100. Besides I got a complete GSX with the extra engine block for $900. Its a nice block too, it bored .020 over, balance shafts removed, arp bolts, and balanced.