Tore down my motor, findings and questions

[williillii]

Ok so I tore down the motor today. Here is what I found.

Workin on it in the bay...

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lookin kinda dirty...

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GROSS! Is this normal for a 1995 with 150k?

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#1 Rod bearing and cap, not too bad lookin, right?

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Close

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Cylinder looks pretty nasty but I think this is mostly surface rust? The motor was hydrolocked...see the finger smudge on the wall?

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and the #1 rod...took most of the force .

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So what do you guys think I need to replace here? Obviously it will be getting new rod bearings. Do I need new rod bolts? What about main bearings?

Do I have to pull the crank (and trans) to install main bearings? Forgive me if it should be obvious...I havent really looked at that part of the motor too much. And its 330am .

How does that cylinder look? I can clean it out and get a better pic...

A local DSM-guru suggested that I just replace the rods and use the same pistons/rings to put it back together for a cheap fix....how does this sound? Motor had perfect compression last Saturday.

If I have to do much more than change the rods/pistons I think I will just throw a 2.4 in it.......

Let me know what you think guys; I will update this as I go along.

 

[FLASH1970]

A local DSM-guru suggested that I just replace the rods and use the same pistons/rings to put it back together for a cheap fix....how does this sound?

I think it sounds like you need to find yourself a new guru to listen to. Pull the engine and take it to a machine shop. There might be other things that were tweaked that you can't see. All it takes is a few thousandths or a hairline crack somewhere to make or break an engine.

 

[williillii]

^

Wish I had the money to get some machine work done. Im workin with about 500 here..guess I didnt mention that. I dont have a crane either.

 

[bwhite]

Well you can get some npr pistons for dirt cheap.

 

[97gst_spyder]

Talk to darkside, drew is great with the 4G63..

 

[Only2G4Me]

If you're just looking to get it running again with a bare minimum budget, obviously get a new connecting rod (maybe a set if you can find some used for cheap) and new rod bearings. And yes its a good idea to replace the rod bolts with new ones. Inspect the pistons for any damage or cracks, especially the ring lands. If they are in good shape I would clean the ring groves and put some new rings on them. Buy or borrow a cylinder hone and clean/hone the cylinders. You can also take a piece of emery cloth and polish up the rod journals on the crank if you can feel any scratches with your fingernail. You do have to remove the crank and transmission to replace the main bearings. The buildup on the valves can be cleaned off and its pretty normal for a higher mileage engine (seen it on a few of my engines I've torn down). It would probably be a good idea to get the valve stem seals replaced while you have the head off and they can pressure test the head and clean up the valves then too. Make sure to use a new head gasket. Also a good idea to do some general maintenance stuff while you have it apart (timing belt, water pump, etc). Good luck!

 

[90moneypit]

I'm not sure you can do everything properly for $500. You obviously need new rod (or rods since you can't be sure one of the other ones isn't slightly bent easily), rod bearings, strongly suggest main bearings since it hydrolocked and obviously put enough force to bend a rod. You should really get the crank checked for stress cracks and it will more than likely have to be turned. I'd bet just about anything that the crank made contact with the main bearings with a rod bent like that! Pressure check the head for cracks and have it resurfaced... Yeah the machine work alone is climbing past $500 once you have the block tanked, magnafluxed, pressure check head, magnaflux then turn crank, resize rods... and that's without over boring the cylinders. Then you add in the price of head gasket, rod(s), bearings, timing set, oil and water pump, rings, new head bolts or studs... I don't think it could be done on that budget unless you have a favorite uncle that just happens to own a machine shop. When it's all said and done, you'll still have a stressed block with a half-assed rebuild. I think the money would be better spent on a different long block assembly.

 

[rimmbrme]

i'm not sure you can do everything properly for $500. You obviously need new rod (or rods since you can't be sure one of the other ones isn't slightly bent easily), rod bearings, strongly suggest main bearings since it hydrolocked and obviously put enough force to bend a rod. You should really get the crank checked for stress cracks and it will more than likely have to be turned. I'd bet just about anything that the crank made contact with the main bearings with a rod bent like that! Pressure check the head for cracks and have it resurfaced... Yeah the machine work alone is climbing past $500 once you have the block tanked, magnafluxed, pressure check head, magnaflux then turn crank, resize rods... And that's without over boring the cylinders. Then you add in the price of head gasket, rod(s), bearings, timing set, oil and water pump, rings, new head bolts or studs... I don't think it could be done on that budget unless you have a favorite uncle that just happens to own a machine shop. When it's all said and done, you'll still have a stressed block with a half-assed rebuild. I think the money would be better spent on a different long block assembly.

^^^ a g r e e d.

 

[gorf]

Agree probably not going to get a good rebuild out of $500.

Check around, put a request out for a used long or short block. Try local forums or the market place on tuners. I have seen long blocks going for under $500, you may have to look for a while but you will find one.

 

[williillii]

Well this is kinda what I was expecting I guess just not what I wanted to hear...haha.

I found a complete motor from a 98 galant for $400. 71k on it. Kinda leaning towards this option at this point.

I realize Im in way over my head, thanks for being patient with me . This was not exactly a planned rebuild. My priority here is having a driveable car for the next 3 months, I dont really care if it blows up after 5000 miles. Guess I learned my lesson...keep a spare shortblock!

 

[williillii]

for anyone who cares I've decided to do a 4g64 bottom end swap. for some reason on DSMTalk they're tearing me a new asshole over doing this.......

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[DearestNameless]

Keep us posted on this. I'd like to see the results. I have a 4g64 around.

 

[gorf]

Good luck do some research on this site.

As I recall, block some holes, put your head on it, get a timing belt from 19xx
galant - done

 

[williillii]

Yep Ive spent the last week reading about this (and alot before that because my original plan was to buy one of these motors to build on the side) and it seems like it shouldnt even be much harder than installing a 4g63.

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My assistant

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