dynamicsnail

Well, I just got done replacing pretty much the entire top end of the engine. Ported the heads, new head gaskets and whatnot. My 'AAH' cams came in today. After waiting three months for them from German Auto Dismantlers, he sent two from the same head, so they are still of no use. They've also had the nerve to say that they were too busy pulling engines to 'pay the bills', so they couldn't take out time to get my cams...after three months (/rant).
Anyway, I had just drained the old oil, which I had left in so that the whole thing wouldn't totally dry out over these last 8 months, and it was mostly coolant. This was a little surprising, there had been so much coolant coming out the exhaust I had figured it had been isolated, but I guess not. I also found in the oil some metal shavings, including a couple curly-q's maybe 2cm long each. Does this mean my bearings are most likely shot? (Please say it ain't so, I REALLY need to get this running, and I am VERY tempted to go out and crank it over after all this work and $$$$) How difficult is it to change out the rod bearings in this engine? Does the upper oil pan have to come off? The Bently manual seems to assume the engine is out of the car and torn down to the short block...is this a bad sign?
Please help me

waussie

find out what type of metal the curlies are. The curlies may not be bearing metal.

dynamicsnail

They're a ferrous metal, so iron/steel (they came out on my extendo-magnet). Since most everything in the bottom half of this engine is a ferrous alloy, it doesn't really tell me anything. Besides, I'm pretty sure anything other than bearings would be even worse. I'd like to cut open the oil filter to have a look, but I don't know how I'd pull that off without adding even more metal to what might be in there...

moribundman

Order a free test kit from <a href="blackstone labs">Blackstone Labs</a> and send them a sample of your oil. Abnormal wear will show and the found metals will help pinpoint trouble spots like bearings. Ask for the Terry Dyson analysis and describe the issues and your observations in an email to him. That will run you about $40, but it should help in determining if the engine is toast.

You can remove the oil filter and saw it open near the edge and pull the filter element out.

dynamicsnail

The problem with having the oil tested is that that bucket has had half a dozen cars' oil drained in it, and never really been cleaned out, so little things could have come from anywhere. Not to mention it's exposed to everything I do in the garage including metal fab.
Anyway, I cut the oil filter open, and surprisingly there wasn't really any metal in there. So, I took the plunge, ran the fuel pump a few dozen times, and cranked it over. It's cranking fine, and I can feel the pulses coming out the exhaust, but it's not starting. Is there any simple way to check for spark/fuel on these? Can you think of anything that is easily overlooked during reassembly?

dynamicsnail

Nevermind, I had forgotten to plug the CPS back in...doh!
Anyway, it started up and I have white smoke out the exhaust...again. So, it's going to come all the way back apart again for new headgaskets again (when reinstalling the right-side head, the headgasket had been slightly bent by a downpipe stud, which I'm assuming is the problem). I'd like to do a compression test to confirm, but getting the hose screwed in with those deep spark plug holes just isn't going to happen.
At least it'll be easier the second time around, now that I have all the right tools and know what I'm doing.

moribundman

Maybe your dropped some metal shaving in the engine. How can your isk starting it up wit bits and pieces floating around? it only takes a tiny abrasive particle to ruin a bearing! You better clean that engine out somehow.

You may have white "smoke" now because you got water or coolant burning up. You evens said coolant has been sitting in the engine. Or did you change the oil? Then that brings us back to your current oil from that half dozen cars... :-\

dynamicsnail

The pan I drained the old oil/coolant into had remnants from waste oil on a half dozen other cars...I wouldn't reuse old oil, and definately not if it had metal shavings in it.
Because the oil pan has other cars' oil in it, the oil test would most likely pick up things from the other engines as well...

The white smoke/steam is most likely new water/colant. The old water/coolant was drained when I started since I was replacing the waterpump/thermostat early on. I thought at first it may have been coolant that had been sitting in the exhaust or something, but the exhaust didn't even have time to warm up, and when I took one of the downpipes off (dropped a nut for the ICV down it, whoops), there was nothing it in. The coolant that had been in the cylinder when I parked the car 8 months ago was sucked out before reassembly, and the coolant mixed in the oil was drained out with the oil...so I think the headgasket isn't sealing.

moribundman

I'm glad you don't have other cars' oil pan cracklings in there. ;-)

You wouldn't take an oil sample from the drain pan. You'd catch a little fresh from the oil pan. Oil analysis will show elevated sodium if coolant is present.