How bad is this HG failure?

[brosama]

Long story short: timing cover hole, coolant in oil, had to drive it home (one of those days), overheated, headgasket failure. And yes, I already know I'm an idiot. :frusty:

Looking back on it, I believe I ran it for several days with coolant in oil. There was large amounts of coolant/oil in the intake manifold, head, and block (lots of water/oil mix when I drained the oil).

My concern is the amount of time water was in the motor (while running) and having bearing failure a few weeks after sewing this thing back up.

I'm at a decision point: should I proceed with the HG and see how it goes? Or should I just cut my losses and pick up a long block? Are there any other tests or things I can check to help my decision?

Also, there is a ton of build up on the pistons (more so than some of the other pics I've seen); should this be cause of concern?

(Of course, I'll be checking deck and head, etc. before I continue with HG)

Thanks!

 

[SV_Dude]

As long as the bottom end is solid then you can probably get away with replacing a head gasket and doing a couple very short interval oil changes to flush the junk out of the engine.

If you're concerned about a possible bearing failure then you can take the engine out and have the block and crank checked out and cleaned. If everything is good then just re-ring the pistons and put it back together.

 

[KidVermicious]

I wouldn't buy a long block. If you're confident enough that you'll take on changing the head gasket, there's nothing about pulling the motor that should scare you.

And I would. Yank the motor, take the block in for cleaning, get the chambers measured and see if your pistons are good. Get the crank checked out, replace the bearings, rebuild the head (or at least lap the valves), you'll have a practically new motor when you're done.

 

[brosama]

Thanks guys! :rockon:
[MENTION=49649]KidVermicious[/MENTION] - so do I disassemble and show up at the shop with the block, pistons, crank, and head and have them inspect/clean?

Would picking up a master rebuild kit from engnbldr make sense, or should I check the condition of what I have first?

(I'm under the impression that the shop time may be the most expensive part so having them check things out vs. buying a fresh kit to start with may be a wash??)

Sorry, I'm not really sure what a good next step here is (aside from the obvious of pulling the block, etc.).

 

[KidVermicious]

Yup, call Ted. Tell him you're yanking the block and tearing it down and you need the whole schmear.

Machine shops can be hit or miss. If you know of a local wheeling or modding board, get on there and found out who those guys recommend. Failing that, look up a couple in the phone book, walk in there and tell them you're rebuilding a motor for the first time and want to know how they can help, and go with the one that you get the best feeling for.

You may end up needing new pistons if you have to bore the block, so talk to Ted first but don't buy stuff until the machine shop is done. And then learn from [MENTION=24995]SV_Dude[/MENTION]'s experience and take the new pistons into the shop and have them bore to match those pistons exactly.

 

[brosama]

Rock on brother, thanks!

From what I've gathered a good shop won't bore until they have pistons in-hand so your advice is spot on.

I've got some research and reading up to do. This rig has spent more time in my garage than on the trail. Although, I'm still trying to figure out which I like better:mullet: