Engine Rebuild

Hey guys,
I am starting this thread so that I can post pictures and findings to yall as my dad and I go about rebuilding (or possibly purchasing) and new dauntless. This is all new to me and it is the very first time I have ever seen the inside of an engine, so this otta be fun. So far, the right head bank has been removed and there is blow by on cylinder number 4. It is apparent that #6 has an oil leak and isn't firing. All of the hone marks on also gone on this side. We havn't removed the left bank yet, but I am pretty sure by the looks of the spark plugs that it will be about like the right side. #6 plug is also stripped out.

We started this because we had some major oil leaks, frequent missing, and some holes in the exhaust manifold. The oil pressure drops pretty low after the engine is warmed up. We have been onformed that this engine was rebuilt by thr PO at least 5 years ago. Also, this is giving me a good learning oppurtunity. Enjoy as I proceed and feel free to give me a piece of your mind. I love to learn. Pictures will be here tomorrow afternoon.

Would you purchase a new engine?

 

To the best of my knowledge, it doesn't seem to have been bored, but I couldn't be for sure until I measured it... what should the diameter be of a factory cylinder?

The PO did the rebuild, so there is no telling to what standard it was rebuilt... It did sit up for over two years though and that took a huge toll on it.

Another question I just thought of... how do you plug up the emissions holes in the cast iron exhaust manifold? I had to yank it out because the rest of the system was removed by the PO.

 

The bore from the factory should be 3.750".

 

if the pistons either have nothing or STD stamped in the top they are standard and block has not been bored,.010= 10 thosands over bore,.020= twenty and so on and so forth,also you can check the back side of the main and rod bearings for size,it may not be stamped on the bearings but inked

 

I am in the process of rebuilding my V6 as we speak. Got the crank, pstons and cam in place as of last night. Interesting thing on this one. Had about 70,000 on it, the crank loked great the cylinders looked great........and then the cam. Three of the lobes were worn down to the point they almost looked round. I never ran it but I can imagine it ran terrible. If you have any questions let me know. I might be able to answer them on some of my experiences. By the way it is costly to rebuild one of these. I got use to the chevy 350 rebuild prices over the years. I had the crank polished, the cylinders bored .030 over and the heads redone.

Todd

 

If you're a newb to engine rebuilding, I'd suggest you pick up Tom Malone's book http://www.amazon.com/Engine-Bld-Hd.../ref=cm_lmf_tit_1_rsrssi0/102-1802404-5545731

The factory manual is another good source - they're pretty inexpensive for the F4/V6 vehicles.

Re the 'new' engine, they don't exist anymore. You can buy a "remanufactured" engine, which would be the same result as you'll get by rebuilding the engine yourself. Typically 'rebuilt' and 'remanufactured' only refer to where the work was done, in a shop or a factory resp.

Regardless of how much you pay to have done, you won't be able to do it all yourself. You'll have to pay a shop to do the machining (as needed), and you can do the dis/reassembly yourself. That's a significant part of the work though, and along with the engine R&R will reduce your costs a lot.

It's possible to 'overhaul' the engine, doing minimal machining. Much depends on the condition of the engine now, and how long you expect the overhaul or rebuild to last. Some idea of your options can be found by assessing the running engine (leak down, comp test, oil pressure) but once the heads are off, there's no way to tell what your options are until you've disassembled the engine and assessed (measured!) the wear.

hth!

 

The rebuild kit from Autozone is only $360 or thereabouts. Not that expensive at all. Napa's kit used the same parts but was almost twice as much as you were buying them in sub kits instead of a master rebuild kit.

 

Im having a hard time with pictures at the moment... in the meantime, they are located at the link listed below... Check out the pictures that I have added comcerning the engine.

 

My dad is capable of rebuilding engines... He frequently has to rebuild and work on huge EMDs and such. But, this is his very first complete rebuild of a small engine. So far we have determined that we can have our engine bored and have the camshaft bearings and such replaced for about $200. The rest though will be done by ourselves. He has left for offshore today and will be back in two weeks... Hopefully by then, I will have gathered all of the parts and kit that I need and we can knock it out within a few days.

 

Sounds like the perfect thing for you is to do the work yourselves and then you'll know everything you wanted to know about engines but were afraid to ask. R)

 

Looks like it might be too late to mention this....but it's usually considered a good idea to number or label things like pistons, valves, pushrods, valve springs, lifters, bearings, etc., as to exactly where they came from so you can make sure you put them back in the same hole they came out of. Moving parts tend to establish wear patterns with each other, and it's best to keep them together unless you're replacing with all new parts.

In other words, the lifter, pushrod, and rocker arm wear together as a unit, and should be kept together. #1 piston in #1 cyl., #1 exhaust valve back into the same guide it came out of, etc.....

 

You need to check the casting numbers of this block and heads very good, I can't tell from the pics for sure but I can tell you that your rockers are from a 231, not a 225 and your pushrods probably are also.

 

As said earlier, keep valves and pistons identified for their respective cylinders.

If you buy a rebuilt engine they come with great warranties, but, they don't include your labor, fluids, and frustration/breaking down at the most inopportune time. They are also rebuilt for the greatest profit, meaning the cheapest parts and the least skilled labor possible will work on the engine you intend on taking you far afield. Do you want to trust the lowest bidder? Will you head off road wondering if the heads were torqued by some guy who burned a spliff during lunch?

Rebuilding it yourself is the best possible answer. It'll be more expensive, but paying to having the heads magnafluxed means not having issues down the road. I could have purchased several AutoZone F134 engines for what I spent on mine. But I got the best of everything so I know it's going to last.

Also, is your block pre-unleaded gas?

 

I understand what you are saying here, but can you elaborate some more? Why would someone want to put 231 parts in a 225? cheaper, better ,or easrier to get a hold of? Should I go with 231 parts for the rebuild or just 225 now? Mainly... will this pose a problem with either functioning or performance?
Thanks

 

Here is a the jist with the rockers. The 225 oils the rockers thru the cast stands and the shafts. The 231 oils the rockers thru holes in the pushrods, the oil flows up the pushrods and thru the rockers. You need to make sure that if you use the 231 rockers in your picture that you use the pushrods designed for it. Just check the casting numbers to make sure of what you have in the way of the block and heads. Your heads are slightly different from both sets of my 225 heads, the chambers are a little different.

 

I think I am going to be sick... The numbers behind the air intake are <crying> 1249432