4.3 Rebuild

[gergAlicious]

So I am back on track. Thankfully the only mishap so far was the wrong head gaskets, but they will be here in the morning.

I also found a FelPro thermostat housing gasket set - will have it Wednesday morning.

I spent the evening cleaning out the water jackets really well. There were some VERY small pea type gravel nuggets between the cylinder walls. I was able to dislodge them all (may 3, ~1/16" in diameter or smaller). I then used a long nose funnel to insert into the jacket openings on the head deck and ran water through multiple times until all looked clean.

Finished off by reinstalling the core plugs.

Interesting anecdotal info I read today in my free time - one fellow on another site stated this:

"The only part of a composition gasket that is stainless is the fire ring, or the armor, and it's stainless on all head gaskets.
Every Mercruiser, OMC, or Volvo Penta engine I've ever pulled apart had a six dollar composition head gasket on it... like a McCord, or something crappy. So much for marine head gaskets." - I'll also say that the post was from 2008.

The dealer I got my gasket set from said they have been selling Mahle gaskets for about 20 years and they are of such quality that the same ones I got have held up in their Florida salt water conditions well.

Lastly, Mahle was very responsive today - and after some back and forth emails, they said the gaskets I received would be OK if I had a closed system, but definitely wrong for raw water cooling.

Just info I thought you might find interesting.

However, I DO have FlePro Marine Head Gaskets coming in the morning

Thanks all!

 

[alldodge]

The one thing I'll say about Mahle is on all the boat forums I've been on, I've never heard of the company until today. Not saying I haven't over looked the name before, just don't remember seeing them. Looking at their site it appears they got into after buying Dana

 

[gergAlicious]

Ya, I have dealt with them for years in the classic VW world. They make / made some of the finest engine bearings available.

 

[gergAlicious]

This was the vendor’s response. And I’m off to get the correct gaskets now

”Mahle is correct about the specific marine application. However, we have been selling their gaskets for 20 years. The quality is so good that their automotive gaskets hold up in marine engines, even here in Florida saltwater. Is your engine fresh or salt water cooled?”

 

[gergAlicious]

So FelPro instructions say that after 10 minutes of torquing completion, to loosen one bolt at a time and retorque.

Anyone do that? I’ve re-torqued air cooled heads after a few heat cycles before.

 

[Lou C]

This is what I pulled out of my original '88 OMC. Looked like stainless steel fire rings and inner core with some kind of coating that I had to remove from the block deck surface. I'm still amazed that your block did not crack given what happened to the cyl heads and manifolds!

 

[gergAlicious]

Lou - that is exactly what I pulled from my engine. There appeared to be a top 'black' coating, then a graphite / soft material, then metal underneath. Which is exactly what the Mahle gakets look like.

I am not completely out of the water yet (just want to get back on it ) - I need to pressure test next. I am planning to adapt the block drains to an air inlet and a pressure gauge on the other side to monitor.

I have looked very closely over the past few days and I am also amazed thus far.

Someone here posted that it may have been in how it froze. Noting also that one core plug came out, and the other started to move on the same side.

Also, the side that had NO core plug movement also had a much slighter crack in the head. It was cracked, but the port side had cracked and pushed out more than the thickness of the casting.

I 'hope' I am lucky indeed. But if it fails pressure testing I'll have a short block on the way, just down a gasket set - or 'some' gaskets at least.

Also - for anyone looking, I found that Summit racing has an amazing price on the top end set. My balance shaft engine needed FelPro 17211 (17210 for non balance shaft engines). They are only charging $59 for the set! Not bad when one FelPro head gasket is north of $40 sourced locally!

Many thanks to AllDodge for putting me onto that. I also found the FelPro Marine catalog and downloaded it too.

 

[Lou C]

Fel pro is what I put in mine last summer

 

[gergAlicious]

So this is the first time I’ve used an angle meter torque wrench. I did exactly as instructions said, I talked all bolts to 22 foot pounds in the right sequence. Then I did the short bolts 55° more, the medium bolts 65° more and finally the longer bolts 75° more.

Interesting that on average the returned foot pound reading after setting the angle was pretty close to what the book said it should be, 66lbs. I think 66lbs is what they say to go to without an angle torque wrench.

I did have a couple that read off. One short bolt only showed about 45lbs or so. So I backed it off, went to 22lbs then to 55°. Returned reading was 74 pounds! Hmmm

 

[gergAlicious]

 

[alldodge]

Coming along nicely

 

[gergAlicious]

Many thanks!!

 

[gergAlicious]

Reading my manual (SELOC, I understand it isn't the best ) I read that I am supposed to coat both sides of the intake gaskets with Perfect Seal. These gaskets have a raised, pliable sealing bead around every port. I know to use the ultra black on the front and rear rails, as well as up onto the lower feet of the gaskets (where they meet the block), but sealant on the rest of the surfaces made me think twice.

Does this sound right? Coating the gaskets on both sides?

Old ones came off clean and I didn't detect any sort of sealant on them.

 

[alldodge]

No sealant on head gasket, both head and block should be clean and dry

 

[gergAlicious]

Many thanks again sir!

Saw a video where this fellow was using these same gaskets on an S-10 and he caked blue RTV on the water ports, and clear silicone type lubricant on the intake ports. Looked nasty and WRONG. :worked_till_5am:

 

[gergAlicious]

Pretty much done for day. Intake is on. I am just needing the thermostat housing gasket - will have in morning.

I'm bolting nothing else to it until she passes the pressure test.

 

[alldodge]

Ahhhh you did install the lifters I hope :noidea:

 

[gergAlicious]

Hahaha - good one! I never removed them. :rockon:

 

[nola mike]

Ya, I have dealt with them for years in the classic VW world. They make / made some of the finest engine bearings available.

They're OEM for lots of different things (bearings, suspension, oil filters, etc) for many German cars. I've used them on vw/Audi, Porsche, BMW. High quality stuff.

 

[gergAlicious]

So it’s finally pressure test day. I’ve got a pressure gauge off of an old multi port pool valve that screwed right into the block (1/4” pipe) and have verified how to loop the exhaust water ports on the thermostat housing onto themselves. The only thing left is to adapt a shraeder valve to the setup. Either through the raw water input port, or I’ll cap that and use another 1/4” pipe position.

Headed to pick up the thermostat gasket set now, air pump and whatever else I need.