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Pulled my head and saw this..

Old Oct 12, 2010 | 09:03 AM
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Default Pulled my head and saw this..

story: bought the motor but didnt realize i had a stuck piston till i brought it to the house. my mistake. pulled the head out and saw this. burned piston or whatever it is. the black piece around the headgasket comes off fairly easy. what's the right way to fix this?

oh and there was some sort of red fluid laying on the piston. at first i thought it was transmission fluid but i cant really smell this fluid at all.
Attached Thumbnails Pulled my head and saw this..-headgasket.jpeg  
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 09:57 AM
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Probably has a stuck piston ring and the previous owner used marvel mystery oil in the cylinder to free the stuck ring. It didn't work apparently and perhaps what you see is carbon from oil blowby OR weak compression.
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 10:31 AM
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Originally Posted by hirdlej
Probably has a stuck piston ring and the previous owner used marvel mystery oil in the cylinder to free the stuck ring. It didn't work apparently and perhaps what you see is carbon from oil blowby OR weak compression.

any recommendation ? should i put a piece of wood there and bang it loose? from the bottom or from the top?
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 12:05 PM
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Looks like carbon build up... how many miles does the short block have? Red fluid "might" be coolant?
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 12:08 PM
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red fluid might be dexcool that didn't drain out
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 01:09 PM
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yeah my guess would be dexcool if its a orangish red color
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 01:20 PM
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Taste to see if it's sweet. Then it's dexcool. Just a drop on your tongue will do, don't actually drink it!
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by hirdlej
Taste to see if it's sweet. Then it's dexcool. Just a drop on your tongue will do, don't actually drink it!


i'll get u guys some better pictures
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by hirdlej
Taste to see if it's sweet. Then it's dexcool. Just a drop on your tongue will do, don't actually drink it!
And if it is cyanide?
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 01:31 PM
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i couldnt get a better picture of the color but i touch it and it felt very oil-like. and the color is red with a hint of purple tints in it. so.. red/purplish.. oil like. i havent pulled the other head off on the other side yet it's kind of rainy and im doing this in the backyard covering it with garbage bag to prevent it from getting wet.
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 02:46 PM
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Does the motor rotate?
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 04:12 PM
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no the motor dont rotate. i just pull both heads off and every cylinder on the block had red oil like in each cylinder. im think they are transmission fluid maybe a different transmission fluid brand than im used to. i check around the head and the only red fluid stan i could find were coming around the sparkplug. it seem as if someone pulled each spark plug out and pour transmission oil in there. the story is that the van hit a huge pot hole and busted the oil line that runs by the oil pan and it leaks all the oil out. motor freeze??
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 05:12 PM
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Looks like tranny fluid to me, but then again, I don't have 20/20. A good trick to get pistons unfrozen is to pour transmission fluid in the bore and let it sit for a little while, then try and work it back and forth.
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 06:57 PM
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Trans fluid has a pretty distinct smell. You should be able to tell if that is what it is.

Doesn't really matter what it is at this point, if you are going to use it that motor needs to be rebuilt.
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 10:57 PM
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okay. im going to try to get some help to get this motor up on a motor stand so i can push out all the piston and hone it. might keep the piston just need to replace the ring probably.
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 11:36 PM
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A old technique some old heads would do is pour tranny fluid in the motor if they thought they had a stuck lifter(s)... But I wouldn't do it but I have seen it done..... I don't recommend it either...

Aslo the red stuff could be MMT (Methycyclopentadienyl Maganese Tricarbonyl). MMT is an anti-knock additive in gasoline used to replace lead. During the combustion process, the MMT leaves a reddish deposit... Sometimes it shows up if octane boosters or gas additives.... It may be in th gas.... and combined with the carbon o the piston or chamber....
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Old Oct 12, 2010 | 11:58 PM
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That engine obviously had a bad PCV system and was sucking oil in through the intake for a long time.

.
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Old Oct 13, 2010 | 12:01 AM
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could pull the block all the way apart, try soaking the **** outta it with PB blaster and nudge it out the bottom. Never know, might get lucky with hone and re-ring kit, If you have the luck I have, that wont happen though. lol good luck
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Old Oct 13, 2010 | 01:12 AM
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Hard to tell by the pic by it looks like both pistons are at TDC,if they are u have some serious issues going on.
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Old Oct 13, 2010 | 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Smo's04Gto
Hard to tell by the pic by it looks like both pistons are at TDC,if they are u have some serious issues going on.
i know i could still save this block. im thinkin maybe ONE of the piston is stuck. but i pray maybe the timing chain probably busted and got stuck. i will get to the bottom of it today. and no there's only one piston on each side of the motor that are TDC.

question. while im down there. if i get lucky to just do a hone job and i need to replace the piston and ring. what would u guy recommend? flat top or some dish piston to bump up the compression? im probably keeping this motor N/A daily but 150 shot occasionally.
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