Engine block cleaning questions
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Teching In
Joined: Oct 2016
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From: Elko, MN
Engine block cleaning questions I'm down to the bare block now on my LQ4 and there is a lot of gunk in the coolant passages and other small areas. I plan on taking the block to the machine shop sometime in December or January to get it hot tanked and honed since it doesn't look like an overbore will be needed.
Will the hot tanking remove most of that crap out of the coolant passages or do I need to take action on my part and try to remove some of it myself first. I just don't want to do all that work if a $50 hot tanking will do it anyways. I'm thinking for now I will just clean out the cylinder walls and put some rust prevention oil on them and bag the engine until I have the funds to get it machined.
Will the hot tanking remove most of that crap out of the coolant passages or do I need to take action on my part and try to remove some of it myself first. I just don't want to do all that work if a $50 hot tanking will do it anyways. I'm thinking for now I will just clean out the cylinder walls and put some rust prevention oil on them and bag the engine until I have the funds to get it machined.
After my engine is back from machine shop, i typically clean all threads on motor including heads, mains, etc. There is usually alot of debris that gets caught In there that will not let your bolts tighten, so I recommend you take a old head stud, use a grinder to cut a small groove and dip it in a bit of grease and go through each and every hole, wiping off old grease and shavings etc. After that I pour some thinner in there to break up any grease then blow out really well with compressed air.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: Elko, MN
After my engine is back from machine shop, i typically clean all threads on motor including heads, mains, etc. There is usually alot of debris that gets caught In there that will not let your bolts tighten, so I recommend you take a old head stud, use a grinder to cut a small groove and dip it in a bit of grease and go through each and every hole, wiping off old grease and shavings etc. After that I pour some thinner in there to break up any grease then blow out really well with compressed air.
Always clean out the oil passages in the block. There's almost always some type of debris that finds its way in there. You don't want to start a brand new motor with new bearings and immediately start scuffing them.
I asked my machine shop to do all of this for me but still double checked the work afterwards and found lots of small debris in there. Compressed air and those little wire brushes that slip inside the galleys really help a lot.
I asked my machine shop to do all of this for me but still double checked the work afterwards and found lots of small debris in there. Compressed air and those little wire brushes that slip inside the galleys really help a lot.
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Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: Elko, MN
Always clean out the oil passages in the block. There's almost always some type of debris that finds its way in there. You don't want to start a brand new motor with new bearings and immediately start scuffing them.
I asked my machine shop to do all of this for me but still double checked the work afterwards and found lots of small debris in there. Compressed air and those little wire brushes that slip inside the galleys really help a lot.
I asked my machine shop to do all of this for me but still double checked the work afterwards and found lots of small debris in there. Compressed air and those little wire brushes that slip inside the galleys really help a lot.
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Before I take a block to the machine shop, I give it a good scrub down with hot water and Dawn dish washing detergent. I run gun cleaner brushes though all the passages. That leaves just the tough stuff for the hot tank.
After I get it back, I do the same thing. Yes, I know, OCD. But it helps me sleep at night.
After I get it back, I do the same thing. Yes, I know, OCD. But it helps me sleep at night.
Last edited by .boB; Oct 24, 2016 at 02:17 PM.
Teching In
Joined: Apr 2014
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From: Oregon
Before I take a block to the machine shop, I give it a good scrub down with hot water and Joy dish washing detergent. I run gun cleaner brushes though all the passages. That leaves just the tough stuff for the hot tank.
After I get it back, I do the same thing. Yes, I know, OCD. But it helps me sleep at night.
After I get it back, I do the same thing. Yes, I know, OCD. But it helps me sleep at night.
^ 3rd that.
Having worked at a couple auto machine shops I can tell you the job of hot tanking blocks usually falls to the lowest guy on the totem pole. he just loads 'em and unloads 'em. he is not interested in your horsepower goals.
I don't really build full-tilt boogie engines anymore. (I'll take heads to a cylinder head specific shop once in a while.)
When I did, I pre-clean with gunk foam and a pressure washer, and when it came back I'd clean it with dawn and HOT water. Dawn brand is key. It really cuts oils and greases like no other.
I have taken only one LS block to a reputable machine shop. The did not remove the barbell so the oil passages were full of coked oil. They also installed the cam bearings in the wrong sequence. Eventually they fixed the mistakes, but only an experienced builder would catch that stuff. A first timer might have tried to run it as-is.
Thats my .02 anyways.
Having worked at a couple auto machine shops I can tell you the job of hot tanking blocks usually falls to the lowest guy on the totem pole. he just loads 'em and unloads 'em. he is not interested in your horsepower goals.
I don't really build full-tilt boogie engines anymore. (I'll take heads to a cylinder head specific shop once in a while.)
When I did, I pre-clean with gunk foam and a pressure washer, and when it came back I'd clean it with dawn and HOT water. Dawn brand is key. It really cuts oils and greases like no other.
I have taken only one LS block to a reputable machine shop. The did not remove the barbell so the oil passages were full of coked oil. They also installed the cam bearings in the wrong sequence. Eventually they fixed the mistakes, but only an experienced builder would catch that stuff. A first timer might have tried to run it as-is.
Thats my .02 anyways.