cleaning the inside of a LS1
cleaning the inside of a LS1 Doing a LS1 swap into a 3rd gen And I'm breaking the motor down to make sure ever thing OK. Inside the motor needs to be cleaned the motor ran great before I removed it but It had 100,000 miles on it and I would like for it to be cleaner before puttng it back together I heard about filling it with diesel fuel then spraying out the gunk with brake cleaner. Will this harm the motor and after I do this what would be my next step?
Originally Posted by FattdaddyWS6
Doing a LS1 swap into a 3rd gen And I'm breaking the motor down to make sure ever thing OK. Inside the motor needs to be cleaned the motor ran great before I removed it but It had 100,000 miles on it and I would like for it to be cleaner before puttng it back together I heard about filling it with diesel fuel then spraying out the gunk with brake cleaner. Will this harm the motor and after I do this what would be my next step?
Originally Posted by stik6shift93
if it isn't broke don't fix it, i would leave it alone
Inside the motor as in crankcase? You shouldn't ever need to clean that unless something has been machined, they you run it through a parts washer to get the metal chips out. It would be more useful to clean the carbon out of the heads and off the piston tops.
Last edited by Cal; May 10, 2005 at 11:29 PM.
Staging Lane
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 76
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Originally Posted by FattdaddyWS6
Doing a LS1 swap into a 3rd gen And I'm breaking the motor down to make sure ever thing OK. Inside the motor needs to be cleaned the motor ran great before I removed it but It had 100,000 miles on it and I would like for it to be cleaner before puttng it back together I heard about filling it with diesel fuel then spraying out the gunk with brake cleaner. Will this harm the motor and after I do this what would be my next step?
Brake cleaner would be fine. Avoid hitting rubber gaskets.
Sam.
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Rather than cleaning it, why don't you remove the oil pan and relplace the gasket. While you've got the oil pan off, remove each con rod cap and inspect the bearings. Of course you will need new rod bolts to put it back together, so get some ARP's or Katechs. On a motor with that many miles, I bet the rod bearings don't look that great. I was just checking mine and found one bad one; only 30,000 miles on the motor. It was a hellish 30,000 though! 
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On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: Naperville
if you want to clean the inside of your motor, just replace one quart of oil with a quart of transmission fluid. May sound weird but transmission fluid has a lot more detergints in it than motor oil and won't hurt anything. If you like to keep your motor clean run synthetic too. I was amazed how much it helps, i pulled the valve covers off on my ta with 85k on it and the aluminum looks great, just like it would new. When we pulled the covers on my buddys motor with 62k on it(he doesn't run synthetic) the aluminum looked all brown and stained.
Originally Posted by luv2spd
You're likely to loosen up crap that won't get cleaned out all the way.
So after I do what I'm going to do whatever that may be what should I do to keep the motor in good condition while I what on parts! On The Tree
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: Naperville
if the motor is going to be sitting for a while spray it down with some wd-40 to prevent corrision. It's not going to increase the longevity of the motor if you clean the pistons and internals off. The only thing that i'd really be worried about is build up in the oil passages and running the motor with a quart of atf in there will clean that up. If you're gonna take the motor apart you're also gonna need all new bolts as they're stretch to yield and can't be reused. If you want to do something worth while then replace the bearings in it and rehone the cylinder walls and put new rings in.
Last edited by stik6shift93; May 11, 2005 at 06:00 PM.
Originally Posted by stik6shift93
If you're gonna take the motor apart you're also gonna need all new bolts as they're stretch to yield and can't be reused. If you want to do something worth while then replace the bearings in it and rehone the cylinder walls and put new rings in.
I got the Motor and tranny for an great deal and it ran great thats why I'm using it to do the swap, but replacing the bearings and rehoning ,ETC.. is what I planned on doing anyway just want to know the best way to clean the parts that I was not going to replace!
If your taking the block to a machine shop they should have a hot tank, your block should look like new when you get back, The pistons you can use brake clean and a green scruby to get the carbon off, there is also a tool to clean out in between the ring lands. Are you reusing the heads?
I wouldn't take it down to the bare block, but with that many miles it most likely is a pre 2001 engine. I'd change the oil pump NOW! Might as well do the rod bolts, timing chain, a bigger cam and springs. Better pushrods too. When you bolt it together an ASP pulley is $ well spent.
You can run those engines hard for 160k + miles without much of a drop in power.
You can run those engines hard for 160k + miles without much of a drop in power.
Teching In
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 17
Likes: 0
From: OKC, OK
I agree with conan. A reputable machine shop will make sure the block is next to pristine (I assume that is where you are seeing most of the "gunk"). That is assuming you are taking it down that far. If so, then definitely do the bearings. It can't hurt, and if you trust your own work enough, it is added security.
One more thing before I go
seriously think about all the future mods you plan to do. If you can afford them now, DO IT! It will be much easier, especially while the engine is not in the car!!! Plugs, Oil Pump, Timing set, Cam, heads, blah, blah, blah (it is the same old rhetoric you will get/have gotten form everyone else!
Just remember what ever you do, have fun doing it! Enjoy.
One more thing before I go
seriously think about all the future mods you plan to do. If you can afford them now, DO IT! It will be much easier, especially while the engine is not in the car!!! Plugs, Oil Pump, Timing set, Cam, heads, blah, blah, blah (it is the same old rhetoric you will get/have gotten form everyone else!Just remember what ever you do, have fun doing it! Enjoy.
Originally Posted by conan
If your taking the block to a machine shop they should have a hot tank, your block should look like new when you get back, The pistons you can use brake clean and a green scruby to get the carbon off, there is also a tool to clean out in between the ring lands. Are you reusing the heads?
