Possible gasket failure.one piston super clean
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Possible gasket failure.one piston super clean 
Right cylinder bank. Note how clean the piston is.
Carbon deposits look normal however the top cylinder looks a little white....
I am wanting to know what you guys think with my issue.
My heads were recently pulled off to get machined and I noticed that 7 of my pistons had carbon deposits (which is obviously normal) and one piston was super clean like it had just been fitted.
I am quite sure its because the head gasket is leaking and is allowing some coolant to seep into the cylinder and therefore cleaning it.
I am also thinking going by the slightly white colour of the carbon in the other cylinders, coolant may be leaking in there also.
The Gaskets used are the factory LS3 but my compression ratio is at 12:8.1 and I believe this may be the issue with all that extra pressure,
Engine also runs exclusively on e85.
I have ordered a set of those high end Athena PPF gaskets that are guaranteed to seal up to 2000hp so that way I am safe if I decide to add boost in the future.
What do you think?
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I'm not sure how long the gasket was leaking. It was just by chance this was noticed when the heads came off.
I'm betting once it's sealed up properly engine should feel more torquier and pull harder.
My tuner did note that I occasionally need to drive the car hard in order to rid the engine of some moisture and blow by.
Almost looks like that cylinder saw no fuel at all. I’d check that injector. And coil.
what did the spark plug look like?
E85 creates a lot of moisture. Especially in the winter.
Ron
what did the spark plug look like?
E85 creates a lot of moisture. Especially in the winter.
Ron
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I will certainly check the injector and coil.
The thing is, before I took my car to get a cam upgrade the engine was running smooth and then when the heads came off we saw that unpleasant surprise.
I believe its coolant leakage as to why it's so clean but I won't know for sure till it's confirmed.
Spark plugs only got changed about 6 weeks ago.
You are right about the moisture when using e85.
I will need to drive my car harder once I get it back.
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On other thing I have noticed also is that the right side with the dead cylinder, the carbon deposits are far less than the left side.
I am thinking the right cylinder head is not sealing properly as the carbon deposits are quite even on the left side in all cylinders.
I am thinking the right cylinder head is not sealing properly as the carbon deposits are quite even on the left side in all cylinders.
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Coolant will clean a cylinder and e85 will also do some cleaning.
You're wasting money on the 2000 hp head gaskets, that sounds scammy. Neither the block or the heads will hold flat enough to hold 2000 hp so those gaskets will fail when the deck warps or head bolts start stretching.
What is the bore size of your engine?
You're wasting money on the 2000 hp head gaskets, that sounds scammy. Neither the block or the heads will hold flat enough to hold 2000 hp so those gaskets will fail when the deck warps or head bolts start stretching.
What is the bore size of your engine?
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Coolant will clean a cylinder and e85 will also do some cleaning.
You're wasting money on the 2000 hp head gaskets, that sounds scammy. Neither the block or the heads will hold flat enough to hold 2000 hp so those gaskets will fail when the deck warps or head bolts start stretching.
What is the bore size of your engine?
You're wasting money on the 2000 hp head gaskets, that sounds scammy. Neither the block or the heads will hold flat enough to hold 2000 hp so those gaskets will fail when the deck warps or head bolts start stretching.
What is the bore size of your engine?
These certainly work as I know of two people who have these gaskets using LS3 blocks and have 1500hp and they have never had any leaks.
The MLS gaskets are usually the ones most people go with but the athena ones were only a little more expensive so I went with those.
Personally I would never run more than 1000hp-1100hp on an LS3 block but that's just me.
My engine will have between 600-700hp naturally aspirated and that is enough for me.
My engine has a bore size of 4.030
It's an LS2 408 forged and stroked engine with high compression.
Head bolts are being replaced with a new kit from ARP so there will be no issues.
Hopefully....