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454 Rebuild In Progress

knuckle47

knuckle47

Advanced Contributor
"Well, for those that may have

"Well, for those that may have been following the posts, the oil analysis revealed the coolant getting into the oil Somewhere...

I have dismantled the intake to find some tan mayonaisse( oil and coolant well beaten together) accumulating in the chamber under the intake manifold where the pushrods and lifters are exposed. The number 3 intake port has a teaspoon of crud lining the port.

It appears the intake is not really the problem so I am digging now into the heads. I did notice the torque on the intake bolts was very light. While I was prepared to wrench off the 9/16 heads they were removed with a slight twist and even some with an box wrench 1/4 turn and then free. This will be an experience and I am glad to be a part of it knowing that when I put this back together, the specs will be correct. If Interested, I will post a few pictures on an alternate location and provide a link as I progress. I AM NOT an engine builder but I did restore a pile of vintage Harley engines from Flatheads to Knuckleheads to Panheads and rode every one hundreds of miles without fear of breakdown as I had first hand knowledge of what I had done. Getting stuck with land only 100+ feet below, scares the SH** out of me. I will surley look for some guidance here....THANKS ALL"
 
"What is the chamber beneath t

"What is the chamber beneath the intake manifold called? It is the area where you can see the pushrods and lifters and thru a few long slots, you can see the cam shaft

Does anyone know? Thanks"
 
"Need a suggestion...In removi

"Need a suggestion...In removing the exhaust manifold bolts, one if them is either metric or corroded enough to be slightly undersized from the 9/16 6 point socket. Anyone with a suggestion on breaking these types of bolts loose. Am I sure I will run into a few more like it.

I do have an EZ-Out for bolts but of course I left those home the day I was down at the boat.

2nd question. What is the best way to separate the manifold and the riser from each other. I tapped it a few times but it appears it may require a bit more persuasion."
 
You can find a set of sockets

You can find a set of sockets at the tool shops and probably Sears that will grip a rounded off bolt head.

I have a set of 6 that go up to just one size under what I needed to remove my fuel tank pickup. I ended up using a plumbers wrench that you use for tightning up the nuts on the bottom side of a spigot on a sink.
 
"Just in case anyone wants to

"Just in case anyone wants to understand my level of luck...I picked up a set of the bolt removers from my tool drawer I had gotten at Sears about 2 years ago and went down to the boat to remove the last bolt holding the manifold/riser onto the head. Sure enough, of the 5 pieces #2,4,6,8,12 I need a #10 NOT included in the set. So the Freakin Manifold still sits there held on by 1 bolt ...This Saturday MUST be the day !"
 
"Ayuh,.....

If you've g

"Ayuh,.....

If you've got the space to work,......
Grind the head off the bolt,+ slide the manifold off,......
Then you'll have all kinds of bolt left to grab it with Vise-Grips to remove the rest of it......."
 
"I thought of that but, being

"I thought of that but, being in its' current position on the hard, there is no electricty within reach. I'm thinking a file would take too long
"
 
You can always turn the bolt o

You can always turn the bolt out with a small chisel and a hammer. Use the same technique you would use on a large packing nut. Once you break it loose it should come out easily. Stu
 
Try using a metric 14MM 6 poin

Try using a metric 14MM 6 point socket (1/2 inch drive) and tapping it onto the head of the capscrew with a hammer. 14MM is slightly smaller than 9/16.

Make sure your sockets are seating all the way as crud can obscure the bolts on some of these.
 
"Also - although you may have

"Also - although you may have found the issue (head gasket not properly touqued), its a good idea to send the heads to a local machine shop for a checkup. They can magnaflux and check the surfaces so make sure there are not cracks and the surfaces are true.

This advice is more critical for aluminum heads though..."
 
I am going to do all of these

I am going to do all of these recommendations. I finally sprung for another set of extractors and I am heading out there this morning for a few hours. I will post my results....
 
"Well today was a long and tir

"Well today was a long and tiring day with minimal accomplishments. Despite the cost of those quality extractors, I had to use a dremmel tool plugged into the inverter to cut off the head of the bolt holding the manifold on. Of course, had to run to Lowe’s to buy an new set of abrasive wheels. Another bolt had to have a 13mm socket hammered on and that one broke right off as soon as I turned it. Apparently corrosion had reduced the head size enough that with the high torque to break each bolt, they rounded quickly even with a 6 point socket.
After getting the bolts out, breaking the seal between the head and manifold took another bit of time and then I had to slide the manifold over the studs left by the cut bolt shafts which I found out later was a bit larger than the hole in the manifold and very snug. Probably used a cup of PB Blaster. I carried 4 bags of tools to the boat and with ALL of the stuff I had, the wall thickness of the impact sockets was too much to fit the head bolts surrounding space and all I had with me in a thin wall were 12 point sockets. SO, I was only able to loosen those on the outside edges.

The oil and coolant had blended together during the last hours of operating to make a tan MAYONNAISE and it was abundant in the pockets of the head under the valve cover. While this is some progress, I am still gung ho and hope to have this side off by next visit. The real PAIN will be the outboard side between the hull and the engine!"
 
I think it is going to make mo

I think it is going to make more sense to pull the block and place the engine on a stand in my garage and work on it in a more civilized environment.

Isn't it likely that I will find more crud in other places in the lower end as well and cleaning all of that out is a better way to go?
 
"right. the pan may be full of

"right. the pan may be full of that gunk. But if you fix the problem and run it up to temperature for a while and change the oil, it should go away without much trouble."
 
"Hey MistaHays...after opening

"Hey MistaHays...after opening up the heads, should there be a clear identifyable spot that coolant leakage is coming from? I realize that it may be effected by the size of a leak, but...might it be clearly traced?"
 
Sometimes it clear but often i

Sometimes it clear but often its not. Look for signs of leaks on the head gaskets and obvious cracks then send off to the machine shop for pro checkup. Thats what i would do.
 
"Are there any specific differ

"Are there any specific differences in parts used for the head rebuild for MARINE engines over AUTOMOBILE engines? Seals, valves, seats?"
 
"probably. Not sure what thoug

"probably. Not sure what though. lots of different flavors of castings, valve sizes, port configurations, plug angles, valve seats... a good machine shop will know whats going on."
 
"Al, I haven't responded t

"Al, I haven't responded to any of your calls for help because you are in areas of the engine where I haven't gone. I am reading and learning. When you finish this job you are really going to know this engine. I am pulling for you.

Chuck"
 
"Thanks Chuck, It is pretty c

"Thanks Chuck, It is pretty clear that I have'nt been here either BUT HEY ! I can only rememeber the extreme confidence I had riding a 81 year old motorycycle thru Daytona, Fla and all over NJ. More than some of the guys with new bikes. I know that I will certainly try to get it right...I will keep posting as I go...."
 
Is it ok to send these heads o

Is it ok to send these heads out to an AUTOMOTIVE shop or it is necessary to find a MARINE engine shop?
 
i would send to a machine shop

i would send to a machine shop that does some degree of volume... thats all. ask questions like you would when hiring a mechanic. you'll find out if they know their sh**

cheers
 
"Al,I would take them to the s

"Al,I would take them to the same guys that did your motorcycle heads if they do automotive stuff also.cylinder head work is pretty straight forward,make sure it's flat,not cracked .make sure the valves seal and the guides aren't worn out and you should be good to go. I dont see why you would need any special gaskets on a fresh water cooled engine."
 
"Well so far, I have the heads

"Well so far, I have the heads off and I see the cyclinder walls are very smooth, no scoring, the oil I poured in last week is still puddled up on the tops of the pistons. Does this say anything good about the rings on this block?"
 
"You might be okay--but you mu

"You might be okay--but you must get all of that crap out of the oil pan. I suggest kerosene flushing and vacuuming several times over.

Good luck! Many of us have gone through similar nightmares, and if you get her running well again, you'll really feel good!

Jeff"
 
"Hi Jeff,

don't you mea

"Hi Jeff,

don't you mean WHEN I get it running well....
On the vacuuming do you mean the oil pump sucker thing or actually getting into the lower end some how with a vacuum?"
 
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