pjo046 Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Well, something odd happened the other day. Earlier this spring I used a dremel to smooth out the interior of my F54 block, I removed the freeze plugs, oil-gallery plugs etc. Cleaned it all up real good. Then I sent the block to a machine shop to have the deck straightened, have the cylinders honed and finally have it hot tanked.When I got it back I covered it with WD40 to prevent rust. Some days ago I took the block outside to do some final cleaning with a high pressure washer and some detergent/soap before I could start assembling the engine. I found a wheel cleaner in my fathers garage that was supposed to be real powerful, so I used that. I sprayed it on and let it work for a while, then hosed it all of. But it was like a chemical reaction happened between the metall and the cleaner, and all the surfaces on the block got a rust-like color. I sprayed WD-40 all over the block again, and then air-dried it. Now, after I have gotten it inside again, I have used paper towels to wipe off the "rust" layer everywhere. There is some left that won't go off, even with laquer thinner or the likes. So, my question is, do you think I can go ahead and assemble the engine despite this? Or will it ruin the build if I do so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z-ya Posted May 26, 2006 Share Posted May 26, 2006 Are the bores and bearing seating areas clean? How about the oil galleys, are they clean? If so, I think you will be OK. A little rust on the inside of the block will not hurt anything. As long as the bores, deck, and oil galleys are clean, it should be ok to assemble it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjo046 Posted May 26, 2006 Author Share Posted May 26, 2006 I have wiped the bores, deck etc clean. Of course there is some left that won't go away no matter what. So you think I should be fine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjo046 Posted May 29, 2006 Author Share Posted May 29, 2006 Well, here are some photos I took this weekend. It looks a bit worse on the photos than it actually is, due to the flash on the camera. The photo of one of the bore's is a bit bad quality unfortunately. So, what do you guys think? Is this a problem? http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=7647&cat=530 http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=7646&cat=530 http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=7645&cat=530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipzoomie Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 I clean my blocks with Easy-Off oven cleaner. Here in Florida the blocks will rust right before your eyes. So, I paint the outside immediately and wipe down the insides with oil and then assemble. No problems so far and I've been doing this for a looooooooong time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjo046 Posted May 30, 2006 Author Share Posted May 30, 2006 I covered the block with water dispersant oil immediately after cleaning it. I'm not sure if this is even rust, or just a chemical reaction. It looks like it comes from the rust in the water passages in the block perhaps? And again, it appeared in one minute's time when I was hosing of the wheel cleaner.... So, does anyone know if this will be a problem? Have anyone experienced this before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2126 Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Take the block and have it hot-tanked. The process will clean out that thin layer of rust that is inside your coolant passages....and it will likely remove the discoloration you are talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjo046 Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 The thing is that I have already had it hot tanked. And if I hot tank it again, I will need to clean it afterwards anyway, as hot tanking only loosens everything, it doesn't completely clean the block. So you really think I have to go through the whole process once again?...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjo046 Posted June 1, 2006 Author Share Posted June 1, 2006 Bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zuhow Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 since no one else has chimmed in, i'll give you my 2 cents. IMHO, it's certainly not what you want. Will it be ok? Most likely. The corrosion is only a couple of microns thick, and will probably be removed by the wiping action of the rings. That said, you'd be better off if it didn't happen. Just get it as clean as you can- then clean it again. Mechanical stuff is suprisingly tough- I once work at a steel mill that had (and still has) a 1898 reciprocating air compressor in use- and that thing ran 24/7 with less than ideal upkeep. If it were mine, I'd be PO'ed at myself and then I'd put it together as best as possible and run with it. What are your other options- not much I'm afraid to say. You MIGHT be able to hone it to remove it, but that will open up your bores- might not be so bad, but I dont know if you're willing to take that risk. Have you mic'd the bores and do you know what your clearances are? You could assemble it and crank it around by hand a few dozen time to see if that will polish the rust off the bores and then dissasemble it and clean and reassemble (this time keep ALL water away- use laquer thinner or mineral spirits). I think you'll be OK, but damn, that sucks......I know how you feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjo046 Posted June 1, 2006 Author Share Posted June 1, 2006 Thanks for the answer! I don't think I want to hone the bores again, as I have already had it lightly honed to remove the glazing, and I don't want to increase the clearances any more. Then I might end up having to get new piston rings and so on, because I can't have any more clearance then what I have now. I guess I'll just try to clean it over and over again with laquer thinner, as it will surely get better than it is now. I just hope this won't affect the sealing of the head gasket, or the ring break in... :-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjo046 Posted June 4, 2006 Author Share Posted June 4, 2006 Well, I started cleaning the block again today with more laquer-thinner. Then I got a bright idea. I used a 30% Phosphoric acid solution and a brush, and applied it onto all the exposed metal surfaces of the block. Phosphoric acid reacts fast with corrosion, but very slowly with metal. So I just let it soak in for a while, then wiped it of, and finally I cleaned everything with laquer-thinner. After that I applied generous amounts of oil to the surfaces to prevent any future corrosion while waiting for the assembly. Lastly I masked the block so that it is ready for painting. Just check out the pictures. No more rust. http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=7768&size=big&cat=500&ppuser=10354 http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=7770&cat=500&size=big&ppuser=10354 http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=7771&cat=500&size=big&ppuser=10354 http://album.hybridz.org/showphoto.php?photo=7772&cat=500&size=big&ppuser=10354 Today was a great day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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