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head and piston cleaning 200 1993

posted by  someone claiming to be Sean Scanlon on  Fri Sep 27 08:16 CST 2002 [RELATED]

Hi All,

I finally got the head off of the block,
So now the head is sitting on the bench in the garage.

I had expected to see massive amounts of carbon all over the pistons
but instead found a small ring of carbon at the top of each cylinder.
is that what carbon build up looks like?

whats the best way to clean the piston tops and combustion chambers?
I'd also like to clean the exhaust and intake ports.

can anybody recommend a solvent or cleaner to help me with this job?

Thanks,
-sean








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    head and piston cleaning 200 1993

    posted by  chris herbst on  Fri Sep 27 16:40 CST 2002
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
    last visit: Mon Oct 20 20:32 CST 2014
    [RELATED]

    What you're seeing sounds like a totally normal, clean running engine. You'll always have that little bit of deposit around the top of the cylinder. High RPM running can lower that even more.

    If you are really serious about cleaning it out (and it seems to make a difference at least a tiny bit) you can use carb cleaner. Make sure you don't blast too much in there. Use rags to wipe it off. With the head, you can spray the intake and exhaust ports the same way. I'd personally recommend having the machine shop boil the head to remove EVERYTHING. Wait until you see it when it gets back; you'll know exactly what I mean.

    --
    1992 940 wagon, very low miles
    as well as others.








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      head and piston cleaning 200 1993

      posted by  someone claiming to be Sean Scanlon on  Sat Sep 28 04:15 CST 2002 [RELATED]

      thanks for all of the responses.

      no need for abrasives, the buildup around the pistons came off with finger pressure
      and a shop vac :-)
      glad to hear that this is a normal occurance.

      could anyone give me a rough estimate of how much it would cost to have a shop clean the head?

      would I have to dismantle the valve train to have it cleaned?

      thanks,
      -sean








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    head and piston cleaning 200 1993

    posted by  someone claiming to be mark on  Fri Sep 27 14:54 CST 2002 [RELATED]

    Do a soak with Berrymans B12 Chemtool-overnite.MUCH BETTER than mechanics SOLVENT.DO not use gasoline-TOO DANGEROUS!!!B12 is great stuff.mark post back with results.








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    head and piston cleaning 200 1993

    posted by  someone claiming to be Rhys on  Fri Sep 27 14:03 CST 2002 [RELATED]

    If the carbon on the piston tops is not flaky and loose, and is adhering tightly, leave it alone. Don't use anything abrasive. Those nasty little 3M Scotchbrite pads? GM has a service bulletin expressly forbiding their use in any dealership. Too much to go into here, but don't use them.
    The head can simply be carefully scraped clean on the bottom. Don't scratch it at all on the gasket surface. If you intend to clean further, then dismantle it and have it cleaned in an automotive machine shop. Do a valve grind while you are at it, and replace the valve seals. If you don't want to do that, then leave it alone and just clean the gasket surface.

    And to those who think a GM advisory doesn't apply to a Volvo engine - engines can't read. They are just machines, and abrasives in the oil damage them all.







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    head and piston cleaning 200 1993

    uid 47's pic
    posted by  Paul S. on  Fri Sep 27 08:31 CST 2002
    Author: [PROFILE] [EVERY POST] [THREADS] [BEST POSTS] RSS Feed     [IGNORE ALL POSTS]
    last visit: Mon Sep 11 09:50 CST 2000
    [RELATED]

    Some solvents will help, but mostly elbow grease (dry - moto or air tool and Stotch 3m pad) and a vacuum....the idea of solvents down into the engine carrying that carboniforous grit scares me.
    --
    www.fidalgo.net/~brook4







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