Hi all,

After a bit of advice. My engine has been out of the car for several years and for the best part of that time has been regularly turned over by hand, kept lubricated etc (stored inside with all ports bunged and plugs left in). That is until the last 6 months or so during which, for one reason and another, I have barely touched it, or at least not often enough. This occurred to me the other night so attempted to turn it over. As soon as I felt some resistance I whipped the plugs out and had a look into the bores. To my horror I saw rust in no.3 so off came the head for a closer look. I found what can only be described as rusty paper that crumbled to power in my fingers. I have no idea what it actually was or how it got in there. Perhaps a rag that was in a port or something? Anyway, whatever it was has clearly attracted moisture.

So my question is, is it dead? What can I do if anything with my engine? It is a 16 block Cortina Pinto that I bought as a reconditioned engine a number of years ago. It has already had a mild overbore by 0.75.

Thanks in advance

Rich


Pinto_1


Pinto_2


Pinto_3

That looks like alluminium oxide from the piston - not great , but not that bad . I would seal around the piston with some grease , clean the bore with a bit of 240 grit , and see how it runs .

Thanks Claire. The piston itself actually looks intact; although I realise no much material would be lost by corrosion. What is concernig me most is that material is 'missing' from the cylinder wall. It is not an amount that I could measure but can certainly be felt with a finger nail. Could this cause blow by problems or premature ring wear?

I should add that the photos were taken after I had mildly cleaned and rubbed down the cylinder.

quote:

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Originally posted by clairetoo
That looks like alluminium oxide from the piston - not great , but not that bad . I would seal around the piston with some grease , clean the bore with a bit of 240 grit , and see how it runs .

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Next step would be to hone the bore, if the corrosion is not completely removed by the hone then you will need a rebore and new pistons

thanks for you help and advice. How much material would a hone remove from the bore? Would my existing piston and rings still create a good enough seal? Would i have to hone all cylinders to ensure balance?
Sorry for all the questions.

quote:

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Originally posted by snapper
Next step would be to hone the bore, if the corrosion is not completely removed by the hone then you will need a rebore and new pistons

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run one of these puppies up and down the cylinder. if it needs any more than that then get it rebored.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/cht259-3-legged-glaze-breaker?da=1&TC=SRC-cylinder

hone the cylinder then gap the rings to see if they are too loose