Reconditioned block/heads with clogged and dirty oil and water passages

[DWinTX]

I am building my first engine and ran into a situation that I need your opinion on. It is a 318 poly stroker. When I had the initial machine work done, of course part of it was to first clean the block and heads. When I started assembling the short block, I checked the water and oil passages and found they were still very dirty. In fact, a couple of oil galleries were completely clogged. I spent a couple of hours with my pressure washer and compressor washing and blowing out the passages. A lot of crud came out.

I’ve now discovered that several of the oil gallery holes in the heads are clogged and dirty too. The problem is that I had the machine shop mill them and do a valve job with hardened exhaust seats. Then reassemble the heads in the process. I don’t know if I should blast water through them with the valves and rockers/shafts already installed. I assume the oil passages flow into the rocker shafts and to the rocker arms, right? I’d be filling them with water. I could certainly blow them all out afterwards, but I don’t know if I can get all of the water out of those shafts.

Should I disassemble the heads to clean them? If so, does the pin that holds the rocker shaft come out easily, or does it usually get destroyed? The ones in there look new, but frankly I can't remember if I pulled them out when I disassembled the engine or the machine shop did. Are they still available? Where do you get them?

Is it normal for the machine shop not to clean the oil and water passages? The outside of the block and heads were clean as a whistle of course, but the oil and water passages were nasty. This shop is highly recommended, so maybe this is the way it works and I just wasn’t aware that the cleaning that the shop does doesn't clean the passages. Should I have cleaned them out before taking them in? Or did the shop not do the job correctly? I have four other project cars so I'll be going through this again and I want to do it right.

 

[texas69bee]

Take it back to the shop and tell them to finish the job. Where are you located in Texas? What shop did you go to? Or I would disassemble and run through an ultrasonic cleaner. There is a guy in Lewisville but it will cost you another $50.00.

 

[happyjackdaddy54]

Any machine shop would clean those parts. Because they don't want to work on nasty parts either. You should take it back to them. If they value their reputation, they'll redo it. If, the
cam bearings haven't been installed tell them to hot tank the block and heads.

 

[DWinTX]

I'm in the DFW area, up on the north side of Lake Lewisville. I hate to "out" the shop just yet. The guy seems like a good guy and has been very helpful. Plus he was recommended by a couple of long-time mechanics.

The block is clean at this point, it's just the heads I need to get right. As it turns out, I also have some clearance issues with the stroker kit that I'm going to have to have him address. I'll take them back to him and see what he says. I just wanted to know what I should be expecting since this is the first time I've dealt with a machine shop (on an engine anyway).

 

[Cranky]

What type of cleaning equipment does he use? There are several ways to clean blocks and heads and then there's others for doing aluminum. Even caustic vatting (cast iron can withstand just about anything but but caustic vatting is not for aluminum) isn't perfect and that technique usually leaves a pretty good amount of residue. Spray cabinets and thermal ovens and flame rotisseries and ultrasonic tanks are good ways to clean stuff too but if things are really nasty inside but look half way decent on the outside, the operator might not leave them in long enough. I do a lot of my own machining/assembly so before anything goes to a shop for cleaning is inspected by yours truly before being sent out and on some engines, they are clean enough for me to just power wash....but that usually only happens in the summer time for obvious reasons lol. But all parts are inspected and final cleaned by me before assembly and not after. If you clean your heads etc, they should be apart and if not apart, at least soak them down really good with a light oil. WD40 in a garden sprayer works pretty good but nothing works as good as doing disassembled parts that way no cleaning solution or water is trapped. A good gun cleaning kit is a good tool to use to get into all the small passageways etc.....

 

[DWinTX]

Not sure of the method he used, it just says "VAT & MF Block" on the invoice for the block. I had the heads and block in at different times so there's two invoices. After looking at the invoice for the heads, it doesn't show a cleaning charge at all. I know he had to clean them, because they were pretty grimy.

 

[IQ52]

Sorry to tell you this but it is your job to clean all the passages in the block. The machine shop will wash/clean the outside of the parts so they can handle the parts and do the machine work. But before the assembly you should inspect and wash/clean everything before final assembly. It is the assemblers duty to clean. If the machine shop was supposed to assemble the engine then they were responsible for cleaning everything. As the machine shop assembled the heads, they were responsible to clean them entirely, passages and all.

 

[DWinTX]

No need to be sorry, if that's the way it is, then that's the way it is. That's why I'm asking here rather than going in and complaining to the guy that he didn't do his job w/o knowing what I'm talking about.

 

[Meep-Meep]

It should be clean..................but..................I always re clean everything that comes back from the shop regardless who did the machine work. Use laundry detergent and warm water or pressure washer and long brushes. You can't be too clean. Also have an air hose, brake clean and WD40 in arms reach to chase the water out so the machined surfaces don't flash rust. It's YOUR engine and YOU need to make sure it's clean before assembly.

 

[Hemi 354]

DWinTX.....is that shop in Denton and does the name start with a "C"? I was considering taking my block / heads to that shop.....I am in the Lewisville area as well.

 

[DWinTX]

Hemi, I sent you a PM.

For those who may know the shop Hemi is referring to, that was not the shop I used.