General Miata Chat A place to talk about anything Miata

Problem Found! New Block, New Concerns, Please Read Page 4

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 07-23-2008, 07:36 PM
  #61  
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (33)
 
RotorNutFD3S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Newnan, GA
Posts: 2,518
Total Cats: 30
Default

Originally Posted by wildfire0310
Dude you like 20 steps behind us, we had to pull his motor apart cause the head was fine, the tranny was fine, the flywheel was fine.

Look up a few post and you will see a lovely picture of his motor, with a nice bent rod. That was a bad sight to see at 9pm after busting are a$$es to get his motor out.
No kidding!!!

In any case, picked up the '04 MSM short block today. It is very, very clean, and I didn't have to do much cleaning to get it looking good. However, I did notice that as I was rotating the crank and watching the pistons, that while 1, 2, and 3 are flush with the top of the block when they are at TDC, piston 4 is about 1mm short at TDC. Is this going to cause a problem? I was told by the reputable seller that it was a running 2k mile motor when it was pulled.

And I also assume that since the block was sitting for so long, that the oil pan front seal dried out, and is allowing oil to slightly seep by. So because of that, I'm going to replace the front and rear pan seals and re-gasket maker the oil pan. Should I go ahead and replace the front and rear main seals as well? Water pump gaskets? I don't want anything starting to fail after I get this thing installed. lol

Pictures will be up later.
RotorNutFD3S is offline  
Old 07-23-2008, 07:43 PM
  #62  
Senior Member
iTrader: (3)
 
msydnor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Fayetteville NC
Posts: 827
Total Cats: 0
Default

Originally Posted by wildfire0310
Dude you like 20 steps behind us, we had to pull his motor apart cause the head was fine, the tranny was fine, the flywheel was fine.

Look up a few post and you will see a lovely picture of his motor, with a nice bent rod. That was a bad sight to see at 9pm after busting are a$$es to get his motor out.
My bad, guess I should have read the rest of the thread before posting.
msydnor is offline  
Old 07-23-2008, 08:18 PM
  #63  
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (33)
 
RotorNutFD3S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Newnan, GA
Posts: 2,518
Total Cats: 30
Default

OK, another thing, I was looking down inside the cylinders, and cylinder #3 has a very small, straight-up scratch in the wall. It starts when the piston is at it's bottom-most position, and stops at a little over halfway up. I couldn't get a picture that showed the full length. You can barely feel it with your finger or fingernail. Is that going to cause an issue?

(I'm beginning to think that I'm destined to have nothing but issues anymore with my car...)
RotorNutFD3S is offline  
Old 07-23-2008, 08:57 PM
  #64  
Elite Member
iTrader: (1)
 
KPLAFIN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: VA, Germany, Afghanistan
Posts: 2,945
Total Cats: 3
Default

Originally Posted by RotorNutFD3S
OK, another thing, I was looking down inside the cylinders, and cylinder #3 has a very small, straight-up scratch in the wall. It starts when the piston is at it's bottom-most position, and stops at a little over halfway up. I couldn't get a picture that showed the full length. You can barely feel it with your finger or fingernail. Is that going to cause an issue?

(I'm beginning to think that I'm destined to have nothing but issues anymore with my car...)
That would make me think that something was inside of the cylinder...trapped between the cylinder and the wall...did you ever pop the injectors out and look at them? was there anything plugging the injector holes while you were having the injectors serviced to ensure nothing would fall int he cylinder? Not saying this cause your bent rod, but might be anopther problme going on as well.
KPLAFIN is offline  
Old 07-23-2008, 11:21 PM
  #65  
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (33)
 
RotorNutFD3S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Newnan, GA
Posts: 2,518
Total Cats: 30
Default

Originally Posted by KPLAFIN
That would make me think that something was inside of the cylinder...trapped between the cylinder and the wall...did you ever pop the injectors out and look at them? was there anything plugging the injector holes while you were having the injectors serviced to ensure nothing would fall int he cylinder? Not saying this cause your bent rod, but might be anopther problme going on as well.
This is on the new block. Not the old one. The old one got shoved to the side for an engine build later. And nothing came off the injectors. And even if something did, Cylinder 1 had the bent rod. Going to test the injectors tomorrow to see if #1 overflowed the cylinder.

So, cliff notes for the concerns with the MSM short block which I hope someone can answer soon so I can order parts and get the car on the road again :

1. Piston #4 is about 1mm short of being flush with the top of the block at TDC, while the other 3 are basically flush. (I was told this was a low-mileage running engine when it was pulled.) Is this a problem?

2. Block sat for some time. Therefore, I'm replacing the seeping front oil pan end seal and the rear oil pan end seal. Would it be a good idea to replace the front and rear main seals as well? What else on the block could need replacing so I don't have to tear the engine down again from something leaking? Water pump gaskets?

3. Cylinder #3 has a very small, straight-up scratch in the wall. It starts when the piston is at it's bottom-most position, and stops at a little over halfway up. I couldn't get a picture that showed the full length. You can barely feel it with your finger or fingernail. Is that going to cause an issue?

4. Since the block was sitting, I can see rust inside the coolant passages. Is that going to be an issue as well?

Thanks guys!

Last edited by RotorNutFD3S; 07-24-2008 at 12:10 AM.
RotorNutFD3S is offline  
Old 07-23-2008, 11:26 PM
  #66  
Elite Member
iTrader: (1)
 
KPLAFIN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: VA, Germany, Afghanistan
Posts: 2,945
Total Cats: 3
Default

Originally Posted by RotorNutFD3S
This is on the new block. Not the old one.
Damn, that's what i get for browsing on the cell phone...I missed important info.
KPLAFIN is offline  
Old 07-23-2008, 11:34 PM
  #67  
I'm Miserable!
iTrader: (5)
 
bryantaylor's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: jacksonville, fl
Posts: 1,711
Total Cats: -1
Default

how did that rod get bent anyway on the old motor?
bryantaylor is offline  
Old 07-23-2008, 11:38 PM
  #68  
Elite Member
iTrader: (1)
 
KPLAFIN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: VA, Germany, Afghanistan
Posts: 2,945
Total Cats: 3
Default

Originally Posted by bryantaylor
how did that rod get bent anyway on the old motor?
One hell of a starter from the info that we have.
KPLAFIN is offline  
Old 07-23-2008, 11:53 PM
  #69  
Elite Member
Thread Starter
iTrader: (33)
 
RotorNutFD3S's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Newnan, GA
Posts: 2,518
Total Cats: 30
Default

Originally Posted by bryantaylor
how did that rod get bent anyway on the old motor?
Still investigating that one. Either super starter as said, or the the injector was at fault and the cylinder hydrolocked and didn't show much evidence of it.

This is the album of the '04 MSM short block:
http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z...nt/04MSMBlock/

First are some shots showing the provisions for the turbo and catch can.
Next is a picture from the top, then cyl. #1 at TDC, then cyl. #2 & 3 at TDC, and then #4 at TDC (or not quite making it?).
The very last picture is of the scratch on the wall of cyl. #3. Open that picture to see the arrow pointing at the scratch. You can see it only goes a little over halfway up. The marks to the right which look bad, and are probably unwanted in any case, actually cannot be felt at all.

Last edited by RotorNutFD3S; 07-24-2008 at 12:25 AM.
RotorNutFD3S is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 12:29 AM
  #70  
Elite Member
iTrader: (39)
 
Zabac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: High Point NC
Posts: 4,850
Total Cats: 8
Default

Surface rust will come off if you use antifreeze.
The smal scratsh you are talking about on #3 has me a bit worried, but if it is as small as you say it is I doubt it will cause issues.
The short piston...that is a good question. I cannot recall ever seeing that before, it has me puzzled...
Did you check the wrist pin?
Pop off the oilpan and see what the crank and bearing look like...not sure what would cause a cyl to sit lower other than that. Unless the block was warped, but have you ever heared that happening? Me either.
Zabac is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 01:31 AM
  #71  
Elite Member
iTrader: (5)
 
johndoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,970
Total Cats: 1
Default

Originally Posted by Zabac
not sure what would cause a cyl to sit lower other than that. Unless the block was warped, but have you ever heared that happening? Me either.
crank not true?
johndoe is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 02:42 AM
  #72  
Senior Member
 
Torkel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Norrahammar, Sweden
Posts: 611
Total Cats: 7
Default

Originally Posted by johndoe
crank not true?
Or a bent rod on that engine too?
Torkel is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 07:42 AM
  #73  
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
Duckie_uk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bristol
Posts: 439
Total Cats: 0
Default

I would be back wherever you bought it asking the guy who sold it to explain it. If it was a working 2k motor then why did they break it up?
Duckie_uk is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 08:23 AM
  #74  
Ben
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (33)
 
Ben's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: atlanta-ish
Posts: 12,659
Total Cats: 134
Default

The block came from mazmart. It's out of a low mile MSM that we had a few years ago. The car was running when wrecked. The head was separated to sell to someone who trashed their MSM head. After the head was pulled, the block was wrapped with plastic, but was never put into inventory, people came and left, and the block kind of got "lost" for 2+ (nearly 3) years. I found the block and unwrapped it a couple days ago.

When I unwrapped the block, it looked beautiful and spun really nice when I gave the flywheel a twirl. Myself and 2 co-workers examined the block and we all thought it looked pretty nice. Eric came by and looked at it before purchase and also thought it looked pretty nice.

Eric's opening up the oil pan anyway to replace the pan seals. So more information will be known at that time. I'm kind of puzzled. But not yet concerned.
__________________
Chief of Floor Sweeping, DIYAutoTune.com & AMP EFI
Crew Chief, Car Owner & Least Valuable Driver, HongNorrthRacing

91 Turbo | 10AE Turbo | 01 Track Rat | #323 Mazda Champcar

Originally Posted by concealer404
Buy an MSPNP Pro, you'll feel better.
Ben is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 08:27 AM
  #75  
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
Duckie_uk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bristol
Posts: 439
Total Cats: 0
Default

My bad jumped to conclusions. Thought it came from joe schmoe who passed on a lemon.
Duckie_uk is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 09:16 AM
  #76  
Elite Member
iTrader: (5)
 
m2cupcar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 7,486
Total Cats: 372
Default

Eric - drag your finger nail across the scratch (w/o looking) and if you can "feel" it, then it's too big/deep IMO. Of course the low piston looks like a bigger prob to me. I'm w/torkel - another bent rod.
m2cupcar is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 10:09 AM
  #77  
Ben
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (33)
 
Ben's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: atlanta-ish
Posts: 12,659
Total Cats: 134
Default

After a phone call with Eric, I'm worried now. He's bringing the block back.

Sucks, it was a 2k mile block.
__________________
Chief of Floor Sweeping, DIYAutoTune.com & AMP EFI
Crew Chief, Car Owner & Least Valuable Driver, HongNorrthRacing

91 Turbo | 10AE Turbo | 01 Track Rat | #323 Mazda Champcar

Originally Posted by concealer404
Buy an MSPNP Pro, you'll feel better.
Ben is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 10:17 AM
  #78  
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
Duckie_uk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bristol
Posts: 439
Total Cats: 0
Default

Worried about the low piston/bent rod or the scratch in the bore?

If the crank is ok and the scratch minor then he can use the block with some budget forged rods or even swap out a rod from his old engine. MSM rods are same as stock aint they?
Duckie_uk is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 10:21 AM
  #79  
Ben
Supporting Vendor
iTrader: (33)
 
Ben's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: atlanta-ish
Posts: 12,659
Total Cats: 134
Default

Worried about the low piston. Could be a bad rod, bearing, wrist pin, or ???
Certainly rebuildable, but he's already got a rebuildable block in his possession.

That being said, this MSM block would make an excellent core for a build, since it has the MBSP, and is already ready already with tapped ports for turbo coolant and oil.
__________________
Chief of Floor Sweeping, DIYAutoTune.com & AMP EFI
Crew Chief, Car Owner & Least Valuable Driver, HongNorrthRacing

91 Turbo | 10AE Turbo | 01 Track Rat | #323 Mazda Champcar

Originally Posted by concealer404
Buy an MSPNP Pro, you'll feel better.
Ben is offline  
Old 07-24-2008, 10:28 AM
  #80  
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
Duckie_uk's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bristol
Posts: 439
Total Cats: 0
Default

My favorite kind of rebuild. 2 fucked = 1 good
Duckie_uk is offline  


Quick Reply: Problem Found! New Block, New Concerns, Please Read Page 4



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:19 PM.