ok here is the before shot of whatever this lower part of the piston is called. i havent looked to see how bad the crank actually is because it got dark before i got home today but i experimented with this inside the garage.


this is the after shot. now ive seen WAY worse situations than what this looks like and the car still ran, so im thinking this has atleast a 50/50 shot if i can get the crank and the other piston piece to look like this.


basically i tried my hardest to just come flush with the original material after sanding through the melted bearing material. what do you guys think?

 

normally i would be doing that. but life and stress are really getting to me and frankly im less inclined to CARE about longevity. if i can get this thing running for a FEW months im saving up for new reman motor anyway. i know what your thinking what an idiot but man im tired of tearing this thing apart. if it doesnt work my way ill end up using your way i agree its smarter than my idea by far. so you have my full permission to say "I told you so".

 

OOOh, I see. Well, sorry bout that, man... I now see you're doing what you can with what you have.... Worth a shot I suppose if you have no other options, right?

That cap looks pretty good.... As long as the knobs of melted bearing are gone and you can get the bearing in, crank in, soak it in oil/moly maybe, turn the crank over by hand a couple times... As I said, worth a shot. Hope there's not a large wad of crap in that oil galley that's preventing that bearing from getting the lubrication it needs/needed.

Best wishes, man, and don't EVEN say that "i know, I'm an idiot" stuff! You're working the best you can with what you have. We get it, ya know?

Just remember, ..... starting with a 'ready to go' motor does NOT mean everything will be perfect and problem free. I'm not sure whom you're using,... and they might have a great record. However, I used a reputable place and ended up having to do the whole thing over, myself, and for HALF the price/with better parts/and it's running MUCH better. Whateverrrrrr you do, ..... I wish you the best and hope you have no further issues, man!

 

I think it is worth a shot to do it, run the Motor Honey stuff or Lucas Oil Stabalizer with thick oil, remember to put some assembly lube on those rod caps and crank, if you are real worried about it or if it starts really knocking, maybe try grounding out the #1 plug, it will be real gutless on 3 cylinders but it should cut down on wear if that cylinder isn't firing.

On my truck, I bought it with a rod knock, of course the guy I got it from had what looked like gear oil in it so I didn't hear it until the next day when I changed the oil, I tried to just roll in new bearings but it didn't work, it's been 2 years now of driving it, off roading it and revving it up to 6 grand and still nothing, I bought a long block for the day it does grenade but it is still going strong so far.

 

Actually that doesnt look too bad. Bump it up to a higher grit and polish it a little finer, use some soap or oil as a lubricant.

Maybe find a wooden dowl, wrap it in emery cloth or sandpaper, and use that to apply even pressure all over.

Honestly, if you can get it to smooth out, and use some good assembly lube, you might make this work.

 

Any updates?

 

sorry for the lack of updates in the last few days guys, work is piling up so im catching up on that.

You guys are awesome, your really making me feel better about the whole thing, not only by helping me back yard this thing back together but also for the kind words, you can ask my wife, i needed that.

Anyway im slowly smoothing the crank. i got the bearings out after about an hour of trying to to pry against the crank material. the bearings spun into eachother like i thought. the motor is not freed up and moves smoothly so i dont think theres any damage to the hone or the piston itself. its almost smooth but not quite. when it stops raining here ill go back out and use some emery cloth(where do i get that stuff for cheap?).

I tried to use the tape, rawhide and sandpaper but it didnt work too well everything kept breaking and falling apart so not im back to eye balling it very slowly and carefully. I bought some new bearings and some 20 50 oil for when its back together.(actually my wife did lol) this is looking more and more doable. ive been taking pics too so ill show you when i upload them. no matter what i will update you all on how it goes hopefully in the next week.

Peace! you guys rock!!

 

Cool man. Check home depot/lowes for the emery cloth. It's hard stuff to find anymore, but they might have it. Ace hardware, too.

 

ok so i got all the new bearings in last night after hours of sanding with emery cloth. I actually found the emery "cloth" at Schucks or "O'reilly's" but we all know its Schucks lol. i was expecting some sort of coarse CLOTH, but basically its just sandpaper on a fabric instead of "paper" and the actual grit just feels a LITTLE bit more rubberized that standard sandpaper. anyway it was 5.99 for 6 sheets(half sheets like that go on an automatic sander) 2 fine, 2 medium, and 2 coarse.

so after hours and hours of fine sanding on the crank it looked awesome so i put it all together and torqued the piston cap on. COULDNT TURN THE MOTOR AN INCH. so obviously i have more material to grind off. That being said im glad its too tight and not too loose, meaning i didnt take too much material off the crank or caps. I have been taking progress pics and i will upload them later tonight. Hopefully ill have this thing running by tomorrow.

more updates and pics SOON. And your right peow, emery cloth was a PITA to find. but for the record, home depot carries it for the same price, O'Reilly's was just closer to home.

 

I suppose what i was suggesting was emery tape, which is inch wide strips of emery cloth. You could always trim it with a pair of scissors though
Did you put oil on the bearings before reassembly?

 

Did you make sure the tranny was in neutral when you tried to turn the engine?

 

guys... GUYS!!!!! ITS RUNNING!!!!!!!!!!! WITH NO KNOCK!!!!!!! omfg im gonna pass out from excitement. before i get too carried away here, yes i put assembly lube generously on the inside of all the bearings and the crank before assembly, torqued everything perfectly and gave it a new pan gasket(cork booooo). basically i sanded it down until i could turn to motor but there was obviously a tiny bit drag so as to not take away too much material. i let it warm up and i drove it around the block this evening just as it was getting dark.

here are the pictures.

This is my work space, i need to clean my garage again...


This is the polishing job about half way through the process. this took me 3 full days to get right. if anyone is going to do this in the future, TAKE YOUR TIME. no rushing here at all.

same pic just a little closer


This is it last night, basically it looks the same as it did when i put it back together tonight, AAAALLLLLLLL day today was getting it super smooth and perfect, the detail work if you will.

and this is basically what i started out using, sand paper, and that raw hide string with tape wrapped around the sand paper.. it didnt work so well. emery cloth and a dremel.. YES a dremel for the big chunks works great.(do NOT touch the actual crank material with this or risk messing it up, again.. take your time)


I will make a video of the truck running and post it tomorrow. im freaking POOPED right now.

You guys have been amazing, this has probably been the biggest risk/gamble ive done on this truck and NO i wouldnt recommend doing this, but man am i totally stoked (and SUPRIZED) that this worked. So thank you guys for your awesome suggestions, i pretty much am in your debt because without you guys i probably wouldnt have tried this. I just lack the self confidence mechanically. and i second guess myself..

anyway, now im off to buy an aftermarket temp gauge to put in my gauge pod by the shifter next to my Sun brand oil pressure gauge.

WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!! back on the road!

Moving parts make me happy...

 

oh and yes i the truck was in neutral, thank you though i have been caught making that mistake a few times. lol

 

No problem. I know how it is to get engrossed in a project and overlook the obvious.

Congrats on getting her running! I hope she lasts you for a long time still.

 

WOOO!
Congreats dude, now save up and buy a new crank and bearings!

 

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT WORKED! This whole time I've been reading this and thinking it's never going to work, no chance in hell, but it did! I mean there are places you can skimp on an engine but the one place you DON'T is the bearings and bearing surfaces. How much did it cost you, like $10 and three days, thats awesome. Now the question is how long will it last? I mean seriously I thought it would fail, I almost wanted it too, I never have luck like that, but you've converted me, made me a believer and I hope it lasts, congradulations and good luck, keep us posted.

 

theoretically speaking, it could last a while. at the worst it'll knock, but i doubt it'll seize up as bad as it did before. that's why i suggested the thicker oil, to compensate for the bearing surfaces.

plus it'll help if it does actually start knocking.

 

you should know if it'll work your first real drive,good luck...finally.... a GOOD ending to one of these stories!!!!!!!!

 

Yeah im freaking stoked. Im installing an aftermarket temp gauge today(tried to yesterday but the damn thing didnt work so of course O'Reilly's is out of stock so i have to go to the next town(Keizer) to pick up a replacement today. then ill actually take it for a drive on the road. i think ive finally learned my lesson about not rushing this stuff.

Thanks for all the good wishes guys, im as amazed as you guys are about the whole thing. i seriously didnt think it would work AT ALL. Ill keep you posted on how it runs for awhile. Never did get that video up.. but you guys have heard these things before lol

lol Shady thanks man "i almost wanted it to fail" but i know what you mean, i would laugh at someone if they were going to attempt this on any vehicle.

It just goes to show you.. you cant kill a toyota.

 

Oh yeah ill be saving up for a new motor regardless.. lol. that thick oil is working great. the pressure gauge says it idles at about 60psi lol i think that might be too high but ill be changing the oil SOON anyway with slightly thinner oil(just because this oil makes me nervous).

And your right CMAN1 one of these crazy stories finally does have a happy ending. This is actually one of my first "finished" and "successful" threads ive ever written. woohoo!! mooooovin on up!