Cariboo4x4
Registered User
Hi all. I have evidence of rain water or snow melt water sitting in engine for 7-8 months or less or longer. The story is last November I bought a 2500 4x4 gmc pickup for the body metal. A bonus was an extra good 6.5 in box. Seller said it was good but he needed truck gone asap since he was moving and he simply wanted it gone. The seller seemed a bit odd yet the truck was in great condition and the price was good just for the metal. The engine in box if good would be an added bonus yet I didn’t really expect it to be considering price was only $700 not $2000 or more. Engine was covered with an insulated tarp which I thought was good. Then at end of May I had reached under tarp and threaded out and inspected glow plugs and they all looked dry and good. Then screwed them back in. Plus front of crankshaft moved so not siezed. Then in June earlier this week I completely removed tarp and the upper intake manifold was not on lower intake manifold. I was not thrilled to discover that. I removed intake manifold since easier to run wiring harness from other truck to injection pump. I did this before even putting engine in a truck that needed a good engine. I quickly realized rain water or snow melt had filled 2 head intake runners. The water was rusty looking. Also no water but evidence of rust in 3 head intake runners. And no rust or water in last 3. I had turned it over with a screwdriver against flex plate a couple days earlier one revolution to unbolt torque converter. A automatic transmission was still attached to engine. I’m thinking rusty water could have been in the 3 rusty (no water) head intake runners and flowed into piston cylinders when turning flex plate to unbolt torque converter. No water came out of exhaust manifolds so possibly exhaust valves closed or not much water. So just thinking water from snow melt leaked through tarp over winter or end of winter. So if tarp had been on engine just for this winter engine might still be good. Yet if tarp was on engine for a few winters then I expect 3 cylinders that have intake valves open could be really rusty. I used a long screw driver to scrap the rust down by intake valve area. The rust wasn’t powdery yet easy to scrap off but not cleanly. My mechanic camera wouldn’t go into glow plug holes. So what do you think so far? I’m thinking remove injectors from the 3 runners with intake valves open that water would have leaked past this spring and possibly early in winter. I really don’t have time to burn removing heads. I know rust forms quickly over just a few days on bare metal. These engines bounce in engine bay with uneven compression and I am thinking my time and energy would be wasted putting it in a truck. Engine oil is actually low and very black. There was a few beads of water on dip stick which I hope is just from condensation. I was really hoping to just plop this engine in. I was going to put the engine in a friends truck yet now I see the engine becoming a money pit or a boat anchor. My gut says its to go for scrap. What do you think after reading this story book?
