Head & Block Cleaning

This is pretty simple if time consuming

Tools

• White 3M rolec disk and adaptor
• Drill cordless or corded
• WD 40
• Scotch bright pad
• Rags
• Ice scraper
• Spray on gasket remover - you may not need this it is like paint stripper for gaskets and toxic
• Windex or cheap equivalent
• Buffing pad for the drill
• Micro mesh 8000 or higher
  Amazon
  Amazon

The process is pretty simple:

1. Rags in the piston openings and water jacket
2. Start with the plastic scraper get as much gasket material off as you can, it may be none that is ok
3. Next the Rolec disk - keep it moving you will see circular swirl marks that is ok, use very light pressure
4. Wipe the block down with windex and clean the disk every now and then the windex evaporates fast so you can get back to work
5. Back to the scraper, then back to the Rolec this should get the gasket material off
6. If you have no luck on step 2 to 4 breakout the evil chemical spray
7. Once you have all the gasket material off clean with windex
8. Take piece of Scotchbrite and soak it in Wd 40
9. LIGHTLY run it long ways over the block - use more WD 40 as required
10. Do step 9 just enough to get rid of the swirl marks - 2 or 3 passes should be enough DO NOT press down hard
11. Clean with windex then buff with same
12. Inspect your work make sure there is no gasket material left
13. Finally soak the 12000 grit in Windex
14. Take the 12000 grit and make the same 2 or 3 light passes adding windex as you go

After all of this you should end up with a nice clean smooth surface and no measurable amount of material removed,steps 8 through 14 are really just polishing. Composite gaskets want a good smooth surface.
Just take you time and stop when you are happy you can not get absolute perfection

Some images of my test run on my old head and not I did not polish to a shine


Tools less scraper

Before far side

After - note the damage around the locating dowl from the previous owner

Swirl marks from Rolec

Exhaust manifold side just Rolec and Scotch brite

Intake side before and just Rolec

Intake all steps except 12000

 

Will have a seperate post on head clean up found some interesting information.

But on to the lower intake, the insides were filthy: another good reason for the PCV mod, that is largely from the oil added to the intake from over pressure in the crankcase,and worn valve seals.


before

Very liberal application of carb cleaner - as in lots and a soft brush got that sorted out

Next was clean up of the mating surfaces the before image:




After image note how much cleaner the intake tubes are




Note the circular milling marks

Mating surface cleaning was accomplished by doing the following - (tested on a dead head)

• Spray liberally with windex
• Use a long plastic or wood sanding block and 320 grit WET/DRY sand paper
• Do about 5 or 6 passes - a pass is full length each way Light pressure
• Clean after every second path and re wet
• After that do 2 passes with 600 grit Wet /Dry using the same procedure
• Pay particular attention to the 2 water ports on the far right of the image and get rid of any RTV
• DO NOT SAND OUT THE RTV USE A PLASTIC SCRAPER BETWEEN SANDING RUNS
• Some darkness in the milling areas in fine, this surface does not have to glass smooth just level and clean
• After everything was done I flipped the head right side up and poured boiling water through, this gets rid to any remaining carb cleaner and any windex in the intake tubes
• Then hit the injectors with compressed air
• MAKE SURE THE INTAKE IS COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE INSTALLATION WATER IN PISTONS IS BAD

Freaked me out, until I tested but this method is used on aluminum heads and it works really well. Most guys go dry but the windex holds the sandpaper and material removed and limits the amounts the get into the engine.
I have more on this in my new head cleaning thread

 

New used heads arrived very fast test on dirty heads top bottom and diagonals looks like under 2 thou,need to clean some stuff in the center line to make sure.

 

New heads into the machine shop 8:00 am done by lunch, quote they were in excellent shape:

Valves good
Valve seals replaced as the come with the kit
They confirmed no more than 2 thou - head the head decked for best mating

Looks like this long weekend I should be able to get her back together, with luck.

 

Well I have a plan :

Saturday

• Clean the block and bolt holes - this is going in to be a large part of the day. There are large chunks of gasket that need to be hit with gasket remover, and from my testing it is going to be painful and slow.
• Clean all the push rods while I wait for the gasket cleaner to work
• Misc cleaning of other bits
• Fix wiring loom that sits under the intakes and any other wiring issues
• Reconnect CPS - it did not click firmly when I installed the new one

Sunday

• Fit the heads
• Lower intake
• Rockers
• Alternator and PS/Air Con brackets
• Coil packs

Monday

Everything else

Top up rad with water only - it will get dumped after warm up
Oil change - cheap oil it will be dumped after 100 miles max - good filter

Post start plan:

Oil change at 100 miles or a couple of hours of driving, make sure any left over contaminants are picked up and then removed.
Run water only during initial startup,same idea get rid of any left over contamination - I may do a light duty flush if the water looks "off"
Put AF back in

Drive the Disco everywhere to put a few hundred miles on it, and know she is a happy truck

 

Well Saturday went to hell in a handbasket, 11:00 to 7:00 pm Clean gasket material from block, all but 1.5 hours of that time,many many bad words were used. Last hour was cleaning bolt holes, that at least was the expected time frame.
I also cleaned up some wiring loom while I waited for the Gasket cleaner to "work"

Used gasket removal spray
Hard plastic scrapers
Next to zero effect after 2 hours - ok I killed 3 scrapers

Then I did a bit of research and found a resin based scraper for gas stove tops and granite countertops popped down the hardware store and progress began ! it is called a
Before - Note carb clean works really well on piston heads



After an hour and 1/2

Finished

Finished


Wiring loom was just replacing old crumbling covering

Low tack cloth wiring tape
Braided Loom


Before

Taped

Finished except for zip ties at the ends

 

No pictures a long 3 day week end and I got the heads in place, with the rear bolt on the driver side holding me up, I need a small headed 3/8 torque wrench to get in there. Wobbles do not give enough room. Found a perfect sized one, but it is in inch lbs.

Cleaned up a few bits I have a line on a 3/8 that should work.

 

The getting left side head torqued down saga https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...uestion-99051/

Next up valley pan gasket and push rods, my push rods look awful but clean up fast with some orange citrus degreaser, 000 blue scotch brite pad and 10 minutes of work.

I have only done 1 as a test but man it works well:



After on top before below

 

Taking a while. Good thing you don’t need this full time
when we gonna hear this thing roar back to life ???

 

@redwhitekat If the Network Migration goes good this weekend early next week. I am in no hurry I just want it done right the 1st time, although the wife is tired of me thinking and talking about it.

After assembly:
pressure test the cooling system
Run her up to temp
Dump the water and re-fill with AF
Run back to temp

Drive daily to get about a 100 miles on her then dump the temp oil and re-fill with good oil