Hey gang! I'm still plugging away at my Head Gasket replacement project but today has been devoted to other things. I had a little time just now to do some more cleaning of the heads. I think I may just get them professionally cleaned and be done with it. I just noticed that the sleeve of #4 cylinder is about 1mm above flush with the block. I've always thought my ticking sounds came form the passenger side and thought I might have figured it out when I got the valve covers off and noticed the lateral play in the front rocker assembly. Now I am not so sure. Interesting thing is that I also looked a the head and there does not seem to be any indication of the liner banging on the head. There is also only slight damage to the head gasket.. So the question is what is going to happen if I put the engine back together with that liner ever so slightly above the block? Yes I know the ticking my come back, but what is my downside? I don't have the time to pull the engine and I am not going to spend a couple of grand to get a 17 year old vehicle up to like new engine-wise.
Looking forward to your thoughts.

 

Why do you think it has top hat liners? Probably a factory block with a slipped liner. Send pics.

 

Bad choice of words on my part, I meant a plain old slipped liner. Pictures to follow.

 

Okay here are the pictures. Like I said, you can barely feel it just above the block. The head gasket does have a slight indentation.

 

Wow, never actually seen one with the liner above the block. We all know that is what the ticking is but still crazy to see.

Two ideas:

1. Buy a block coolant heater with pump, rig up to pump hot coolant through it, run it up to 300 degrees and push the liner down.

2. Put it together, start the engine, bring it up to temp till it starts ticking, shut it off, pin the cylinders.

Freaking LR, this should have been a class action suit back in the day.

 

Extinct-
How would I rig up a block heater to pass coolant thru the system if the coolant channels are wide open at the top of the block? Would the coolant just spew everywhere as I heat it up?
As to pinning, if I understand what you are saying, i put it all back together, then pin it. My question, and I am not being sarcastic, is why bother to pin it? I've put about all the $ I care to into this car. I love it, but I do not have the skill set or equipment to pin the liners ( i think)

 

You would need block off plates for the heads, they were a thing a few years ago. There is a video on youtube of a guy pressure testing a block with them. If you are not going to pin the liners and aren't interested in an engine swap for a new block then time to let the parts help the rest stay on the road. Maybe buy a FL truck given your location and swap parts?

 

I am all the way up in Connecticut so going down to FL for a truck to do parts swap is not worth the effort either. There is a good engine shop not too far away from me so I am going to drop in and chat with that guy tomorrow. The well known parts guy Paul Grant does not live too far away from me so I am going to have a chat with him as well. I do not have the time nor do I wish to leave the carcass in my driveway as I part the car out over the next "X" timeframe.

 

I bought a FL truck a few years back, nice road trip. Flew in to Orlando and drove home. I could think of worse ways to spend a couple days, like, well work.

 

Wish I had the time, not the case.