Engine rebuild advice

[mach1soldier]

Well I overheated the festiva, more then once mind you.

I know the head gasket is toast.

I read about a guy replacing the piston rings by just taking the oil pan off. So my question is this. Do I just fix the head gasket and get a valve job, or should I do the rings as well?

Also what are the chances the main bearings are bad from the overheating? It still sounds and runs fine but overheats very quickly.

Mileage says 104k but I highly doubt that is accurate. It did not smoke at all.

[shadetree]

Probably cracked the head . I would have it checked and not touch the bottom end unless it was smoking and you say it wasn't .

[ricko1966]

Rod bearings and rings are an easy deal while the head is off and rod bearings are the first to wear. The cam turns at 1/2 crank speed and the main bearings are fairly stout and the first bearings to recieve oil.I would have the head pressure tested replace the rod bearings and rering it. Rings can and do lose tension from overheating. I also pull the center main cap and look at the bearing in the cap to decide on my mains the lower caps on the mains wear first the top shell on the rods wear first just because of how cylinder pressures are applied.Anyway after each rod is out wrap your journal in cardboard and masking tape then stuff an oily rag down the cylinder do that to each cylinder before you break the glaze on the cylinders.Oil the rags again from the top 99 percent of everything will stick to the oily rags the cardboard will protect the journals until final assembly don't forget to clean your ring grooves.I do this all the time never had a problem.It is not as good as a full rebuild but a darn good way to make sure an engine lasts a long time.

[Fordverde]

Better if you the things right the first time. Take it all out, disassemble and clean it your self; take the block, head, rods and crank to a shop and have them all measured and tested. This way you know that your engine is as it should be, of course all of this if you have the budget to do it. If not then you can just re-ring it and work the head.
remember to change the T-stat, check your temp senders and the fan. Use a good coolant! See if your radiator is not blocked on the inside.
Once a friend of mine had a Fiat, it didn't smoke and sounded good. He re-ring it and the engine started to knock. He ended up overhauling every single thing...

[Icedawg]

You know, it really depends on how you feel about the car and what your goals are. If you just think of it as a cheap daily driver, and you don't mind risking you have to do something twice, then just change the head gasket, and test it out. Overheating can also warp the head, and mean it needs planing, so you should put a straight edge on it before putting back together. If it smokes, or still overheats then you need to do a lot more, along the lines of what is above. In that case you will have wasted the effort and the cost of one head gasket, and have to do what is discussed above.
If you like to do things right the first time, then follow the advice above.

[dalebwilson]

And if you're a cheapskate like me....try this. Mine is still doing great

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?54518-Taking-A-Peak-At-What-s-Inside-a-B3

[mach1soldier]

Dalebwilson,

You are the one that got me thinking about doing the rings while the head was off. Seemed easy enough to work from the bottom if the whole engine didn't have to come out.

My goal is to keep it a cheap daily driver. As much as I would love to make the engine like new, it's not practical for me to dump 1200 bucks into a full rebuild and machine work. The car only cost me 450.

I'm going to pull the head tomorrow and see how the cylinders look. Will most likely pull a rod and piston to check / replace bearings as well. The head will get a cleaning, decked and valve job. That shouldn't be too crazy.

[dalebwilson]

Thats great! You can do it!

[mach1soldier]

Well took me a little over an hour to pull the head. It looks like two cylinders were getting coolant in them based upon the cleanliness. Anyone concur?

Cylinders don't look bad but since it's going to be a few days before I can get a head gasket, I might as well do the rings while I'm tearing it apart.

[dalebwilson]

Could be. Cylinders/pistons that are burning oil will also be more black than the others.

[mach1soldier]

Head is warped .006 in the center.

If I get it decked, should I be good or is likely to have warped something up top as well.

[Fordverde]

check the block, if the block is also warped then you will have a leak again

[dalebwilson]

Yes. Get it decked and don't forget to lap your valves in. It is unlikely the cast iron block is warped but is a good idea to check while disassembled.


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[Advancedynamix]

Beware of new rings. I'm not sure if it's the same for the b3, but on the B6d/t/ze and BP the factory rings are the best ones you can get. Aftermarket rings and a hone hone job will actually shorten your engine life. That engine doesn't look like the rings were a problem. I'd leave them alone. If anything, put all the pistons in the middle of the stroke and fill the holes with fresh diesel to soak the rings.
Check the crank and main bearings, don't forget the thrust bearing. Deck the head, check the block deck, also check the head for cracks ( don't forget to check around the cam journals, they like to crack there). While you have the pan off, it's always a good plan to pull the oil pump, clean and inspect it and replace the front main seal. That also gives you the opportunity to change the water pump, timing belt and tensioner. Then when it's all back together everything will be freshened up except the rear main, which you can do when you do a clutch.

[Advancedynamix]

Head is warped .006 in the center.

If I get it decked, should I be good or is likely to have warped something up top as well.

You'll be able to tell by the condition of the cam journals. .006" distortion as you have described is pretty normal for these engines. If the center cam journals show lots of wear then the head is no good.