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Hello
I was working on a 04 blazer 4.3 vortex when a very small tip of a screw driver broke off and went down into the #1 cylinder fuel port! I set the motor to tdc and removed the lower intake but can not locate it. I tried probing around with a magnetic rod and tried fishing it out thru the spark plug hole with no luck! Any one have any tricks I can try ! Thanks
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That does suck but now you know. That was a good idea BTW. That said, if you have a cracked piston that could spell big problems. If that’s the case I would encourage you to replace the engine over trying to rebuild it.
Keep us posted.
I will pull the head off and see if the piston is actually cracked. If it is I will most likely go with a short block assembly. Thanks for the advise
update. i started yesterday with the removal of the cylinder head. i am sure that a big part of the trouble will be removing the exhaust manifold. very tight work space with the steering shaft only about an inch away. i started by coating all the nuts and bolts with pb blaster the day before. today i was able to remove all the bolts fairly easy and did not break any thing. the studs under the truck that bolt to the exhaust flange were on real good,my dewalt 20 volt impact gun didn’t budge them.i was able to break them loose with a long extension that allows the socket to swivel at the end.
this gave me the clearance i needed. after getting the manifold loose i stopped for the day.will be back at it tomorrow after work.
If you didn’t break any manifold studs on the head, that’s cause for a mini celebration. PB Blaster is amazing stuff for sure… Regarding disconnecting your exhaust, sometimes, you can get several long extensions and reach the manifold bolts from under the truck just above where the exhaust pipe straightens out. I know that may not make sense without being able to show you. But this enables you to get good torque and access to those bolts on without diving head first behind the engine from above. If this doesn’t make sense, get several long extensions with your socket under the car, study it for a moment and maybe it will become clear to you. Best of luck with this tedious job.
Yes! I was able to get all the bolts loose! Just as you described I used a long extension and was able to get the three bolts off of the flange! I first tightened the bolts then they turnrd loose with little effort! I can turn them by hand now! The last two at the back of the head I had to use a 14mm box wrench
so i was able to remove the cylinder head from the motor. not to difficult but still a lot of hard work.the hardest part was getting to the bolts the hold the gas lines and a ground wire to the very back of the cylinder head.you can do this job by un bolting the exhaust manifold and removing the bracket that holds the power steering pump. this will give you room to get to the lower bolts on the head.was surprised on how tight the head bolts were on, every one had to have a breaker bar taken to it. any way i have attached some photos of the piston and would like some feed back on weather or not its shot. the piston does have a grove in it but does not seem to be cracked
Looks like it got munched up in there pretty good. The piston does indeed have damage but consider the condition of the rest of the engine and the vehicle. If you feel that it’s not worth the effort, you might be fine with just repairing the cylinder head and leaving the piston the way it is. As long as there aren’t any holes in it and it’s not scraping the cylinder walls you should be good. It’s a tough call if I’m honest. Thanks for posting the pics and keep us posted.
Eric thanks for your advice. The cylinder head looks fine ! The engine is in good condition. Im going to clean up every thing and put it back together ! And hope for the best! I will post a photo of the
head and tell me what you thinkbillblazer04, If you can turn the engine by hand at the crank shaft (or have an assistant do it), look at the inside of the piston chamber walls that corresponds with that screw driver ding as it goes up and down. If it is gouging and or scratching the wall, then you have a problem. If the wall is unaffected and shows no signs of scratching where the ding corresponds with this part of the piston as it goes up and down, you should be fine. Just curious, how many miles are on this engine?
The motor has 140,000 on it but it must of been rebuilt at some point. The engine has no sludge anywhere and all the gaskets including the head gasket look almost new. I rotaded the engine and nothing is scraping so im going to try my luck.if all fails I will pick up a short block and make a youtube vide of the swap Thanks for the advise
OUCH! That piston is iffy. As long as it’s not pinching the top compression ring it should be OK. Are you a gambler? 🙂
Here is kinda an off the wall question.. but this is a situation i’ve never encountered…
Q: could the piston be machined or repaired as it is, in car while the head is off?
precision welding could be tricky.. any slag would cause problems. Maybe a guard could be fitted between the piston and the cylinder. Then maybe create a light build-up with a TIG welder (MIG would be too violent) then grind the build-up to match the piston surface. This type of automotive surgery of course would require a very experienced and well qualified welder whose services would probably cost $$$. Also, I’m not sure if a weld will hold inside of a combustion chamber.
I only ask this question cause i’ve seen a youtube video of a guy who repaired a cracked block and the engine looked good as new.
perhaps if any repairs could be made to this piston, it’d be better made off of the vehicle, at which point replacing the piston would be a better option.
I believe the damage is more cosmetic than functional anyway.
Thats a good question! I have a certified mechanic coming over to look at it! If I have to pull it I will replace the block
Billblazer04, I know you’re getting way more input than you possibly desire. That first piston ring is a good quarter of an inch plus down from the ding on that piston. A pinched ring would most certainly cause scratches on the piston wall. Something bent a quarter inch down would certainly have distorted the metal above it thus causing a significant scratch to the cylinder wall. Here is my two pennies worth…bring that piston all the way to the top and take a dremmel tool with a grinding tip and gently address that spot. You could address that small piece of metal that looks like it might break loose in time. Also, you could remove the carbon well enough to see if there’s a crack. Hit the spot with some break cleaner and compressed air afterwards. If there’s a fracture, you’d certainly see it. That’s what I’d do is she were mine. Thanks for indulging my opinion here.
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