BigDiesel396

Alright I have a line on a complete '94 Cummins engine still in the truck, truck was just used for parts but the engine is still good. The thing is, is that they took the elbow off of the passenger side of the head at the front of the engine, and the inside of the passage is rusting, can it still be salvaged? how can I stop the rusting process and get the old rusty garbage out of it?

96_12V

Hmmm...I'll be interested in what others think on this one. Me thinks it's toast, honestly. Water vapor is no respector of iron, and one's it's got an opening, it takes over. Might be too late...?

lgp9999

I'm sure it's still good. It's tough to kill a block, and unless it's cracked, or the cylinder walls are gouged beyond the point that it can be safely bored, then it can be reused. I'd start by doing a complete tear down. After it's torn down, you'll have a better idea of what you're working with. I'd take it to a machine shop, and they'll be able to media blast and/or hot tank the block to clean it up. It'll look as if it came straight from the casting process.

I can't see the cylinder walls being rusty beyond what a simple hot tank and hone would take care of, even in the event in which water was literally sitting inside of the bores for years straight. In the event that they were that bad, a simple .010 over bore job would certainly do the trick.

It's going to cost a bit to find out its condition inside, and it could be as little as the price of a hot tank, hone, and new rings, headgasket, etc., or it could be much much more. Another thing that would add to the cost is if while you had it apart you might want to get the crankshaft polished and put in brand new main and rod bearings while you're at it. It all depends on what needs to be done, but if you can get a good deal on the engine I'd say go for it.

heavyboostin

i would take the engine apart and just hone the block and freshin it up, and have the head gone through and media blasted...

torquet

Rust isn't going to hurt anything. Just have it cleaned up/machined like you would anytime you do an engine build.

dsldan

would that be the thermostat elbow? if it is, I would think that a good chemical flushing and a new waterpump would make you good to go....

BigDiesel396

Im not positive if it is, the front lift lug for the engine is between the elbow and the engine though if that makes it any clearer, I am not 100% familiar with these gorgeous beasts yet so you will have to excuse me...... Also what chemical flushing would you recommend? Is this something that can be done at home or professionally? Thank you all for your replys

DiezelSmoke

The grid heater should be still in, if not I would stick a mirror in and see whats in there. I would vacume it out and then bar the engine over a couple full revolutions, then check the turbo and pre-lube and then start the engine. Start the engine in the truck before removal. Don't worry about a little rust be more concerend with water getting into the open intake.

jughead

sounds like thermo housing to me. if so all are slightly rusty inside. pre-lube, start engine, warm it up, do compression check or leak down check.

Kman9090

Very hard to ruin an engine. Have seen guys with 350 chevy's taken out of a 1960's something car that looked horrible covered in rust. Tore it down took it to a machine shop and now is a 500hp stroker motor. About the only way you can ruin a block is crack or put a big whole in it.

Doctor Detroit

That's what it sounds like to me. I've started diesels that sat for a couple of years with just water in them. We primed the oil system then flushed the block with water. We then ran them several days then flushed the system again. If the water came out dirty we filled with plain water and ran several days more. We repeated the process until when we flushed we got clean water. Then we filled with coolant/water and ran while keeping an eye on it for a while. We also reduced the coolant drain intervals on those engines the first time to make certain everything was out.

We did not change the water pumps. The passages are big. You shouldn't get anything in there that can't pass. Remember a spinning water pump is like a food processor. Small bits or sludge will be sliced and diced and dissolved into the coolant. Never had any problems.

If you pull a motor to have it hot tanked, you have just signed on for a complete rebuild. The engine has to be completely torn down before it can be hot tanked. Therefore, to put the engine back together you will pay the full labor of a rebuild. Only an idiot would put the old parts back in.

I would try everything short of pulling and a tear down first.

cstroup

Back in the day they usta strip the 350 and 400 chevy small blocks down to the bare block and store them outside till they got an order to rebuild one. Rust cleans right up, dont know about it but once i was told they "seasoned" the blocks this way , made them better.

Psychobilly

If its just rust you'll probably be fine, but if it's pitting then I'd be careful.

SolarExpress

My best friends uncle pulled a VW Rabbit (diesel) out of a bayou when we were kids. It had been sitting for who knows how long on the bottom of that bayou. That man tinkered with it for the better part of a day before he finally got started, and running. Ran great, but of course the rest of the car was toast. And as cstroup said, back in the day, seasoning blocks or heads meant letting them sit out and rust before machining. The Petty's were known to do this to their Hemi blocks and head.