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Prime candidates:
Improper piston/ bore clearance.
Lack of oil supply.
Major overheating.
Debris in the oil.
Funny thing is that the engine might still run OK and make decent power, with some minor oil burning. I'm not talking about the excessive rod clearance, just the pistons and cylinder bores.
No oil screen in the tank, there is one behind the cam plate I believe in one of the oil passages that probably has enough metal in it to reforge an entire engine. I think there had to be an oil problem somewhere, the valve tips and rocker pads have a lot of wear on them as well. It did run alright until that awful sound started...and no tensioners by the way, he had all fueling gear driven cam plate and oil pump, which I believe the scavenge gear wearing out is what causes wet sumping with that pump. Either way I don't have the equipment to take apart the flywheel from here, the guy who built this engine welded the crankpin.
Eng Work, take it to dealer they have the know how and right tools to fix it right the first time saves you money in the long run. Have seen so many second times around and they always cost you more.
Good pictures . . . your Piston Skirt and Cylinder Wall are showing classic overheating damage. Not from detonation as the Piton Crown appears to be OK. Lack of lubrication as the damage is primarily below the Oil Control Ring is the most likely cause. Could be extended running with insufficient air flow but I kind of doubt it. The lifter damage and debris in the Oil/Crankcase is a Chicken and the Egg thing at this point. ie was there debris in the Oil . . . and that caused a restriction in the Oil Supply which caused all the damage you a seeing . . . or did the overheating of the Piston and Cylinder generate the debris in the Oil that is fouling the Lifters and everything else you are seeing. You'll probably never know for sure . . . That is . . . unless you know for sure that you left it idling in the garage all by it's lonesome for a couple of hours . . .
Solution: Replace Pistons and Cylinders, all Bearings, Camshafts, Lifters, etc., etc., etc. As expensive as it is . . . unless you want to do it twice, you are looking at a major engine overhaul. Good excuse for doing a real nice engine build as long as you're having to do it all anyway . . . might as well get a real nice engine out of the time and money you're going to have to put into it!
Last edited by Bluehighways; Sep 21, 2012 at 12:36 AM.
just caught back up to this thread.. yeah those pistons are trash. no way i would put them back in a eng unless it was a lawnmower and wanted to try and get one more cut out of it..
You said you may have overfilled the eng oil. its possible you aerated/foamed the oil and put the eng in self destruct mode. that sucks..
the .093 vertical play in the rod is a big issue.. is it in the wrist pin or connecting rod big end at the crank ?
either way it may just be cheaper and easier to buy a new engine with everything this one is gonna need..
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