Junk Yard Explorer Engine.. Filthy..

TRIBUNAL

Active Member
Jun 12, 2005
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So after pulling my last mustang engine apart and finding rust and ridge wear in the cylinders I decided to take the advice many people on here gave me and I bought a used Explorer Engine from a junk yard.
Supposedly it has 117k miles out of a 97.5 with the 4 bar gt40P heads but it was at another location. He said it had only been there 50 days and they drove it a bit, ran well. The other engines he had around 100k, were there for over a year. I made a $100 deposit and got the vin number on the receipt. I used e-verify without paying for it to do an initial search and it came back the 187kmiles estimated, I'm not sure what it used to calculate that, but I decided to do a free trial for $2.97 or something. I then did a search that didn't return any mileage so I wasted my money. Carfax wanted like $30 I think and I just couldn't justify it, perhaps a mistake.
I went to the yard to see the vehicle it was being removed from to see if maybe I could see the mileage. Of course the instrument cluster was removed which made this even more suspicious....

I only paid $250 for the engine which was about 150-300 less than every other place I called.

Today I pulled the intake and pass valve cover off. I noticed the water passages are heavily rusted which I was reading can be fixed with some oxalic acid flush? The push rods are even more coated with carbon/sludge than my other engine. Everything seemed to be coated with a layer of thick sludge to be honest. Even the oil, when I removed it, seemed thick, but at least it wasn't a milkshake. Anyway I hope to removed the oil pan tomorrow and I'm more than a bit concerned about what I may find. Assuming I don't find anything catastrophic, What should I do, within reason, to get this engine cleaned before I put it in? Also is there anything I should do to the engine for any reason before I put it in?
I know I need to get a balancer and I have the flywheel, distributor, timing cover, etc...

Thanks guys, I'll post pics and updates tomorrow after I get the oil pan off.
 
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Honestly. Any junkyard engine I've pulled apart has been coated with that orange sludge. It's condensation and residues from the oil forming from sitting. Why I recommend anytime you park an engine for a while, you should change the oil.

Clean it up, and it will start to look better. Degreaser, scrub brush, and just go to town.

As for the 185k miles. A 1997.5 is 18.5 years old. So if you estimate 10k miles a year, you get 185k.


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Several cans of degreaser- I like the kind that foams-a few stiff bristled brushes-big box of blue towels-different sized scrapers and patience will clean it up lol
Others will chime in with more/better recomendations. But here's a few more from me..lol.
I'd pull the intake,valve covers and oil pan. inspect everything and replace anything questionable. I'd replace the oil pump, the timing chain,water pump , balancer, rear main seal and of course the gaskets on the parts you removed :D

I'll tag a couple of people that still talk to me,and a couple that don't lol

@Boosted92LX @Davedacarpainter
@FoxMustangLvr @hoopty5.0
 
I agree with Mike and Chris. Amsoil sells a sludge remover that wouldn't be a bad idea after you have it hooked up,and running. It requires another oil change after it's had a chance to run through a warmed up engine, but big deal.

My little turd hasn't run in fifteen years, but it spins over easily, so....new oil to get it running, then the amsoil additive, then another oil change for me.

Cleaning the outside? Gunk has some very good engine cleaners. Different level of strength for filthiness of the engine. That with a power washer, at least you'll see everything afterwards.
 
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If you have an air compressor Harbor Freight sells a cheap siphon style pressure sprayer. That thing works wonders when using a 50/50 mix water/purple power. Its not as powerful as a pressure washer but gets the job done. Its just a trigger with a nozzle and a clear hose....simple and cheap.

Gunk gets a thumbs up as well. I use that at the coin car washes. They may hate me for it but it works [emoji106]
 
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Drain the oil and remove the filter. pou a few quarts of cheapo oil and a bottle of MMO into it- in the lifter valley, heads, etc and turn the motor over by hand.. pull the pan off and spray the crank, rods piston cylinders down with it.. Purple power the outsidfe of te motor.
 
I've pulled several of these. One had sludge so thick that it looked like an alien life form. Cross hatch and cylinder wear looked good though so after a thorough cleaning everything was as you would expect. Like mentioned. Clean it up. Button everything back together and enjoy.
 
These "cheap" junk yard motors get costly real quick. If you pull the water pump you better pray you don't snap a bolt. If you do it's about $80 for a new WP bolt/stud kit from LMR which thank heaven they created! When I found condensation and junky oil in my last motor I was advised to spray the bottom end down with non-chlorinated brake parts cleaner. I had the oil pan off already and it cleaned that area up nicely. Get a new oil pump, oil pick up, and new ARP oil pump shaft while the pan is off. Get a Fel-pro one piece oil pan gasket and black RTV for re-installing the pan. For my first start up I'd use the least expensive dino oil and then change it after you start the engine and warm it up.
 
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thx guys, great advice :)

So I am looking on summit at head gaskets, I notice they have different options, material, thicknesses. Any opinions on what I should look for?
thanks again
 
Several cans of degreaser- I like the kind that foams-a few stiff bristled brushes-big box of blue towels-different sized scrapers and patience will clean it up lol
Others will chime in with more/better recomendations. But here's a few more from me..lol.
I'd pull the intake,valve covers and oil pan. inspect everything and replace anything questionable. I'd replace the oil pump, the timing chain,water pump , balancer, rear main seal and of course the gaskets on the parts you removed :D

I'll tag a couple of people that still talk to me,and a couple that don't lol

@Boosted92LX @Davedacarpainter
@FoxMustangLvr @hoopty5.0
What are you talking about? I still talk to you. What does Dave know about degreaser that I don't?

Are you implying that Dave is more accustomed to getting greasy?
 
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