Re: water in crankcase... stupid question...

["Jim Blair" <carnuck@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

A: Before you do anything major, if you have compressed air, put some into 
the cylinders to see if there is a buildup in the rad. (listen with the cap 
off) I hate to say it, but this sounds like when I had a motor w/o 
antifreeze (just water) sit through winter and it was cracked along the 
bottom of the cylinders.
   Another possibility is a missing freeze plug in the water gallery behind 
the timing chain (can't recall if AMC did that, but Buick did and lost 
numerous aluminum block motors because of it) or no gasket between the 
timing cover and block (water runs down the back of the waterpump directly 
into the pan through the mounting bolts)


From: Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>
To: AMC List <mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: water in crankcase... stupid question...
Message-ID: <20050527174859.K1488@localhost>

Before I pull the block out...

It seems likely that the headgasket is on backwards -- or missing
-- or some other stupid problem. I'll pull the head, on the car,
to check. Easy enough and makes engine pulling easier anyways.

QUESTION: If I find the problem [say backwards head gasket] is
there any chance of drying this thing out without tearing the
whole thing down?

It got water in the crankcase, definitely. Quarts. But it never
RAN; there's no serious mixing and it never rose above room
temperature. The crankcase was clean when I installed the oilpan;
it had not been previously run with this problem [which really
makes me think someone removed/restored the head and did a crappy
job], there would have been evidence.

More, I brought up oil pressure days ago, multiple times, with no
water in it; I added water only this morning at the last minute
before cranking. However, I have to assume it pumped water through
the galleries.

Maybe run something hydrophillic through it, like alcohol and oil?


This seems desparate as I write it :-)