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3.0 Engine pull w/TC & backyard rebuild [pics]


oddball101

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Okay, so you are witnessing my picture post virginity melt away right in front of your eyes lol. I'm not sure if the forum rules have limitations on how many pics can be posted so just let me know and I will trim it down. Also if sizing is an issue (which I do not know yet), please let me know how to correct it.

So here's my story.



Heard a slight knocking sound when I bought my 01 3.0 for a seriously discounted price. A few months later, driving down the highway, the rpm's shot up and the power dropped out. I coasted to a stop on the side where the motor shut off (seized), got her towed home and there she has been now for longer than I care to admit.

Finally got some time to tear into her about a week ago and now I have got parts coming in like it's cool so I can get her back on the road. I picked up a 99 3.0 taurus bottom end to swap over and started cleaning it up before I surface it and the heads.

"New" motor


A start on the unbuttoning process


Upper intake stuff gone


Lower intake and stuff gone


Push rods and rocker arms gone


Passenger side head gone


Drivers side head gone


Water pump and connected fan gone, A/C line still intact



I then unbolted the motor from the tranny, took out the starter and took a peak through the service plate on the other side of the tranny. Tried to get the bolts to the torque converter but failed because the crank wouldn't spin for ish. At this point I felt there was enough room to pull the motor (supported by a cherry picker) away from the tranny (supported by a floor jack). I know the preferred method is to back the tranny away from the motor when the TC cannot be disconnected. I however chose the other route thinking it may be possible for me to do this whole thing without having to mess with the tranny or detaching the exhaust.. and it worked. I was able to keep the tranny and motor level enough to slide straight back with ease. When it uncoupled from the tranny there was only a slight shift which tells me there wasn't that much weight creating pressure between the two. The reason I was concerned for this was because I didn't want to damage the torque converter.. we'll see.

Motor gone


The blown motor


Evidience.. metal shavings in the oil pan


The culprit.. looks to be a spun bearing under piston 4 (sorry, bad shot)


The interesting part which raises some questions as to the condition of the driver side head. The top of number 4 piston retains the exact shape of the combustion chamber.. Makes me wonder if when the bearing gave out, did the piston actually slap the bottom of the head to create this carbon imprint and potentially warp it in doing so? I've never seen anything like this so any input is welcome. The number 5 piston and the rest all have the same full covering carbon deposit, it just looks different because of the flash off of the cylinder wall.



So, this is how it stands now until I get the parts I've ordered in for replacement in about a week or so. Then I have to wait for payday to get the other parts I'll be needing. At the end of this rebuild project I'll be posting a complete list of everything I used and their costs so that hopefully it will help someone else in my shoes better uderstand what they can expect to be working with.

Let me know what you think about the number 4 piston and anything else that may come to mind..
 
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oddball101

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Wow, I figured someone would have at least something to say about the look of that piston..

Throw me some thoughts guys
 

pinturbo75

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can i see a pic of the head for that side?
 

oddball101

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Hey, sure can. I'll have to take the pick tonight and post it. On that note though I have already started cleaning the head surfaces though so I hope I haven't cleaned away any tell tail evidence you could be checking for.

*EDIT*
Here are the pics I shot last night. I started getting the big stuff off the head before I really got into the cleaning a couple nights ago.



 
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oddball101

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Okay, so for anybody else wondering, the concensus is that the piston did in fact smack the bottom of the head when the bearing gave out. It was pointed out to me that the groves in the top of the piston match those on the bottom of the head. Any other ideas are welcome, but otherwise I think I have been able to answer the question at hand.
 

oddball101

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Looks like I've got a hang up. I've drilled out a broken exhaust mani bolt but now I am stuck trying to get the remaining bit stuck in the threads out. I've tried a backout bolt but it doesn't seem to free it up. I've also tried a tap n die set but it seemed like I was going to break the tap so I canned that idea too.

I'm hoping more people will respond to this so I can get some ideas.. anybody out there lol?
 

oddball101

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Doesn't look like too much interest here so I think I will just leave it open instead of posting up the finishing pics. Otherwise I may just use this thread as a means of middle ground when consulting other friends. If anyone has questions I will be glad to help where I can.
 

Jim2

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...a broken exhaust mani bolt..
lemme guess, was it the top rear passenger side bolt?

I'm in middle of swapping a seized 3.0 for a good one, and that same bolt was snapped on both of them. One was broke inside the hole, but I managed to get it out clean... I used a square "easy out", and plenty of liquid wrench.

This replacement engine has 97K on it, so I was just searching for any info about things I should check before putting it in... or any other issues that might come up...

How did yours go? Did you get er back on the road?
 

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