[bbnks2]

Pretty crazy the piston skirt didn't take out the cylinder wall. You should've pulled the motor though. Well worth buying an engine stand and working on it that way. What you're doing just look back breaking. Put it under a tarp or something in your driveway and keep everything well oiled. You're never going to be able to seal the bed-plate and clean everything with the engine in the car. Also, how are you going to hold the 60lb crank in place?

I would Honestly look for a used motor. Rebuild this one in your spare time or part it out to recover cost. N54s are dirt cheap. Then again, who in their right mind would risk buying a used N54 motor after going through this... People can't afford to maintain these cars right and this is the result.

You can throw a used rod in it, but, add up the costs... seals, head gasket, rod, bolts, special tools (timing)... you're going to be close to 2k into parts... The bed-plate selaant alone cost me over $100 when I rebuilt my N55. It's going to add up to almost the same cost of a used N54 engine.

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by bbnks2

Pretty crazy the piston skirt didn't take out the cylinder wall. You should've pulled the motor though. Well worth buying an engine stand and working on it that way. What you're doing just look back breaking. Put it under a tarp or something in your driveway and keep everything well oiled. You're never going to be able to seal the bed-plate and clean everything with the engine in the car. Also, how are you going to hold the 60lb crank in place?

I would Honestly look for a used motor. Rebuild this one in your spare time or part it out to recover cost. N54s are dirt cheap. Then again, who in their right mind would risk buying a used N54 motor after going through this... People can't afford to maintain these cars right and this is the result.

You can throw a used rod in it, but, add up the costs... seals, head gasket, rod, bolts, special tools (timing)... you're going to be close to 2k into parts... The bed-plate selaant alone cost me over $100. That's almost the cost of a used N54 engine.

I'm not doing the crank. The engine only has 75,000 miles and everything I've found so far on the inside is in good shape. I replaced lifters that were perfect, and I'm replacing rod bearings that all looked pretty good. So far I have already done the lifters and new octarings on cams, etc. This will be new rod bearings, new rings, and new seals. the only thing that will be original will be the crank bearings. Pulling the engine would have been a nightmare since I had to make 10' ramps to get the car into the garage due to my driveways serious incline. I also would have to get an engine stand and engine lift which wouldn't be that hard but there wouldn't be enough room to back up the car and get the engine out in the garage. plus I've got tons of light and AC in my garage. I was comfortable last night at 1 a.m. While outside it was storming raining and still is.

[RSL]

This whole thing is painful to look at. What are you going to do if the block *has* to come out? Can you fit a hoist on the side of the car where it sits at this point?

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by RSL

This whole thing is painful to look at. What are you going to do if the block *has* to come out? Can you fit a hoist on the side of the car where it sits at this point?

I don't see how the block has to come out. Cylinder walls look good. The ONLY thing I have not taken apart is the crank. Everything else (except rod #3) has looked pretty good so far. I am trusting that the crank is fine. It probably is just fine based on the mileage, condition of the old rod bearings, camshafts, rollers, lifters, etc. Even the bearings at #3 were in good shape. They didn't leave shavings or anything. Just the rod bent.

[Rube]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

Head is off! God it was heavy! I had to have that strap to lift it since reaching way out makes the thing 3 times heavier.

How do the valves look on the cylinder with the bent rod?

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by Rube

How do the valves look on the cylinder with the bent rod?

They look fine so far. I will look closer when I remove them to put new valve seals. I am not sure how the rod got bent but I am lucky it didn't ruin everything else.

[Rube]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

They look fine so far. I will look closer when I remove them to put new valve seals. I am not sure how the rod got bent but I am lucky it didn't ruin everything else.

A quick check would be to pour some water in the combustion chamber and see if it leaks past the valves.

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by Rube

A quick check would to pour some water in the combustion chamber and see if it leaks past the valves.

The head is off.

[Rube]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

The head is off.

Gotcha, I meant in that exact position you could pour water in the combustion chamber to see if leaks past the valves but you would need the spark plug and injector to be installed. You could probably also pour some water down the intake or exhaust port and see if it leaks past the valves. Easy way to check if any valve is bent and not closing completely.

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by Rube

Gotcha, I meant in that exact position you could pour water in the combustion chamber to see if leaks past the valves but you would need the spark plug and injector to be installed. You could probably also pour some water down the intake or exhaust post and see if it leaks past the valves. Easy way to check if any valve is bent and not closing completely.

Yeah, I may try that. They look exactly flush like the others.

[Rube]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

Yeah, I may try that. They look exactly flush like the others.

That’s good news!

[RSL]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

I don't see how the block has to come out. Cylinder walls look good. The ONLY thing I have not taken apart is the crank. Everything else (except rod #3) has looked pretty good so far. I am trusting that the crank is fine. It probably is just fine based on the mileage, condition of the old rod bearings, camshafts, rollers, lifters, etc. Even the bearings at #3 were in good shape. They didn't leave shavings or anything. Just the rod bent.

I hope you're right, but seem optimistic for someone this deep in the rabbit hole this quickly I wouldn't count anything out (or buy stock bore pistons/rings) before you check the shape of the cylinders. No telling if that chunk knocked out will have compromised the cylinder either. Just because it's below the ring line doesn't mean the cylinder will hold up over time. I wouldn't be able to go through all the work or sleep at night if I didn't have the cylinder magnafluxed or the entire block gone over/tanked/cleaned. You found a piece of accessory belt under the valve cover, right? I'd want to be sure there aren't more bits clogging oil paths before I dumped a bunch more money in it and expect it to hold up long term. Just seems so much at this point, go all the way to make sure you don't have to do it all again or swap motors later anyway.

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by RSL

I hope you're right, but seem optimistic for someone this deep in the rabbit hole this quickly I wouldn't count anything out (or buy stock bore pistons/rings) before you check the shape of the cylinders. No telling if that chunk knocked out will have compromised the cylinder either. Just because it's below the ring line doesn't mean the cylinder will hold up over time. I wouldn't be able to go through all the work or sleep at night if I didn't have the cylinder magnafluxed or the entire block gone over/tanked/cleaned. You found a piece of accessory belt under the valve cover, right? I'd want to be sure there aren't more bits clogging oil paths before I dumped a bunch more money in it and expect it to hold up long term. Just seems so much at this point, go all the way to make sure you don't have to do it all again or swap motors later anyway.

I get it. I have a micrometer and a bore guage on the way. I went looking for belt pieces and checking rod bearings, etc. when I found the bent rod. I didn't plan. This but I have had the top end apart twice and have been cleaning every nook and cranny as I go. I don't plan to put in any exotic parts. The bottom end of these is supposed to be pretty solid unless you get crazy with power. I plan to just have a few bolt on mods and this will not be a weekend cruiser. If I ever decide to get really serious and want over 450hp in the future I will just get another engine and completely build it up bulletproof, different turbo or maybe a single one, then just swap it in complete.

[RSL]

Definitely, if you're not going to take it out and don't have to, do everything you can to make sure it's absolutely as good as possible.

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by RSL

Definitely, if you're not going to take it out and don't have to, do everything you can to make sure it's absolutely as good as possible.

Oh yeah, the deeper the part is the more I want it to be right. I'm sure I'm much older than most of you here, but I have a lot of experience troubleshooting and repairing electronic systems, complex mechanisms, and of course cars. I used to be an electronic field service technician. I worked on very complex currency counting and counterfeit detection equipment. Believe it or not this car is really not THAT complicated. The good thing about a climate controlled garage that has a jigawatt of LED light is that I can take my time to clean and inspect everything. That way I can see what original parts I can just clean and service, and which ones I have to replace. The only reason I'm not doing crank bearings is because:

1 - Low miles on the motor.
2 - Rod bearings were in pretty good shape, so crank ones probably are too.
3 - Removing & resealing the bed plate is kind of a big deal.
4 - My garage doesn't have any room left with a custom golf cart and lots of other tools and materials.

I've actually even started doing some research on waste gate and turbo rebuild. I can feel that my wastegate bushings/arms have a good amount of slop. But I don't want to push the engine until it's broken in and tested properly. I'm going to just clean and leave the turbos as is for now. If everything goes right after the break in, I'm pretty competent now in dropping subframe and replacing turbos.

[JonEQuest]

Well, I seem to have gotten lucky. I just checked all my cylinder bores with a dial bore gauge and all of the measurements are consistently between .002" - .003" larger at 3 measurement angles, top and bottom of bore. There is about .001" taper at the most. I recalibrated the gauge with a micrometer again and got the same comparative readings, that time getting between 0.003" - 0.004". Which is to say they are very uniform and round even from cylinder to cylinder. I am going to do a quick stone deglazing to give a nice cross hatch and put new rings in when they arrive in a few days. My new cylinder showed up and it appears identical to the one it is replacing. I am going to mic it too as soon as it come out of the cleaning bath.

[Myrder]

Nicely done. Quite the undertaking without a engine hoist or lift. I hope you have smooth sailings after this.

I would suggest rebuilding your turbos now while they are out, relatively cheap. Plus with your power goals you might be content on FBO stockers with some ethanol for longer than you think.

Get a year or two driving it and having fun after this haha.

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by Myrder

Nicely done. Quite the undertaking without a engine hoist or lift. I hope you have smooth sailings after this.

I would suggest rebuilding your turbos now while they are out, relatively cheap. Plus with your power goals you might be content on FBO stockers with some ethanol for longer than you think.

Get a year or two driving it and having fun after this haha.

I plan to leave the turbos alone at least until after break in of the new parts.

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by JonEQuest

I plan to leave the turbos alone at least until after break in of the new parts.

since I had to remove the head I figure I might as well rework it, polish and port it while I have it on my workbench.

[fozzydj]

Good reading, glad its going well for you. Keep the updates coming

[JonEQuest]

Originally Posted by fozzydj

Good reading, glad its going well for you. Keep the updates coming

Thanks, I plan to drill and block the PCV ports on the head tomorrow and start putting it back together within the next few days.

[Cabdriver]

Would be prudent to figure out why that rod bent, if you dont determine why or how it bent it could happen again and you may very well be back at square one.
The rotating assembly is pretty stout, for that to bend means something is lurking. Good luck with the rebuild.