Should I bother trying to clean these? If so, what is the most effective way to do it? Thanks.

 

I used a fine wire wheel (cup) on a drill to clean mine. Came out great.

 

I ended up using a brass handle off a steel wire brush, yeah... didnt use the tool correctly, but the handle was able to scrape the crap off the pistons.

 

Really? Where does all the crap go? I am paranoid about getting stuff in the oil galleys and water jacket. How do you do it and contain all the debris at the same time?

 

have the piston you are cleaning at TDC, if paranoid about getting the crap all over the place, put a rag around the cylinder in the water jacket. Crap shouldn't be flying all over the place if you scrape it off. heck, a razor blade works decently too, just dont wanna go too wild with it and shave away at the piston haha...

Take your time and you should be okay. if you rush things, well... stuff goes everywhere.

 

Yes - clean them if you can. Brass or copper brushes work pretty well...along with a good dose of carb cleaner. Don't use a steel brush! I also like to spray carb cleaner around the edges of the pistons to dislodge any carbon deposits in/around the rings.

 

The thing to be concerned about here is getting stuff in between the pistons and the cylinder walls, which is almost impossible to avoid if you just go at it without prepping. The alusil doesn't like contaminants at all. Chris White told me his method - use a bead of assembly lube or some other viscous oil based lubricant and apply it around the circumference of the piston - of course at TDC. Clean the piston top and the crap that would have wound up between piston and wall is now caught in the assembly lube, ready to be shop-vac'd out. I wouldn't do it if you aren't going to ensure that nothing can get between your pistons and walls where you won't be able to clean it out. Water jacket isn't a big deal, stuff some paper towels down there to catch most of the stuff and you'll be fine.

 

I'd leave a shop vac running right where I was working to continuously suck up any particle to remove from the piston as well.

 

How many miles does it take before the “carbon cakes” are back?

 

Did you confirm a bad headgasket?

 

Not 100% sure, but the gasket looks suspect (see pic). It's difficult to see in the pic, but there is some blackening/scorching of the material between #4 and the corner water port.

Good information guys, thanks. Any other suggestions/hints/tips are certainly welcome!

 

no this is what you do. TAPE EVERYTHING and just have that one piston exposed @ TDC with a shop vac running have a brass or cooper wire brush with a 90deg angle drill and with some carb cleaner or something like it and drill away. BTW their is a very detailed thread on this step by step with pics if i am not mistaken. do a search not to be a jerk but its out there i know it. their is also somthing there that has to do with using vasaline on the outer rim of the piston so the dirt/grim doesnt get stuck inbetween the cyc wall and piston i have done my method before and worked very well but the write up on here on rennlist is allot better.

 

Very close! I use a heavy grease (wheel bearing grease).

 

If you clean all that stuff off you will lower your compression ratio.

 

How bad is it to take the head off, I have a feeling I will doing this next. Thanks