[461-69bird]

disassembling the engine after my roller lifter failure. Are these marks on the cylinder bores ok or should I be concerned? They are on all 8 cylinders on the crank side. I can only just feel the main line with my nail.

[25stevem]

I had the same thing take place when I had the needles fail in one of my lifters from the lash opening up, before I really new how to set a poly lock .

Those scratches are from the broken very ground up pieces of the needles getting up in there.

The problem I found and what concerneds me far more then the scratches on the walls was that I found some of the Pistons still had some of that ground up very hard steel imbedded in the piston skirts!

I know it's not what you want to here, but I would disassemble the whole motor to check this.

This will also allow you to flush out the oil galleys and Crank passages where more of that steel grit could hanging out.

Your going to want to re-ring it anyway because now the Moly on the face of both compression rings is scratched up also unfortunately.

Thank God for roller lifters these days that use a bushing and do away with the needles!

PS.

Your oil pump is likely scratched up on the inside also.

[461-69bird]

Steve, did you have to hone the bores again? Is the oil pump no good now, should it be replaced?

[scott70]

How many miles? I've torn engines down and seen normal skirt marks like that.

[Tom Vaught]

Either way it means trash or dirt went thru the cylinders at some point in time to score
the cylinders like that.

Tom V.

[Jack Ferris]

I had a roller lifter mishap many years ago and it embedded tiny pieces of metal in a few of the skirts.

[25stevem]

I would flexhone each Bore to the tune of 3 up & down passes.

Your pump is likely still good but you will want to take it apart and flush it out so to be sure there's nothing in there to keep the check ball unseated.

[461-69bird]

Thanks guys, I'll carry on taking it apart and add to my parts list.

I'm coming to America in September so I'll bring back as much as possible to save on shipping.

[25stevem]

Scott70 I need to ask you a question and this I do not to pick on you, but to get you thinking straight.

Pistons are Aluminum and in the case of our Pontiacs the cylinder walls are cast iron.

So how would a softer metal then cast iron make for these kind of scratches you have commented on seeing before?

There are only two ways for this to take place.

1) due to the rings and oil ring rails not being prepped right, but scratches made in that way would not extend to the bottom of the bore as in the OPs photos.

2) metal grit and crap in the motor will produce what’s seen in the OPs photos, or a combination of this and number 1 can take place also.

[461-69bird]

Need to get the block and crank cleaned. I take it the oil gallery plugs need to come out beforehand.

Bearings look really good, crank isn't damaged. Been using VR1 20/50 as per Shakers instructions.

Does the thrust bearing look ok? Didn't have any excessive end play.

Think I was told before but on the splayed caps, is it ok that the centre 2 studs were loose once I undid the nuts? I could unscrew them by hand.