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Best way to clean the surface of the pistons?

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    Best way to clean the surface of the pistons?

    As the title says, I am looking for a recommended way to clean the surface of the piston to get rid of all the carbon that has built up. If it makes a difference the engine is a s52.
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    #2
    Are they still in the block? I'd think a rag and some solvent like gasoline or brakeleen, should be fine, maybe even ATF. I've heard not to use brillo/scotchbrite scrubbing pads because the fibers can break off and go into your engine.
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    Originally posted by Cabriolet
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      #3
      Go to local mopar dealer, buy combustion chamber cleaner. Works wonders.

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        #4
        I poured seafoam down the bores and put plugs in tobsoak for weak or two. Then drained andbsprayed break cleaner in and let that soak a day or two. Then opened em up and let brake clesner that remainedbflash off then used a long blower and blew out each bore. All kinds of carbon came out hahaha.

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          #5
          What about the surface of the block? Lots of brown coloring and some small amount of debris left from the headgasket.
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            #6
            Razor blade, wire brush, carb/brake cleaner.

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              #7
              You probably have a good answer but I'll ask anyway - why not disassemble from this point and at least re-ring, or better yet rebuild the bottom end? Then you can have everything cleaned professionally for a very reasonable price.

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                #8
                ^^because this option can be extremely costly. He didnt really mention if he had it apart or not either. If is apart I recommend the hottank woot.

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                  #9
                  I used spray 9 and a wire brush(brass), came out pretty clean..got rid of all the carbon..mine was not disassembled

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by mpowerful View Post
                    ^^because this option can be extremely costly. He didnt really mention if he had it apart or not either. If is apart I recommend the hottank woot.
                    OP did not mention that, but obviously they're looking at the cylinders if they want to clean the surface buildup so, the head is removed. When I was in the same position, the incremental cost to get from that point to a rebuilt bottom end was a small fraction of the overall budget, where doing it down the road will be an order of magnitude more. I will always make this recommendation... do it right the first time.

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                      #11
                      Wait i cant see the carbon on the pistons with the head on? I can with mine with the naked eye and with a boroscope. Maybe s motors are special......

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                        #12
                        Bearings are around $150.. rings I'm not sure, but might as well..

                        I'm glad I checked mine because two of my mains were toasted. As well as my crank.

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                          #13
                          if you're taking the pistons out, get some seafoam and soak them in it overnight.

                          using scotch brite pads is fine on the tops of the pistons, but questionable on the skirts due to how abrasive they are. I use a brass brush soaked in seafoam.
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                            #14
                            The difference between re-gasketing, and full refresh is $1000+, and three times the work.

                            The pistons will clean up nice with a microfiber towel, and brake/carb/throttle plate cleaner.

                            I used a gasket scraper, green scotch brite, brake clean, and mineral spirits to clean the matting surface on the block. In retrospect, the scotch-brite is probably not the best option, as it does tend to get fibers all over, but if you are careful the fibers can be controlled to an extent. I will be running a good bit of oil, and coolant through the engine while it is on the stand to flush out the fibers I wasn't able to contain.

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                              #15
                              I got some of it cleaned up with some brakleen and a microfiber towel, but am at a point where its getting tough to clean off. Will post pictures when I get a chance
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