HG refresh, engine block surface

[D.Martijn]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to get some opinions on the surface of my engine block.
I work at a injection mould repair shop and took a few whetstones with me from work but I realized they were still a bit too small so I ordered a bigger one (180/600).

This week it arrived and I got started on stoning the engine block.
After a couple of passes it definitely cleaned up a lot but there is still some pitting, mainly between the coolant openings.

This is a picture I took when I went over it with a razor blade.



This is after a few minutes of going over it.






Should I go over it some more?

[e30davie]

Cant tell from the photos. You need to clean it to the point that you can't feel anything when you rub your fingernail over it.

[zaq123]

razor blade cleaning was enough...don't worry about in-between coolant passage areas, look how its all open at the head. Don't overwork it with the stone...hope you covered all cylinders. and oil gallery when stoned it. Are you installing MLS HG? If no, clean all the garbage from stoning and let it be.

[15Michaeljoseph]

I wouldn't do anymore. My block had some gashes in it from a previous headgasket job, and all I did was use a razor blade and brake cleaner to clean it. Make sure you clean inside the bolt holes as well... And I would recommend some copper gasket spray on the new head gasket, just for piece of mind. That's how I did mine.

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[D.Martijn]

Cant tell from the photos. You need to clean it to the point that you can't feel anything when you rub your fingernail over it.

razor blade cleaning was enough...don't worry about in-between coolant passage areas, look how its all open at the head. Don't overwork it with the stone...hope you covered all cylinders. and oil gallery when stoned it. Are you installing MLS HG? If no, clean all the garbage from stoning and let it be.

I wouldn't do anymore. My block had some gashes in it from a previous headgasket job, and all I did was use a razor blade and brake cleaner to clean it. Make sure you clean inside the bolt holes as well... And I would recommend some copper gasket spray on the new head gasket, just for piece of mind. That's how I did mine.

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Cool thanks, I obviously can feel some pitting between the coolant passages but the block itself and around the pistons is all nice and smooth.

I did plug the holes in the block with some paper towels when stoning. I planning on installing a regular Goetze headgasket. I'm still thinking about ordering an BMW HG, I've read that it comes with copper spray applied on it already? I only paid 17€ for the Goetze HG so it's not a big loss.

Planning on taking a thread tap from work to home so I can chase the threads.

[zaq123]

Cool thanks, I obviously can feel some pitting between the coolant passages but the block itself and around the pistons is all nice and smooth.

I did plug the holes in the block with some paper towels when stoning. I planning on installing a regular Goetze headgasket. I'm still thinking about ordering an BMW HG, I've read that it comes with copper spray applied on it already? I only paid 17€ for the Goetze HG so it's not a big loss.

Planning on taking a thread tap from work to home so I can chase the threads.

OEM gasket just has some sort of shellac on it, no copper spray etc.
Copper spray is up to 40% acetone, which can affect silicone sealing lines on HG.
I would just put it dry.

[TobyB]

That looks good- better than most, at this point.
I would use the Goetze dry, too.

t

[D.Martijn]

OEM gasket just has some sort of shellac on it, no copper spray etc.
Copper spray is up to 40% acetone, which can affect silicone sealing lines on HG.
I would just put it dry.

That looks good- better than most, at this point.
I would use the Goetze dry, too.

t

Thanks for the advise guys!

[15Michaeljoseph]

Not to be 'that guy' but I also used a Goetze head gasket kit (it was re-boxed through Fel-Pro) and while I can confirm that it did have a shiny waxy coating, I used a couple of coats of permatex copper spray on both sides of the gasket anyway, and haven't had any issues whatsoever in the past two years... The car sees 6k on the on-ramp at least twice a day :)

The main thing to ensure a successful job is to have a clean block, a freshly decked head, a quality gasket (Goetze is OE quality) and properly torqued head bolts or head studs, like the ARP ones I used on my car. I'd say you'll be fine either way, just do whatever makes you most comfortable.

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[jeffnhiscars]

Not sure if it's been mentioned but chase the block holes with a proper chase not a tap. I actually got one online from Snapon. Not only are they cheap but they don't charge shipping under $200

[cscracker]

This is what mine looked like when I was done cleaning it up. I used a Goetze as well. Had 180psi on all 6. Just make sure it's within 0.002" of flat on the whole surface. I had a slightly low spot around the bottom of #6, but it was within spec and held fine.