Final engine block cleaning with compresed air

Cleaning the engine (and various parts) with compressed air

The (nearly) finished engine block. You can see the air hose and nozzle where the injector pump and pump drive gear housing would normally live. I used the nozzle to blow out the head bolt holes along with the coolant and oil passages in the block. I also made an attempt to spray the last bits of diesel fuel/PB Blaster sitting on the upper part of the oil pan into the lower part, where they would escape out the drain hole. I will get a couple of gallons of the most inexpensive engine oil I can find to put in the oil pan and act as a flush before starting the engine. Before starting the engine, I'll put in a relatively inexpensive synthetic oil, and after 1000 miles or so will change the oil and put in a good quality synthetic.

The air compressor itself, along with the push rods that originally came out of my engine. I was using the nozzles to clean out the insides of the push rods when I came across a discovery. To facilitate better wear characteristics, the upper "balls" that come in contact with the rocker arms on the 6.9l are covered in copper. The copper was completely missing from all of my original push rods, and more than one "ball" was worn out-of-round. So, I opted to replace all of the push rods.

Thanks again to Dave for allowing me to use his air compressor for this project!

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Main Page

Introduction to the project

Before the project begins

Removing external parts and accessories

Removing cylinder heads

Heads, gaskets, and the block after head removal

Removing timing gear cover and camshaft

Cleaning the piston tops

Cleaning the ins and outs of the engine

Final engine block cleaning with compresed air