Ah, the old "engine cleaner" - otherwise known by me as "a rebuild in a bottle". In other words, you put a bottle of that stuff into it, you're gonna need a rebuild

But I would certainly figure out what's up before you go nuts.

 

What kind of engine cleaner???

 

My grandpa would hold the motor at about 3k rpm and slowly pour a glass of water into the motor.

 

Yup water has been used for many yrs to help remove carbon build-up. But most guys never used enough. There was a write up a few yrs ago that said around a gallon was needed to do the job. My dad used about a qt. or so 50 some yrs ago on the family vehicles from time to time. Then get out on the open road and run like hell up to about 90 mph. His test drives were times it was fun riding around with POP.. my 2cents
orich

 

I know the water trick works because I had a toyota pickup that had a bad head gasket and when I pulled it, man was that piston and valves clean! Lol

 

Don't remember the exact type - just that it was about a quart and came out Robitussin red. Oil was real clean after that, which had me happy as a hamster until I got distracted by the whole engine not running thing. No doubt it was formulated with Camrys in mind moreso than Dents...

Problem with the water trick is that she don't presently run well enough to risk more harm than good.

Gonna take a few days to do some fact-finding about rebuild/reman pricing and just to mull things over a bit.

I'll get an air compressor hooked up with the rockers disconnected before taking the plunge, but I'd be awful surprised if there's not gonna be some trouble along the way.

Orich, you mentioned sticking with iron heads: in my budget range this means me having mine reconditioned. Someone mentioned to me that the 'exhaust somethings' can get pretty beat up. Anyone guess at what was being told to me? Would it be anything that couldn't be fixed at the same time as the valve seats (thus requiring me to find replacement JY heads or switch to the Ebrocks)?

 

Sry jason, kinda went off topic there. You can use trans fluid to clean up some funky oils just before an oil change, trans fluid is a great cleaning agent. I soak motorcycle chains in it and petty much anything you want to clean but also keep lubed.

 

I don't know how long you've owned and run this truck. It don't take all that long for the exh. seats to burn out or start too. While this condition is happening it is not really noticed until you get on the gas peddle more then normal and this is when your motor starts telling you somethings wrong by when your motor goes into popping back through the carb while maybe going up a hill or passing another vehicle. It's so intense that you may have to let off the gas peddle and maybe down shift.Or even pull off the road way. A lot of guys think this is just plug wire cross fire (leaking plug wires) maybe some is or floating the valves some too if no tach. But if you've been adding the Lead additive it helps slow the seats from burning out if you don't push your motor hard.
Like I've said b4 in 1971 regular gas was 94 octane that was leaded and there trucks could just get by if not pushed to hard.Or by backing the timing off some. And now here in Ca. high-octane is 91 which the highest octane don't even come up to the old days of regular gas of 94. Then on top of that it's unleaded so that's 2 strikes against these old classic vehicle motors. Then to add insult to that some guys read here where others guys our running around 10* degree of advanced timing. And they try to do the same. Then can't understand why it's pinging or runs after key is turned off. All this adds up to killing the motor for sure. Maybe some guys can get away with that much timing but it depends where they live too. An so on.. Everyone needs to tune there motors to there own areas not to someone else's and learn to read the plugs for important info ....my 2cent
orich

 

Let's not get too far off the beaten path... leak down test first.

Here's a thought - do you have an oil pressure gauge?

 

I chose not to re-install the oil pressure sender. Long story, but had to do with my messing up the oil filter mount (cracked it). Read a few threads where everyone was ripping on the senders as basically just dummy switches and once I had a working solution, just figured it wasn't worth it. Just plugged off the hole.

By "pressure gauge" do you mean something a shop might use or just the $4 sender/switch?

 

I'm still gonna do the leak down test sometime after next weekend (need to borrow a compressor from my pops), and will report the results here.

But I am going to search for whatever threads I can find about getting her rebuilt and then probably open a new one.

 

IMO doing a leak down test on a old high mileage motor is a wast of time. I've never seen a good out come when rebuilt heads on added to an old high mileage motor. Lots of blow by starts with blue smoke coming out the exh pipe that was not there b4.. A good wet test is quick n ez. But it's your time if you have the leak down tester kit, This is just more $ out when in the end you still need to rebuild the tired old motor any way..My 2cents
orich

 

Yeah, Orich, I'm guessing you're right. This thing's headed for the the shop shortly. Just have to get stuff figgered out first. Opening a new thread momentarily...