Baking Soda

[xsjohn]

Well you little devil........you should be fine fo it was a seating problem.......I ran the crap out of mine after I did it and I repeated it on one side ...think it was the left...........

Gotta love all that extra valve train clearance racket........scared the crap out of me years ago the first time I did that...........thought I had fricked the whole thing........and one guy dimped the soda down the intake and it all colllected around backside of the valve.......should have saved a picture of that.......what a mess............

xsjohn

 

[Travis]

I just did some reading on this.. found that people say to use Bon Ami. Couldn't find anything about baking soda.

Sundie, Why did you do this? Did you rebuilt an engine and after a good break-in period still have low compression? Or was it an old engine that didn't have good compression and you thought it was from the rings never seating properly in the first place? Or some other reason? Sorry for all of the questions! Truly am just curious and anxious to hear why you did it and how it works out for you.

Edit: Nevermind, found that thread....

 

[xsjohn]

Think Bon Ami is stone.......sure wouldn't try that....there is always the old farmers tale about scouring powder....wonder how many people were around a week later to hear it...... or old uncle Joes truck threw a rod again in the field.......

xsjohn

 

[xsjohn]

Mine didn't smoke like you described....just darker plugs that wouldn't clean from oil........

when used cylinders get slightly oblonged and the rings are moved it will smoke.....and the compression would be down some because of it........................

xsjohn

 

[Travis]

Seems like least abrasive to most abrasive is:

Baking soda < Bon Ami < Ajax

From what I've read, Bon Ami is a polishing agent and Ajax is a scouring agent.

So I guess baking soda is the most conservative of the methods.

 

[xsjohn]

Baking soda will clean your teeth.........if you have to use Bon Ami or Ajax it would be better to see a dentist................

I have never seen the baking soda used like this on the internet.......surely I am not the first to do that though........?

xsjohn

 

[Travis]

Yeah I bet you're right. I'm sure it's been done before... and it's probably on the internet somewhere, I just stopped searching when I found some discussion of using Bon Ami.

 

[gantzcb]

Well the old timer that told me said: If they had engine that was using oil or an overhaul and the rings would not seat, they would pull off the vaccume hose to the wipers ( my 51 and 57 chevys had vaccume wipers), run the engine on high idle, and suck the BonAmi out of their hand a little at a time. they had to be careful not to stall the engine or they might have to tear it down again.

 

[Sundie]

Travis: i've put about 700 km on it now after the nice past weekend and assorted bombing around.

compression previously was 60 on side and 90 the other. I have, in fact, been riding it like that for 5 years. My head gasket was seriously toasted. I didn't expect miracles from the soft rebuild and inspection i did, but i did expect *some* improvement in oil consumption (which previously was about 1 liter/100km).

When i put it back together, initially (on the stand still) i had 115 both sides - which was a good starting point considering i used the same rings/pistons/only deglazed the bore. I'm fully aware that it would have been better to replace the rings/got new pistons/resized the bore, but finances were a consideration, and i didn't want to be without a ride, so i rolled the bones.

Keep in mind that i'm doing the baking soda as a last ditch method before i just go ahead an pull the engine again. Maybe i'll order all the parts, and put them away for a rainy weekend (it's about an 8 hour job to get the engine out, do the work, put it back together, especially since all the mating surfaces should still be fairly clean), and ride it putting oil in for now - as long as i can go without fouling plugs every day. Or put in a Pamco with a 75kv coil, that won't care *how* fouled the plugs are.

As i've said above, next winter when i have some more scratch to throw at it, i'm thinking it's going to get a big bore kit anyway, so i don't want to invest *too* much in the engine at this time.

If money was no object - well, i'd have a Thruxton 950 as my regular ride, honestly.

Let's say if money was *less* of an object, i would have gone ahead with all the *proper* work. I'm totally aware that i sort of half assed it.

 

[xsjohn]

Well Sundie probably not a good test for the soda theory......on mine the day before it was running perfect......on reassembly is when I had the problem of reseating the rings due to a light hone.....obviously taking one from the grave and making it new again is called a rebuild.....won't hurt to try though...stranger things have happened....xsjohn

 

[Sundie]

yep, i don't disagree with you. we'll see what happens.

Oh yeah - here's a pic of the old headgasket.

 

[xsjohn]

Well I read over the posts again.....if that engine specked like you said when you assembled it and the head gasket is OK then it should come in........an interesting story developing here for sure......

cold ass weather and thicker oil may not be working on your side either........

xsjohn

 

[Sundie]

yeah, i think i'm going to put another couple of thousand clicks on it now, and see where i am at that point.

 

[xsjohn]

Though I would make a simple drawing for how I smooth my ring edges.....and the dimpled piston skirt.....(retains a bit of oil on the skirt)........all in one place this time........and it's a good idea to use a gram scale and balance the heavier piston (if so) to the lighter piston ......remove inside somewhere like on the pin journal.....(that's where Falicon did mine)........usually it's not very much..........

xsjohn