Okay, I messed up pretty bad here. After putting new piston rings on and lightly honing the cylinders, I was putting the jugs back on. I rotated #2 and #3 up and got them in without much trouble, then I slid the cylinders down further to #1 and #4 and got the rings started in the bottom of the cylinders, but they were tougher to get in. Long story short, I resorted to tapping with a mallet on the cylinder block to get it seated and I now realize that was a big mistake.
Fast forward, the #1 and #4 pistons are lodged firmly in their cylinders and I can't seem to get them unstuck, no matter what I try. I'm guessing they're misaligned in there and that's why they're stuck. I'm afraid to use any more force on them for fear of irreparably damaging the cylinders (I know the pistons may be unsalvageable at this point). Even if I wanted to try to get at them from the underside, I'm not sure how because these piston rods don't come apart and it looks like it's not even possible to disassemble the crankshaft with the #1 and #4 pistons engaged.
Sorry guys, I don't mess up like this very often and I think this is the worst I've messed up on a vehicle I've worked on. I should have known better than to use any force at all on reinstall, but I got too eager to get it back together.
Is there anything I can try at this point? Or am I looking at getting another engine altogether here?
Comment