Anyone know what this crap in my cylinders is?

[i_ride_fieroGT]

I decided to buy my old fiero back because I got it for a pretty good price. Well I decided to dig down into the motor to find out why it wont crank and found this.
Anyone know what this stuff might be? It has a redish tint to it.
It was under the other head as well. I have since shop vac'ed it out.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb253/ace122/engine006.jpg

[05OCsrt-4]

maybe they put trans fluid in there? that red tint is weird, i'd say coolant but your coolant is green, what does it smell like? motor oil or trans fluid, but i think your engine is locked and you might need a new one, message me because i'm free all week and you live nearby

[hystericfox]

It looks like ATF. Could have been from trying a wet compression test. I've also heard of using it to un-seize rings. I've never done it, but my neighbor did it to the 66 Continental he bought.

[2001teg]

This is a long shot, but I'v heard of guys running trans fluid in their motors for a few mins to clean it out. Possibly what the old owner did except the motor had a blown head gasket?

[i_ride_fieroGT]

This is a long shot, but I'v heard of guys running trans fluid in their motors for a few mins to clean it out. Possibly what the old owner did except the motor had a blown head gasket?



Thats the other thing thats confusing me because the PO rebuilt the heads and everything with all new gaskets. Hes a member on here. Pretty cool dude. But this car has seen a pretty rough life. If i cant get the pistons free im going to see about a 3.4 swap (pretty easy one) or a caddy 4.9. (another kinda easy one)

[jpalamar]

Didn't you pop your Firebird motor a little while back. Now you popped this. How about you just buy a new car and leave it be?

[BlkWhtTSI]

looks like tranny fluid. either that or iced tea haha.

Any smell to it? Was it greasy/oily? Also i am thinking this is a long shot since i've never seen what oil looks like after this but maybe it sucked up water? that would seize your motor.

[i_ride_fieroGT]

Didn't you pop your Firebird motor a little while back. Now you popped this. How about you just buy a new car and leave it be?


No this is a new fiero. My 87 is still running fine.

[i_ride_fieroGT]

Well I let a load WD-40 sit in my clinders last night and tried to start it this morning and still no avail. So I went up to china freight priced out an engine hoist and when I returnd home I forgot I had to pay my insurance so no more engine hoist. A little pissed off I was working on the fiero again and stopped to think. The words "smarter than the Fiero Smarter than the Fiero smarter than the Fiero" were just racing through my mind and so I got a little peved and decided to show thoes pistions a piece of my mind with rubber mallet........ Geuss what :D

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb253/ace122/th_hammermechanic002.jpg (http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb253/ace122/?action=view&current=hammermechanic002.flv)
(since photobucket wants to be a pain in the neck that would be a video of the engine cranking.)
As apposed to this last night

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb253/ace122/th_n003.jpg (http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb253/ace122/?action=view&current=n003.flv)
(this is a video of the engine seized up before i took it appart.)

Now for the rebuild what parts should i replace now that i have everything accessable. I was thinking water pump, mabey alternator, fuel injectors and al the gaskets.

Also thanks to EMC208i i noticed that my exaust valves on my firewall side head are stuckopen. How should i go about repairing that?

[lownslow95]

Link to video no work.

[KingKong8247]

Well I let a load WD-40 sit in my clinders last night and tried to start it this morning and still no avail. So I went up to china freight priced out an engine hoist and when I returnd home I forgot I had to pay my insurance so no more engine hoist.

Can't help you with your problem but if you decide to buy another engine hoist DO NOT get it from harbor freight. I bought one and after I pulled my engine I was lowering it to the ground and when it got about 3 inches off the ground the plug holding all the hydraulic fluid blew out slamming the engine. Thankfully it was only a few inches off the ground because that could have been way worse.

They did give me all my money back though.

[GmFwd]

Is the car automatic? Many gm's have a tranny cooler built into the radiator. Radiator cracks internally, and allows colant and ATF to mix. Usually kills the trans clutches, but if the motor already had bad head gaskets or LIM gaskets it could take out the motor first.

If its 4/5-speed im totally lost.

[Nick Merrone]

Is the car automatic? Many gm's have a tranny cooler built into the radiator. Radiator cracks internally, and allows colant and ATF to mix. Usually kills the trans clutches, but if the motor already had bad head gaskets or LIM gaskets it could take out the motor first.

If its 4/5-speed im totally lost.

x24214.

[Honduh]

Is that water?

What this motor hydrolocked?

Why does that push rod sitting on the block look bent?

[i_ride_fieroGT]

Is the car automatic? Many gm's have a tranny cooler built into the radiator. Radiator cracks internally, and allows colant and ATF to mix. Usually kills the trans clutches, but if the motor already had bad head gaskets or LIM gaskets it could take out the motor first.

If its 4/5-speed im totally lost.

It is an automatic but i dont think any part of the cooling system run's to the transmission, I dont know to much about the fiero auto trans this is why I love my 87 5 speed so much more. I think the PO used ATF in it to unseize the motor. The pistons are cranking fine now and the lifters all seem to be working.

[i_ride_fieroGT]

Is that water?

What this motor hydrolocked?

Why does that push rod sitting on the block look bent?

Yes that rod is bent. Its the only one bent out of the 12 i think it was due to the PO torquing the rocker amrs down to tight. I inspected the block and heads and it dident damage them at all. I have orderd new push rods for when I put it back together.

[RSbeast]

It's marvel mystery oil......someone tried to let it soak to break the supposed 'stuck' rings to the walls.

[OMGz Turbo]

Thats nuts...

[jpalamar]

Could be blood from when your dad beat the crap out of you for lying about getting kicked out of school.

[Nick Merrone]

Could be blood from when your dad beat the crap out of you for lying about getting kicked out of school.

was that a joke towards me? lol

but uhm dude i think marvel mystery oil is thicker..

[jpalamar]

but uhm dude i think marvel mystery oil is thicker..

Thats why its a mystery! Regardless of what it really is. I would still pull the whole thing apart and rebuild. That way you have all new gaskets, everything is cleaned, torqued to spec, ect.

[OutToWinPAHC]

Marvel mystery is water like. Appears to be oil like, whats it smell like? does it burn? does it get you drunk?

[i_ride_fieroGT]

I dont know what it is but whatever it was it did have a chemical smell. I have since gotten iot out of there and got the pistons free.

[screamingchicken]

Is the car automatic? Many gm's have a tranny cooler built into the radiator. Radiator cracks internally, and allows colant and ATF to mix. Usually kills the trans clutches, but if the motor already had bad head gaskets or LIM gaskets it could take out the motor first.

If its 4/5-speed im totally lost.

If that were the case, all the antifreeze would be the same color, not just what was sitting in the cylinders due to a blown head gasket. The antifreeze that's sitting in the water jacket in the pic is pure green.

As for what's really in the cylinders, I have no idea. Could be anything. One possible explanation is that the vacuum diaphragm on the transmission broke, and atf got sucked into the intake manifold. But that stuff was way too watery to be atf, unless it hadn't been changed in a loooong time, and somehow didn't turn brown from sludge.

[ThePrimerSuspect]

If that were the case, all the antifreeze would be the same color, not just what was sitting in the cylinders due to a blown head gasket. The antifreeze that's sitting in the water jacket in the pic is pure green.

As for what's really in the cylinders, I have no idea. Could be anything. One possible explanation is that the vacuum diaphragm on the transmission broke, and atf got sucked into the intake manifold. But that stuff was way too watery to be atf, unless it hadn't been changed in a loooong time, and somehow didn't turn brown from sludge.

tranny fluid would burn off. theres no way to suck that much in through vacuum. its definitely something someone poured down there. probably trans fluid

[i_ride_fieroGT]

Im gona think its tranny fluid to. The engine was locked up nove very badley but the starter could not free it up so i think someone tried pouring it in there to free it up. Im just glad i got thoes pistons moving again. I just had to tap them all once with a rubber mallet.

[Honduh]

I still think its water.

You tried to crank this bitch with that in there? Thats why it wouldn't crank. I wouldn't be surprised if you find a bent rod.

[i_ride_fieroGT]

I still think its water.

You tried to crank this bitch with that in there? Thats why it wouldn't crank. I wouldn't be surprised if you find a bent rod.


There is one slightley bent rod you can only see the total bend it put next to another push rod. I have orderd new pushrods and am going to start the assembley of the motor when the parts get here.

[enigma]

Hes talking connecting rod, liquid in the cylinders plus the action of a starter does funny things to metal internal parts.

[Got Insulin?]

Hes talking connecting rod, liquid in the cylinders plus the action of a starter does funny things to metal internal parts.

A'la hydrolocking.

[92sileighty]

just find out its boiling point

[i_ride_fieroGT]

Hes talking connecting rod, liquid in the cylinders plus the action of a starter does funny things to metal internal parts.



As far as I know the car hasent been cranked since I last owned it. I should be getting the parts I need to rebuild it tomorrow and ill keep you all updated on whats going on with it.