Hello everyone...new here and need help!

[ronnh]

I searched the forum but couldn't find my situation. I replaced the LIM gasket and now the #1 pistion has separated from the rod, what a mess. There seems to be alot of water in the oil, did the piston go bad b/c of the presence of water/oil mix? What caused the water to be mixed with the oil?

I changed oil after I breifly (1-2 minutes) started the engine after the LIM gasket swap.

please help
-Ron

[Iceman6669]

Wow.. Um. That is a mess... I dont think that a LIM leak would cause your piston to come off the rod. BUT if you have tons of water in the LIM then my guess is that something got messed up with the LIM job..

[ronnh]

ok, so the next question is.... can I swap 1 piston/rings while the motor is in the car? I dont have a hoist.

[Slick2500]

You can but I would not replace just one piston, your best bet is to find a good used engine.

[ronnh]

Any ideas how the water got in the oil? I did have a minimal amount when I pulled the IM off, but not to the extend that i am seeing. I torqued per the chitons manual. When I pulled the manifold back off, I saw no signs leakage.

[dsmuts]

What motor do you have?

[ronnh]

2001 3.8 144K miles. This car is my brother-in-laws, he asked me to do the work. Now I feel like a amuck for breaking his car!

[dsmuts]

Na or sc?

[dsmuts]

You should have changed the oil before you attempted to start it

[ronnh]

NA
yes, I kinda realized that I should have drained he oil first.

[Slick2500]

Did you use RTV on the plastic pieces that go on the end? Did you let it dry before starting the engine?

I don't think coolant in the oil would cause the piston to separate from the rod. That just seems weird to me.

[dsmuts]

Lesson learned now replace the motor lol

[ronnh]

Yes, I used RTV, maybe too much of it. I watched a video that you guys posted. I actually put some on top and bottom of the plastic pieces, as well as the new gaskets. The guy in the video only put a dab on the 4 corners.

[dsmuts]

a dab on each corner is all you need.

[ronnh]

Oh crap, no way of fixing this one?
Also, the rod marred up the cylinder wall pretty good too, can that be honed?

[dsmuts]

It's would be cheaper in the long run to just change to motor or you'll end up with a motor that might only last a few hundred miles before it falls apart again.

[Slick2500]

It costs about $800 to rebuild a 3800 if you get new pistons. Thats not including machine work. You can get a good used engine for $300, probably cheaper if you shop around.

[REDCRAPGP]

Yup get a good junkyard motor instead of rebuilding it. It would be way cheaper

[ronnh]

Ok, thanks for all the help ppl. I will confront the bro with the good news!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

-Ron