Hey all, I'm wondering if my engine is pretty much shot. Here's the story:

I totalled my car driving home one night from a club all fucked up. I didn't hurt anyone or myself. However my poor car is gone (I'm never driving drunk again!!!). It's in my garage right now, and I'm tryin' to strip it down and sell everything I can from it.

As I'm taking things out from the engine compartment, I am seeing dirt and sand EVERYWHERE stuck to the engine and lots of the components with oil and grime. I decided to take the valve cover off just to check it out, and I noticed that some grains of sand or dirt have fallen into the head. I did my best to brush away dirt and sand from the edge where the valve cover meets the head. But I don't know what to do about the grains that fell into it. Is the head still salvagable? Is there a way I can clean it without pushing grains farther into the engine? It seems as if the grains haven't traveled too far down there. It appears they haven't gone past the camshaft. I'm totally new at taking a D16 (or zc) apart, but I know it's not that difficult. I was thinking about taking the rocker arm assembly off and lifting out the camshaft to check for sand farther down, but I want to ask you guys here first about what I should do. And I'm afraid I'll mess somethin' up If I need to do anything that requires me to set the motor at TDC.

Help!!!

I'm still debating whether or not I should let them tow away my car with the engine still in it since I don't have anything to lift it out with, but I would rather much keep it since its a fairly new SOHC ZC and I know this thing is still worth some money since it still has less than 50K miles on it.

Thanks guys, this is a serious dilemma...

-John

 

I wouldnt be too worried about it, whenever it runs again the grains should find their way to the oil filter. Bet your kickin' yourself in the **** for driving boozed though. Been there done that, lease not with my EF. It was a Sable. Havent since.

 

wassup ho?