Report:4kq flood damage

["Doyt W. Echelberger" <Doyt@NWOhio.com>]

I lost my 86 4kQ in an Ohio flood on April 9, and many of you were very
helpful in recovering it and getting the repairs started. This is a
progress report on what happened after I got it to the repair facility.

The engine could not rotate a full 360 degrees without a rod colliding with
the block. We pulled the pan and saw that the rod for piston #1 was hitting
the side of the block. Since we took about a cup of water from each
cylinder, we stopped measuring things at that point and declared the engine
to be toast. The question.... Do we fix it or replace it?

There was no way to do a compression check because the engine could not be
turned over. We pulled the engine by dropping the subframe and taking out
the engine and transmission.

We observed remarkable corrosion and pitting of the metal surfaces of the
flywheel and pressure plate, and swelling of the clutch disc, after sitting
wet for three days without moving. Similar damage to the slave cylinder of
the clutch, (thanks Harrison.)They all get replaced. Starter also gets
replaced.

The swap engine arrived today and I inspected it. Came out of a 1986
Quantum that was wrecked at 63,000 miles. Cost delivered to the job was
$600. The insurance adjuster considered this to be the least expensive
solution to the problem, since a rebuild would run about twice that amount.
It had a brand new bright and shiny O2 sensor in it. If anyone knows why a
Quantum engine should not be an exact replacement for my 4kq, speak up please.

(Thanks, Wolff & Huw Powell) I am having a new water pump and timing belt
put in while the swap engine is on the shop floor. Idler pulley and rear
main are OK. Mechanic agreed to use dielectric grease when reconnecting the
engine. And I will keep the EM as a spare.Found a deteriorating
transmission mount on the driver side, and will replace it while the
subframe and tranny are out. Motor mounts & shift linkages were OK, along
with wheel bearings and CV joints.

Told the mechanic to swap in the front springs from an 84 4kQ and check the
struts. Easy to do right now since the struts were just hanging there,
already loose from the subframe.(Thanks Al Swackhammer)

Phil Payne suggested checking the firewall for rust, and the steering rack.
Both OK.

So thanks again, everyone, for sharing the insight gained from your own
personal experiences with these baptismal events. You helped greatly, and
in timely fashion.

Doyt Echelberger
86 4kcsq   recovering, spread out all over the shop
87 5kcstq  getting driven a lot