There is a product called engine restore that comes in a silver can. I've had decent luck with that on an engine that's a little worn. It's not a fix, mind you, but it will up the compression a bit.

Make sure you get the correct size can for a V8. I believe Wally world sells it.

 

If you are just going to replace the truck, take the head to the machine shop, have it magnafluxed, and the exhaust valve replaced, and stick it back together.

While the intake is off, check the plenum gasket, and see if there are any leaks. Check the runners for evidence of oil. also, the pcv lines.

Why are you going to replace your truck??

 

Going thru a reality check here......after seeing the many possible problems with the 2nd generation Rams< I'm just wondering how much to sink into a 12yr. old truck. $2,ooo. on the auto trans. last year, $150 plenum this spring, and now $600+ if I do both heads/getting close to a engine swap price [I've only put 6K on truck since I bought it ]. Sorry,I think the heat and humidity's working on me..
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1.So, with my compression-is it practical to do both sides?

2.Hughes said it was "very" unlikely their plenum gasket blew and i can't see anything obvious. But, I can't account for the oil inside. Runners don't look oily and nothing ran out of the pcv hose.

Almost forgot...are the head bolts reusable?

 

Head bolts are reusable. Yes.

I would have liked to see a leakdown test before condemning the engine....... Your low compression cylinders may just have leaky valves, and the rings may be fine. May be...... I suppose it is possible that you could still do a leakdown on the other side? See where the air is going. If it is out the valves.....

Oil could be coming from darn near anywhere.... and while you have it apart, a new plenum gasket is just a few bucks. Would not hurt to just replace it.

You can get 'better' design heads off of E-bay, for around 270 each, fully assembled. They have thicker decks, so, are less prone to cracking than the stock units.

I have sank a lot more money into older vehicles...... the question you need to ask is: Is it worth it to you? Sure, you could sell it, and buy something else, but, unless you buy new, or, something 'newer' that comes with a warranty, you are just swapping one set of problems (that you know) for a new set (that you may not know.....) You have already addressed one of the most expensive repairs (or did I misread that?? have you rebuilt the trans??)...... unfortunately, now, you are working on another.......

 

[HeyYou] yep...had the transmission rebuilt. One more question [then i'll probably start a reassembling thread] btw, doing both heads.

The picture [bottom of page 3] shows a blotch on the cylinder wall of #6...would that have anything to do with a coolant leak? Should this be a concern?

 

It looks like a bit of rust? How deep is it? Can you clean it up?

Have you overheated the engine at all? According to what I have read, the short blocks on these engines are pretty stout, and not prone to problems.... (aside from those caused by other failures....) But, I would still want to be VERY sure that isn't a crack there......

Did the truck sit for long while is was disabled?

 

Wall is smooth to the touch, just looks like a rust stain. The only attempt I made to clean it was rubbing it with some wd-40, had no affect.

Truck has never gotten hot since I've owned it......it sat about 10 days before I started tear-down.

 

If you are really paranoid...... you could try something like this, and test for cracks. General consensus though, is that blocks seldom crack.....

You could try a bit of emery cloth, and see if you can remove the stain that way, and see what shows up? (make sure if you take this route, that you get the cylinder cleaned out EXTREMELY well when done..... not really recommended.....)

Could also try some other penetrating lubricant, that is better at eating rust.... (safer)

 

If he wants a crack inspection he'd be much better off taking the parts to a shop that has a really good tech doing it. Dye penetrant testing takes a trained eye and a good bit of experience because it's really very easy to misinterpret the indications. Get too much or too little dye, rinse, developer or dwell time and the indications are worthless; get an untrained eye looking at it and you might find flaws that aren't there or miss some that are.

FWIW, I was once a certified non-destructive test (NDT) tech. I've still got the skills, I just don't have need of the cert any more.

 

Yeah, but, taking his disassembled block in is going to be a real trick.