Cracks in piston insert

[Mtour]

Hi

 Is it normal for lister pistons to have cracks in the steel inserts in the piston tops. I have a Lister sl3 and have noticed all three pistons have multiple crack in the steel insert in the pistons.

[dieselgman]

Not normal... probably has run with timing too far advanced.

dieselgman

[32 coupe]

starting fluid

[dieselgman]

What condition are the rings in? If starting ether was used, the top ring/s will often be broken.

dieselgman

[Mtour]

Thanks for the replys...

 All three pistons had a build up of yellow cake on top of the iron center insert, it had the consistency of plaster. The center piston had the bottom oil scraper ring broken.
 I guess these piston are no longer servicable, really is  bummer, was planning on going the route of oversize rings, ring gap is .032. Not sure what to do now, have already sandblasted and painted the engine.

 Dave..

[dieselgman]

Hard to tell from the pictures how far those cracks extend... they form the combustion chamber so will be subject to high stress. It may be possible to run them as-is. Replacement parts are also available for the SL.

dieselgman

[Mtour]

Some better pictures...

[Mtour]

I guess it's hard to say whether these pistons will hold up or not. I have six pistons that all have fractures and none have failed. No one has come forward stating they have seen pistons fail from cracks in the combustion casting, so I will run these piston with oversize rings...

Thanks for the replies ...

[dieselgman]

I have seen the combustion chamber retaining pins come out of the SL pistons before... makes a real mess of things. Your fractures may not be an issue unless they extend all the way through the inserts. If I was really concerned with longevity, I think I would replace them. That is a bit costly though, and not warranted for every build.

dieselgman

[Mtour]

Thanks for the reply Gary....

 I paid $150 for the sl3, with just rings ,bearing and machining I will have close to $700 invested. The problem i am facing is i am doing this as a hobby, I plan on reselling the sl3. But then again it might be hard to sell it if I must tell every potential buyer that the pistons have cracked piston inserts. I really don't care if I make a dime on it, just want a happy buyer...

[buickanddeere]

  Ether, one of the most common items that keeps engine rebuild shops in business.

[cobbadog]

I am interested in the outcome of this rebuild. What did you decide to do and how has it turned out?  you have put a lot of hard work into your rebuild and it looks great so far.

some one mentioned "yellow cake". Does this mean it was nuclear at some time? The Greenies would love it!