[12Ounce]

"Serious pitting" reminds me of what a loose insert can do. It can come loose ... get sideways, doing a good bit of damage ... and end up re-seated, looking quite innocent. A loose insert, on the other hand, can also completely wreck a piston top, rod, and cyl wall. This may requred the block cylinder to be sleeved.

I use a shop to reface my heads ... and I request that extra effort is made to assure the seats will never loosen. Of course, there are never any absolutes on this effort.

BTW, when I suggested me and one other removed the engine ... that is only the block, crank, and flexplate ... everything else has been removed. Not very heavy in this condition. Remember once the crank is removed, it should be stored on-end, never on its side! Yours may need turning.

I usually smear on axle grease on all crank bearings. The rings and pistons are very oily as they are mounted. I also pack the oil pump gears with petroleum jelly ... not grease ... this helps during priming. On this engine, I assemble everything but the timing belt, valve cover, and plugs... pour in the oil across the length of the head ... making sure the cam gets wet. Then with the filter loose, and a catch pan underneath, I turn the crank by hand until oil appears at the filter ... then the filter is tightened. I continue turning crank by hand until I see oil flowing at the top of the engine. Then assembly is completed.

If you don't have access to a shop that has a vat ... you can do pretty good on your own. It requires compressed air. Just remove every thing down to the bare block ... remove the M10 hex socket plugs at each end of the block ... and squirt brake cleaning fluid into all arteries. Blow out with compressed air until you are assured all passages are clear. Re-install the plugs using some Loc-tite.