The Hatch Melted: A Cautionary Tale of Poor Soldering and Lean Fuel

As I stood amidst the wreckage, surrounded by the remnants of my failed engine rebuild, I couldn't help but think about how one small mistake had brought it all crashing down. It started with a cylinder that wouldn't hold its boost, and a piston that was melted beyond recognition. But as I delved deeper into the issue, I realized that the problem went far beyond just a single faulty component.

It began when I removed the harness from the injector plug, only to discover that one of the wires was already hanging out. "Like I said," I muttered to myself, "I wish I had filmed it." But with no convenient recording device on hand, I was forced to rely on my own meager tools to diagnose the problem. Using a subpar multimeter that only provided resistance readings, I managed to confirm that one of the wires was indeed connected to the injector.

But as I continued to work on the engine, I realized that the issue ran far deeper than just a single faulty wire. The solder joints were trash, and it became clear that I had been relying on a dodgy connection for too long. "It's like, I know what I'm doing," I protested, but deep down I knew that I had been playing with fire.

The problem came to a head when I was attempting to pull the harness off the injector plug again. This time, I managed to rip out one of the wires with minimal effort, and it became clear that this was the culprit behind the cylinder's failure. The piston had melted, leaving a crater-like hole in its place. It was a sad sight to behold, but also a valuable lesson learned.

As I stood amidst the wreckage, I couldn't help but think about how one small mistake could have far-reaching consequences. "I should learn how to solder," I thought to myself, wincing at the memory of that fateful day. But as I looked around at the damaged engine, I knew that it was too late for regrets.

The good news is that I had been able to salvage some parts from my original block, including the donor cylinder and the main bearings. These would be reinstalled in the new engine, along with a fresh head gasket that would hopefully prevent any further catastrophes. And as I began to clean up the mess and prepare for the next stage of the rebuild, I couldn't help but feel a sense of determination.

Tomorrow would bring the installation of new main bearings and the reinstallation of the crankshaft. It was a long process, but one that I was determined to see through. With each passing day, I grew more confident in my abilities, and I knew that by the time I finished, I would be a better engine builder for it.

But for now, I had to wait on a head gasket, which wouldn't be available until Monday. It was a bittersweet feeling, knowing that I could almost see the finish line but still had to put in one more day's work. Nonetheless, I was ready to tackle the challenge and emerge victorious. After all, as any seasoned engine builder will tell you, patience is key.

And so, with a newfound sense of purpose, I began to prepare for the next stage of the rebuild. The hatch would be back up and running soon enough, but for now, it was time to focus on the finer details. As I worked tirelessly in my garage, surrounded by the detritus of past projects, I knew that one day I would emerge as a master engine builder. And when that day comes, it will all be worth it.

The parts store had kindly ordered a replacement head gasket for me, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. With any luck, the rebuild would be complete by the end of the week, and I could finally put the hatch back in action. But until then, I was content to tinker with the engine, making adjustments and tweaks as needed.

As I worked through the night, my mind wandered back to the events that had led me here. The melted piston, the faulty wire, the subpar solder joints – it all seemed like a distant memory now. But I knew that the experience would stay with me forever, a cautionary tale of poor planning and execution.

And yet, even in the midst of failure, there is always something to be learned. As I looked around at the scattered parts and tools, I realized that this rebuild had become an opportunity for growth. It was a chance to refine my skills, to push myself to new heights. And when the hatch finally roared back to life, it would all have been worth it.

But for now, I just needed to take things one step at a time. The rebuild would continue in the morning, and I wouldn't be able to fire up the engine until I had installed that head gasket. It was a small setback, but one that I was determined to overcome. After all, as any seasoned engine builder will tell you, patience is key.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's going on guys so it is now the following day just got the motor pulled out of the hatch last night and I just got the valve cover off and I got all these bolts loosened up these are what tightens down the cam caps these just hold all the camshafts down so all these bolts are loose I just got to pull everything off then the camshafts will pull right off then I will be able to get to the head studs and break those loose get the head off and we'll be able to see how bad that piston actually is and also check out the other cylinders as well but I just got to get the cams off first because the head studs are right underneath the cams so it's kind of annoying they have to take it all apart to get the head off but yeah gonna get the head ripped off real quick and we'll see how bad the damage is the feet are cold but you could clean that up with just uh probably find her just some sandpaper it's not pitted it's just got the melted oh yeah yeah that's not bad sweetie just got molten aluminum on it so you just clean that up with some Scotch for anything that's not bad at all has some good news can use that head again Locke's book huh yeah I knew the block was pretty bugs you'd do but yeah look all the other ones look perfect stop block oh it did actually put a little trunk into the block yeah I'm surprised that's crazy yeah that block is done yeah and it's not the blocks fault it's because the pistons she does keys yep any ejectors damn that borescope took a pretty good picture of that though all right turn it over that she's a little her seen better days it's not no I didn't crack asleep though it just it melted his sleeve like dude yeah the trunk that came off the piston like embedded itself right and this one up here looks like it because it melted and then this one down here just looks like Hitler I think we just drop all home through it and send it yeah dude we'll be good okay it's good for another two thousand dollars and then I was pull the piston out and just weld a beat on it fill up that hole and send it back on the road the warning yeah but I'm just happy that the head seems to be good so I was just really worried that the bottom of that was gonna be really beat up from this chunk that broke off on that piston and I would have to swap everything over to a new head which would be a pain in the ass but looks like I'll be able to reuse my old head so that's gonna make it a lot easier just look at how much of that piston disappeared from it being melted like that like a lot of it gone I think it might light yeah that cylinder must have just leaned out for sure just ask gaskets yeah cylinders we I have a strong feeling it has to do something with that wire on the harness yeah so you can see it just melted and rounded that whole side of the piston because if you look at this one see how nice it butts up to the cylinder wall yeah do you like legit all the others are perfect yeah one great shape trying the light down in there like the cylinder walls were just how I left them like no new damage other than that one right so this one must have just ran out of fuel you know the cylinder was just cut now the injector was yeah I just I don't know what else it could be got real freaking hot yeah it got hot for sure real hot very toast and it's all on that like intake side right so that's where all that hot air is coming in just melting dude yeah that cylinders melted dude hold you feel a horse it is it it feels like yeah it's like super smooth right here then right there just feels like almost sandpaper way a really fine sandpaper yep hope she needs a new block either way that's for sure what doing getting up piston out let's see egde oh it fell damn bro down or down now now you damn it whoa baby that's definitely through the oil ring - oh oh that's a nice piston you out there bud back all will toasty you got a little warm brother got them new window Doyler mods get soiled flooded every cylinder but neato well times for the doctor offers that just rebuild like there's like just all aluminum embedded onto the rail it's just from the heat I mean the rut should be fine is it not golden and glued it's fine I'd around it but anything not focus under all that but no that is so bad there you go that right there is the thumbnail pull this pin steep or trying to click yeah she's on there sorry bud to bid my I was in there so tight probably just cuz yeah the new rod the new pistons come off Crispin's yeah they call this one oh this one does have a little piece of aluminum right there yeah that's probably water look at that aluminum this caked on this rod yeah see guys doing a piston melting onto the rod that's crazy what the there you go holy that's insane and but they're odd looks to be there are usable lungs it's straight yeah I mean I don't think that Rob been or anything it obviously got really hot in that cylinder but I don't know are they worried about this is pushing the ebrake candle just came back and it's not connected anything how you like that mark 2 it's gone I feel so sick to ride in the passenger seat what's up man the holy whoa she are hot yeah if in doubt be dead yeah so do you think it could be that resistor box thing because what does that connect what is that control when you loop all the wires together that's the power to the injector so without that the injector won't even work will it be dead yeah like those wires one of them was completely off I noticed when I pulled the plug out and I wouldn't even be surprised if you trace that one back he's got a run few dog clean all that wire like so that definitely could have been the cause right yeah and yeah I think I want to go back and trace I should I want to try to trace that one back and just see if that's number three cuz you got a cousin that just it'd be for sure the voltage to the other ones ensuite and that one's not you know that doesn't know we got that kind of super stable yeah cuz all the other ones are perfect all the other cylinders are fine some the oh well we got the new block at least the the heads kid so I didn't like beat it up too bad in there they're just some aluminum like Wayne feel the great through here they called you I should've seen the block look like I said yeah that's kind of my picture being sick 374 we left PFI a couple hours ago but I found out that this plug that I knew had something to do with the injectors turns out that all these red wires right here are actually the power wires they go to the injectors themselves so I'm almost a hundred percent sure that this is what caused that cylinder to lean out because like I said I wish I filmed it when I was pulling the harness off this plug was plugged in right here somewhere can't really see it cuz my brake boosters in the way into that plug right there and one of these two wires was hanging out already before I even unplugged anything and then I was feeling the other ones I'm just pulling on them and then the second one ripped out of place with like little to no effort so about just let me know that the solder joints were trash on these I don't have a fancy multimeter I just have this shitty one right here and it would be nice if I had one that would beep and have like a continuity setting so I could check if two wires or like going to the same place but I was using this one and I have it just on like some resistance setting or something and when you touch the two prongs together it is like we'll give some random numbers like right when they touch together so like right there I'm just touching them and then if I were to touch it like to a ground on the car or something like it doesn't do anything else because there's no connection so I have this one in the number three injector clip right there on the positive wire and since these are the powers for the injectors if you stick this prong and here kind of hard to do with one hand there you go it hits the numbers so I mean it's not like a for sure way to tell that those are connected but I'm pretty sure it means they are and they all have the same colors so this has a red wire with a black stripe on it and then all these are red with a black stripe so I would assume that that is the power for the injector and being that this is the number three with the one with the melted piston and then that is the one that was ripped out I mean that just pretty much confirms that that is what caused that piston to melt so badly so definitely need to go back through the wiring and probably get all my injectors flow tested make sure everything's good there but I'm definitely gonna have to redo that before I put everything back together so yeah kind of sucks that that one little wire caused all of this but like I said I haven't much since we got back from PFI my original block is right there this is the the donor the new one that's going to be going into the car and I got everything pulled off of my block I got the crank out of it I got the main studs pulled and just like the oil pump and all the other little things so I'm really tired tonight so I'm gonna stop for now but tomorrow I'm going to be putting all the new main bearings in get my crank on there pull everything down and check the bearing clearances I went picked up some plastic aged earlier as well and also here are the Pistons out of it so this is number one I have a mall labeled number one two four and three this is the one that melted that's why the Pistons not on there but all the other threes look perfect so yeah that kind of sucks just that one took a all these are still in great condition and that just tells me that probably not the tune definitely was the injector that went out right there I also was cleaning some aluminum off this rod right here when that piston was melting it like caked some of it onto it so there's still a couple spots you can still see some aluminum on it right there I just got a like wire wheel all that off and then the rod should be good to use again but like I just said that's as far as I'm going to get on it tonight just gonna clean out my little mess for now and I will start working on this thing in the morning and I won't be able to have the motor all the way back together until Monday for sure because I have to wait on a head gasket I did just go to the parts store earlier and get one ordered but they won't have it till Monday but I can at least get the bottom end put together tomorrow and maybe place it back in the car but I won't be able to fire it up until I get that head gasket in well there you go guys that's what happened to the hatch melted the out of this piston that's what happens when the cylinder goes super lean also melts the cylinder wall pretty bad but instead of saying I should learn how to build a motor you should probably say I should learn how to solder because that's definitely what caused all this to happen granted I did do that three years ago but it should have not came undone kind of sucks but it's whatever just got to fix it and move on so hopefully I'll have the hatch back up and running here pretty soon so thanks for watchingwhat's going on guys so it is now the following day just got the motor pulled out of the hatch last night and I just got the valve cover off and I got all these bolts loosened up these are what tightens down the cam caps these just hold all the camshafts down so all these bolts are loose I just got to pull everything off then the camshafts will pull right off then I will be able to get to the head studs and break those loose get the head off and we'll be able to see how bad that piston actually is and also check out the other cylinders as well but I just got to get the cams off first because the head studs are right underneath the cams so it's kind of annoying they have to take it all apart to get the head off but yeah gonna get the head ripped off real quick and we'll see how bad the damage is the feet are cold but you could clean that up with just uh probably find her just some sandpaper it's not pitted it's just got the melted oh yeah yeah that's not bad sweetie just got molten aluminum on it so you just clean that up with some Scotch for anything that's not bad at all has some good news can use that head again Locke's book huh yeah I knew the block was pretty bugs you'd do but yeah look all the other ones look perfect stop block oh it did actually put a little trunk into the block yeah I'm surprised that's crazy yeah that block is done yeah and it's not the blocks fault it's because the pistons she does keys yep any ejectors damn that borescope took a pretty good picture of that though all right turn it over that she's a little her seen better days it's not no I didn't crack asleep though it just it melted his sleeve like dude yeah the trunk that came off the piston like embedded itself right and this one up here looks like it because it melted and then this one down here just looks like Hitler I think we just drop all home through it and send it yeah dude we'll be good okay it's good for another two thousand dollars and then I was pull the piston out and just weld a beat on it fill up that hole and send it back on the road the warning yeah but I'm just happy that the head seems to be good so I was just really worried that the bottom of that was gonna be really beat up from this chunk that broke off on that piston and I would have to swap everything over to a new head which would be a pain in the ass but looks like I'll be able to reuse my old head so that's gonna make it a lot easier just look at how much of that piston disappeared from it being melted like that like a lot of it gone I think it might light yeah that cylinder must have just leaned out for sure just ask gaskets yeah cylinders we I have a strong feeling it has to do something with that wire on the harness yeah so you can see it just melted and rounded that whole side of the piston because if you look at this one see how nice it butts up to the cylinder wall yeah do you like legit all the others are perfect yeah one great shape trying the light down in there like the cylinder walls were just how I left them like no new damage other than that one right so this one must have just ran out of fuel you know the cylinder was just cut now the injector was yeah I just I don't know what else it could be got real freaking hot yeah it got hot for sure real hot very toast and it's all on that like intake side right so that's where all that hot air is coming in just melting dude yeah that cylinders melted dude hold you feel a horse it is it it feels like yeah it's like super smooth right here then right there just feels like almost sandpaper way a really fine sandpaper yep hope she needs a new block either way that's for sure what doing getting up piston out let's see egde oh it fell damn bro down or down now now you damn it whoa baby that's definitely through the oil ring - oh oh that's a nice piston you out there bud back all will toasty you got a little warm brother got them new window Doyler mods get soiled flooded every cylinder but neato well times for the doctor offers that just rebuild like there's like just all aluminum embedded onto the rail it's just from the heat I mean the rut should be fine is it not golden and glued it's fine I'd around it but anything not focus under all that but no that is so bad there you go that right there is the thumbnail pull this pin steep or trying to click yeah she's on there sorry bud to bid my I was in there so tight probably just cuz yeah the new rod the new pistons come off Crispin's yeah they call this one oh this one does have a little piece of aluminum right there yeah that's probably water look at that aluminum this caked on this rod yeah see guys doing a piston melting onto the rod that's crazy what the there you go holy that's insane and but they're odd looks to be there are usable lungs it's straight yeah I mean I don't think that Rob been or anything it obviously got really hot in that cylinder but I don't know are they worried about this is pushing the ebrake candle just came back and it's not connected anything how you like that mark 2 it's gone I feel so sick to ride in the passenger seat what's up man the holy whoa she are hot yeah if in doubt be dead yeah so do you think it could be that resistor box thing because what does that connect what is that control when you loop all the wires together that's the power to the injector so without that the injector won't even work will it be dead yeah like those wires one of them was completely off I noticed when I pulled the plug out and I wouldn't even be surprised if you trace that one back he's got a run few dog clean all that wire like so that definitely could have been the cause right yeah and yeah I think I want to go back and trace I should I want to try to trace that one back and just see if that's number three cuz you got a cousin that just it'd be for sure the voltage to the other ones ensuite and that one's not you know that doesn't know we got that kind of super stable yeah cuz all the other ones are perfect all the other cylinders are fine some the oh well we got the new block at least the the heads kid so I didn't like beat it up too bad in there they're just some aluminum like Wayne feel the great through here they called you I should've seen the block look like I said yeah that's kind of my picture being sick 374 we left PFI a couple hours ago but I found out that this plug that I knew had something to do with the injectors turns out that all these red wires right here are actually the power wires they go to the injectors themselves so I'm almost a hundred percent sure that this is what caused that cylinder to lean out because like I said I wish I filmed it when I was pulling the harness off this plug was plugged in right here somewhere can't really see it cuz my brake boosters in the way into that plug right there and one of these two wires was hanging out already before I even unplugged anything and then I was feeling the other ones I'm just pulling on them and then the second one ripped out of place with like little to no effort so about just let me know that the solder joints were trash on these I don't have a fancy multimeter I just have this shitty one right here and it would be nice if I had one that would beep and have like a continuity setting so I could check if two wires or like going to the same place but I was using this one and I have it just on like some resistance setting or something and when you touch the two prongs together it is like we'll give some random numbers like right when they touch together so like right there I'm just touching them and then if I were to touch it like to a ground on the car or something like it doesn't do anything else because there's no connection so I have this one in the number three injector clip right there on the positive wire and since these are the powers for the injectors if you stick this prong and here kind of hard to do with one hand there you go it hits the numbers so I mean it's not like a for sure way to tell that those are connected but I'm pretty sure it means they are and they all have the same colors so this has a red wire with a black stripe on it and then all these are red with a black stripe so I would assume that that is the power for the injector and being that this is the number three with the one with the melted piston and then that is the one that was ripped out I mean that just pretty much confirms that that is what caused that piston to melt so badly so definitely need to go back through the wiring and probably get all my injectors flow tested make sure everything's good there but I'm definitely gonna have to redo that before I put everything back together so yeah kind of sucks that that one little wire caused all of this but like I said I haven't much since we got back from PFI my original block is right there this is the the donor the new one that's going to be going into the car and I got everything pulled off of my block I got the crank out of it I got the main studs pulled and just like the oil pump and all the other little things so I'm really tired tonight so I'm gonna stop for now but tomorrow I'm going to be putting all the new main bearings in get my crank on there pull everything down and check the bearing clearances I went picked up some plastic aged earlier as well and also here are the Pistons out of it so this is number one I have a mall labeled number one two four and three this is the one that melted that's why the Pistons not on there but all the other threes look perfect so yeah that kind of sucks just that one took a all these are still in great condition and that just tells me that probably not the tune definitely was the injector that went out right there I also was cleaning some aluminum off this rod right here when that piston was melting it like caked some of it onto it so there's still a couple spots you can still see some aluminum on it right there I just got a like wire wheel all that off and then the rod should be good to use again but like I just said that's as far as I'm going to get on it tonight just gonna clean out my little mess for now and I will start working on this thing in the morning and I won't be able to have the motor all the way back together until Monday for sure because I have to wait on a head gasket I did just go to the parts store earlier and get one ordered but they won't have it till Monday but I can at least get the bottom end put together tomorrow and maybe place it back in the car but I won't be able to fire it up until I get that head gasket in well there you go guys that's what happened to the hatch melted the out of this piston that's what happens when the cylinder goes super lean also melts the cylinder wall pretty bad but instead of saying I should learn how to build a motor you should probably say I should learn how to solder because that's definitely what caused all this to happen granted I did do that three years ago but it should have not came undone kind of sucks but it's whatever just got to fix it and move on so hopefully I'll have the hatch back up and running here pretty soon so thanks for watching\n"