When I dropped my pan. I noticed one of my pistons on my 88.5 Samurai has a piece chipped off the skirt (about 1/8"x5/8"). I have no time now to rebuild/swap. What harm will this do leaving it the way is is for a while? Will it run ok if I don't run it hard?

aaaaaaaa.....yes another one bites the dust!!! This is a common thing with the zooks. I wouldn't drive it. You don't want to run any thing else. Isn;t it knocking like hell?

Why did you drop the pan in the first place?

IF you have nothing else wrong with the engine( and that a big IF), you COULD run with that piston for a while, but you need to pull it and clean the area up, (round the edges and smooth the area out). but you do risk damaging the rest of the engine running like this (the piston may just fall apart and throw the rod thru the block :eek: ). There is most likly cracks in the rest of the skirt as well. You may want to just replace this piston/rings asy.

remember if you do this, Its a TEMPORARY fix!! and make sure you get the piston back in the way it came out.

You can expect to burn oil as well either way, I am sure the cylender walls are scored up a bit by now.

good luck :rolleyes:

Things got carried away. Pulled the tranny to do a clutch job-then pulled the flywheel to do a rear main-then pulled the pan to fix oil leaks- then found the metal chunk in the pan.
Don't know how long it was there. Just hope to run it til the winter-then a rebuild or swap.

BTDT, like a lot of guys.......

I thought it was valve slap at first, but when I adjusted the upper part of the motor, the persistent knock, knock continued. I pulled the pan and found what you found....

I´d not continue running it. If you change out the offending piston in time, you´ll likely find that there is no damage to the cylinder bore. Believe it or not, it´s a half-day job, if you got the FSM and the right tools...