97 xj with 200k Miles. I recently pulled the head to inspect head. I found it cracked so I'm going to swap with a new Head. At this point I'm going to forego an engine rebuild b/c I'm not quite mechanically ready.

With that said, How should I address the carbon buildup on the pistons? I'm afraid if I clean it with a scraper, shards will fall down into the block.

Any recommendations on how to clean would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

You are right to be concerned about shards. Put it back together and steam clean it.