crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Ok,

the other day I was tightening up the bolts on the water pump and one of the sh1tty bolts I had snapped off in the block.

My first two easy out attempts messed up the hole so my Dad and I spent ages grinding down the bolt to try and get a decent pilot hole and then expand it to get the easy out in and then just remove it.

I was going to have another go and keep grinding this evening but I spotted a crack in the block where the water pump goes so I decided to stop and ask, naym BEG for advice
here. I guess in torquing up the easy out we had overstressed the hole.

DSC00142.jpg


The options I am considering are:

1) fill the hole with JB weld and retap for a new bolt hole

2) leave the hole and just drill it up to go up to M11 or something

3) fill the hole with JB Weld, forget about tapping it as it is fragile now and just run it with 3 bolts. Leaks?

I guess I am mainly concerned about the crack propagating and causing me more hassle.

Please tell me I don't need to get a new block :(:(:(:(:tdown::tdown::tdown::tdown::(

I never seem to catch a break with this :rant:ing thing.

Has anyone got any experience with this? :(

I'm so bummed right now.
 
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ty166

ty166

Donating Member
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

i would see if you can grab across the two flat sides with a c-clamp to hold it together and prevent any more cracking , tap it to whatever size it needs to be , looks to be bigger than when you started , maybe m11 like you said (but then you'll probably have to drill the hole out in the pump also). but then instead of a bolt find yourself a stainless steel stud and thread it in there with jb weld on the threads so it never comes back out. i've done this with success on a old beated i had , worked like a champ.
 
cloneman315

cloneman315

Active member
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

I would seal it and put a helicoil in it and watch it to see if it gets any worse,also could grind out a little bit and weld it
 
Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

so you don't think this crack will work its way to the cylinders? :D

I was thinking about filling the hole with JB weld and tapping from scratch. Would that be better than trying to make a silk purse out of the sows balls that I currently have?

The easy out was so tight I was thinking about getting a reverse thread stud but couldn't find any.
 
4C FED

4C FED

Absolutum Dominium
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

cloneman315 said:
nope heli coil,and keep a eye on it,
Click to expand...
Find some machinists cutting fluid & use it liberally for the drilling & tapping of the hole in preparation for the heli-coil.
Drill hole out for heli-coil with a c-clamp holding that boss tight. Keep the clamp in place while using the tap.
Clean the snot out of hole really well with acetone or lacquer thinner.
Find a stud of correct size & length. Use loctite red on the heli-coil & stud. Let the loctite set & install the pump.
 
G

grnty3377

Member
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

Your not going to be able to weld the block. Just keep an eye on the crack, I don't wanna get you down but chances are your going to run into some problems with this down the road. Is it a stock block?
 
Don W.

Don W.

Stab it and steer it
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

Sad to say it looks like things are way off square. Helicoil, and especially the bolt you're gonna insert will require a square, to the gasket surface, hole. If not already done then get as much out of the way as possible to gain good access. If repaired correctly I don't believe the crack will continue. you could also consider stop drilling the crack which requires a small hole, say 1/16 - 1/8 drilled into that crack at the very end.
 
Don W.

Don W.

Stab it and steer it
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

Dave, we're a minute apart. Your answer is better especially if the crack goes farther than we can see. Just that I don't like JB Weld.
 
Norm

Norm

Donating Member
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

Helio coil it and then use threead sealant. Then use a stud to fasten the pump onto it.
 
S

s_blazin

Donating Member
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

boy thats tough, i really know how you feel, with my clone i have put so much time into it and also never seem to get a break, the other day i was trying to run the wiring along the pan line to clean up the intake manifold and i had to pull the starter down to run wires.

noticed a nice sized crack in the outer hole for the starter, running up the side of the block.

sucks since it gets alot of stress from the starer, i was so aggravated i just didn't look at it anymore ran the wiring and stuck the starter back in and tightened to what i felt was a comfortable amount.

really ruins your day though to know that your good engine block has something like that going on with it that really will never be right again, hope you get it resolved
 
bezerk

bezerk

New member
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

i agree on the drill a little hole at the end of the crack. than tap it with a bigger sized thread, (i beleive it's 3/8unc) than going to metric is almost equal.
i think something caused this, and it was not you overtighting the bolt, i think your thread was ****ed up. and it went in bad. if you overtighting a small bolt like that you normally just snap the head of the bolt,
 
Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

ok,

the stop drill/re-tap option is the one I want to try (there is no "try", there is "do", or "do not!"!) :D

The crack is only as far as the bolt hole - like I said, I think the easy out was off centre and caused the hole to bulge.

At this point I am not confident that I can drill the hole square so I am getting it towed to a machine shop near me and they will sort this out. I don't want to mess it up any further.

They mentioned fitting a collar into the hole which I think will be fine. Given the bulge, the heli coil might not grip so well when a bolt goes back in.

I'll let you guys know what happens. I am away the next few days so I haven't lost any time, just yet more money. :(

Still, a valuable learning expereince. Check, check and check again :(
 
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Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

Thanks for all the comments, advice suggestions and support guys. I appreciate it, especially over here!
 
ed hess

ed hess

race or get outta the way
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

I heard you couldnt weld cast iron either until...

putting oil galley plugs in one day i noticed a crack. called the machinist up, took the block to him, he welded it and put the plug back in. I had him put the plug in and torq it because he is built like arnold swarzenegger ( california governor). It hasbeen no problem since.


call a few local machine shops.

ed
 
Quickstop [UK]

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Re: crack in block - how f***ed am I? Please Help

I took it to a machinist the day after I posted this thread.

Some people expressed reservations about the welding of cast iron and I mentioned this to him. He is a well respected member of the machining community where I live and he just smiled and said that I had been reading too much on the internet!

The job has been done and I will post some pics on Monday hopefully when I get access to the truck again. He said it wasn't too big a deal and has done it.

I think he used a nickel rod or something. Didn't seem to be a big deal. That part of the block will get nowhere near as hot as the headers so I am sure it won't be a problem with heat stress etc.

Thankfully the crack wasn't going to propagate any further - I created it with the easy out :oops:

He said I had turned it into an engine removal tool and would never get the engine out :rotf:

It has been welded and the hole was filled with a collar so it should be ok. Pics to follow.

Bloody expensive mistake after towing it there and back :( There should be a smiley for burning money or throwing money away - we do it often enough with these trucks or at least I do...:rant:

Should be able to get some work done on the truck now though! :woot:
 
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