Just got done doing a head swap about a week ago and was in the process of doing a clutch swap when I noticed that a small trickle of anitfreeze was dripping from the rearmost passenger side corner of the oilpan. At first, I'd figured it was just from some coolant that'd gotten stuck in a crevice somewhere and was slowly draining. However, when I took off the plastic cover that goes around the starter, and traced the trickle back up, it appears to be coming from a very small "crack" in the block just above and to the right of the starter... It's hard to get my head up high enough to get a good look at it, but I described it as a "crack" because when I hold a rag on that spot and take it off, antifreeze almost seems to swell up along a small line on the block.

I'm not an internal engine expert; is this possible?? Could I have a stress crack (or something worse) in the block?? I've only got 3,000 miles on my car...

Could I have created the damage when I replaced the head?? I don't really see how; I was careful to torque the bolts to spec and in the correct sequence, plus the "crack" seems to be well below where I'd expect the head bolts to end up in the block anyway. Is it possible that the "crack" has been there all along, and I just now noticed it??

Also, if it is a "crack", can it be fixed??

Any advice, feedback would be appreciated!!!! If there's any other information I could provide that would be helpful, please let me know.

With only 3,000 miles, the car is still under warranty, however with all the mods I've done, I'm afraid that the dealership won't cover the necessary repair.

HELP!!!

Paul...

<small>[ April 01, 2003, 08:40 PM: Message edited by: 02bluess ]</small>

 

Before I would start pulling motors, etc. I would drain the radiator and put some JB Weld on the leaky spot. It might seal up. If that does not work, you got a serious problem. Good luck. <img border="0" alt="[USA]" title="" src="graemlins/patriot.gif" />

 

sounds like you did not blow out the coolant from the bolt holes before you torqued the new bolts, this will cuase the bolt to hydro lock and crack the block,jb weld will not seal it, the bolt also may have lost its torque, the block need to welded and retaped, sorry to hear about your head ace

 

Make sure your coolant crossover plugs are tight and the gasket is not messed up on the back of each cylinder head.

-edit- Never mind, I missed the part about seeing the crack in the block. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="gr_sad.gif" />

Jason

<small>[ April 01, 2003, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: Jason99T/A ]</small>

 

Do you think there is a chance that you hydrolocked a bolt?

Meaning the holes were free of fluids prior to replacing the heads. I got the part about the crack was well below the head bolts.

I am sure that a good welder could fix it. And there is always stop leak, ack.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by absolute:
<strong> sounds like you did not blow out the coolant from the bolt holes before you torqued the new bolts, this will cuase the bolt to hydro lock and crack the block,jb weld will not seal it, the bolt also may have lost its torque, the block need to welded and retaped, sorry to hear about your head ace </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I tried to get all of the coolant out of the holes, but what you described (ie, hydrolocking the bolts) sounds like what must have happened. How difficult is it to "tape and weld" the block?? Could a qualified speed shop do this with the engine still in the car, or would it need to be removed??

 

[/QUOTE]I tried to get all of the coolant out of the holes, but what you described (ie, hydrolocking the bolts) sounds like what must have happened. How difficult is it to "tape and weld" the block?? Could a qualified speed shop do this with the engine still in the car, or would it need to be removed?? [/QUOTE]

If you know the boltholes were dry. IE you soaked it out with towels, or used an air attachment to blow all the fluid out. Then something other than a hydrolock went wrong.

Tap not tape. Welding a crack in the water jacket will depend on how clever/competent the welder is. Tapping the head bolt hole, that is a trick that I hope to never have to face.

<small>[ April 03, 2003, 11:03 AM: Message edited by: Zeta ]</small>

 

You may have a flaw in the casting that was there since day one. Casting porosity is a fairly common problem, and engine blocks have been replaced on warranty because of this.

First of all, I would decide if the leak is small enough that you could just ignore it. If not, I would get a hold of your dealer and see if they are willing to fix it under warranty. If you are not angry when you talk to them they may do so in spite of your mods. Mods only void the warranty if obviously the source of the problem.

If the warranty route doesn't work, try repairing the block as suggested by the other fellow; you have nothing to lose. I've had good success doing this kind of thing, but I have some special techniques. Let me know it you want the details.

If the leak is caused by porosity, the glue fix will probably work. If it was caused by the head bolt hydro-locking, glue won't work but welding the block may.

 

hey i thought i would drop in this. i thought the same thing u are now, looking for a crack, but i eventually found what it was. look at the 4 coolant lines that go into the heads and see or feel if they are damp. if they are, thats your prob. if not then it is prob that what seems to be a crack. and if you did dry out the holes good from water, then that is prob what is wrong. just my .02

 

Yes, there are a lot of things I would check before I would pull the heads off.

 

I agree with "99"

...pull the intake manafold off and check the coolant block-off or crossover pipes....they could be leaking antifreeze... a relatively minor problem other than the labor hastle for the removal and replacement...

 

another thing to watch for when u check those coolant lines, DONT OVER TIGHTEN THEM!!! i did that on the front ones accidentally, and broke the bolt off. i was lucky that there was just enough bolt for me to grab with some vice grips, so i didnt have to do any major things to get it out. plus i had to go and buy new bolts too. <img border="0" alt="[bang head]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_banghead.gif" />

 

Thanks for all the responses, guys.

Y'all got me excited with the coolant plug thing, so I just went back out there and checked, but it's definitely a crack and it definitely looks to be caused by hydrolock.

The crack is much closer to the passenger side lowest, furthest back head bolt then I first thought. Pretty much sealed it when I shot some pressurized air to disperse the coolant and when I let off, coolant swelled right back up along a line just above the bolt.

The worst thing is, I know what happened; when I did the driver side, I used some el cheapo paper towels. They were coming out dripping wet, so much so that I was afraid I might not be getting all the coolant out. When I did the passenger side, I went out and bought some good, shop towel-type paper towels. They came out much drier, which I just assumed was due to their increased absorption ability. However in hindsight, I'm guessing that the coarseness of the shop towels probably prohibited me from getting all the coolant out of the holes <img border="0" alt="[cry]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_cry.gif" />

Ended up having to sell my Abs Spd Stg II's to help fund the new block <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="gr_sad.gif" />

Anyway, I got a hold of Tom over at Speed Inc, and I'm going to have him and the guys replace the block and beef up the bottom end a bit while it's apart (Diamond pistons, Eagle rods, ARP fasteners, etc). If I survive the repeated beatings from my wife, I may even be able to enjoy it again some day...

One thing I can guarantee you... I will never leave even a spec of coolant in a bolt hole on a head swap again (when I can afford to do one that is, somewhere around 2013) <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="gr_sad.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Embarrassed]" src="gr_emb.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="gr_sad.gif" />

<small>[ April 03, 2003, 08:58 PM: Message edited by: 02bluess ]</small>