Well i finally got my 355 in the car and ready to fire tonight. filled the coolant reservoir up and was in the process of taking the coil wire off when my brother checked the oil and asked if i had put any oil in the car, i said no and he said it looked to read a little high. We didn't think much of it and i got in, turned the car over for a few seconds to wait to see if i had oil pressure, it did. Put the coil wire back on got in the car, turned it over and the car fired right up, no unusual sounds, idled great with a killer lope, great oil pressure, a perfect initial start. Ran it for about 30 seconds or so and then turned it off and we're all smiles and stuff because of how good it sounded and ran. Well my brother checkes the oil again and when he pulls the dipstick out i almost pass out, it's milky...yeah water in the oil. We don't know what to think, we drained the oil and it was filled with water. We're all gettin pretty sick about now and have no clue how it got there. Well we put more water in and it goes directly into the oil pan almost as fast as we can pour it. Took the valve covers off, no water in the top of the heads and from what we could see through the heads none in the lifter valley. The water goes straight from the coolant reservoir to the passenger side bottom of the water pump. So...i ask, what the hell is it!? Is there something missing? I bought this block used but it was re-ringed and bearing put in by the same people that built it i believe. I don't think it's cracked because it's going through the block WAY too fast, kinda like theres a hole there that shoulda been blocked. It was going into the block before it ever got turned over or anything, that's why it was reading high on the dipstick. So once again...what could it be?

 

head gasket or a crack in a water jacket.

 

water jacket.. sounds bad

 

def. not a head gasket, the oil pan was getting filled with water well before it even ran. And thinking more than just a crack because it's flowing, not leaking, into the oil pan. Read on another forum that there might be a plug near the oil pump for coolant, anybody know?

 

Did you get the Block cleared for anything?

 

does the car have an oil cooler on it? If it does I would make damn sure its not somehow leaking from there.

 

Does have an oil cooler but positive that's not it. The engine was machined to be able to run a .700 lift cam, guy i bought it from was apparently gonna run a hellacious cam. but like i said, straight into the waterpump into block into oil pan, sounds like it's dripping on the passenger side of the block.

 

Was it cleared for a bigger Crank? They might of gone too far in and hit the Water Jacket.

 

I had a similar problem once with an old international 7.3L diesel in an f-450... the motor had overheated BAD, and was pouring coolant out the #7 exhaust port (all that I could tell), anyway... I fixed everything, put it back together and as I was draining the old oil out of the pan, I started pouring fresh coolant in the radiator... believe it or not, it DID run straight through, to the oil pan, fresh green anti-freeze just as fast as you could poor it, it was coming out the pan..

I later tore the motor down and seen that the #7 cylinder had a crack in it from top to bottom of the bore.

I really hope that's NOT your problem, but I've seen it happen first hand. man that really sucks that you JUST put it back together and it does this... makes me sick thinking about it.

 

Well the engine got pulled and took as far apart as needed. There's a huge crack right below the #5 cylinder exhaust lifter in the lifter valley. Didn't think any water went up that far but it was goin up down the valley and out of the holes at the front at the timing cover.

 

if the crack is as big as you say it is then it is prob cracked further into the block somewhere else, dont feal bad i just got my 355 together and i started it up and was only holdin bout 30 psi so we took the valve covers off come to find out my mashinest didnt put the rear cam bearing in far enough and the oil was not getting to the upper half of the engine, it toasted my cam, rods and main bearings were toast, now i went ahead and brought all my micrometers home from work to check everything he machined and i found out he linehoned my main caps to big so i might be looking for a new block like you. good luck

 

sounds like maybe it froze. that is a comon place for a crack when the block freezes

 

Would it be possible to weld over the crack and file it down to make it work? It's directly below the lifter hole

 

not really only if your for sure that is the only place it is cracked but if its as big of crack as you say then it has spread, usualy when welding cast iorn it tends to make a hard spot and will crack back out again

 

hmmm guess we need to let a pro check it out first

 

Damn, sorry to hear about that stuff. Some of you guys are getting screwed by some of the Machine Shops also..

 

MIGHT get away with a sealer but It sounds like it is time for another block. Sorry man

 

Wow, that does suck.. hope that never happens to me. I'm already looking for a block to start a build from scratch.

 

Wow! Man I am so sorry to here this. I am just getting mine back together and I PRAY this does not happen to me. Best of luck bro.

 

Scrapin4.8- it really sucks, sorry about what happend. almost had the same thing on my car except we fired it and a few minutes later the temp gauge flew past 220. didnt hook up one of the coolant lines, i was relieved but it scared the **** out of me.

I still have my old block that spun some bearings on. i was gonna do a 383 with it soon as i get my car going, but if you need it i can it let go for cheap.