Crack on the engine block. What now? (1 Viewer)

[donemilio21]

97 FZJ80 with 220k miles. The top end is rebuilt with some upgrades very recently, and I also added lots of new parts with complete new cooling and exhaust systems. Driven 330 miles since engine got put back in.
There is a crack, right below the power steering pump (also new), and it leaks a decent amount of oil when the engine is running. My rough estimate is it'd be 3/4 of a quart of oil every 1000 miles or so. I don't believe the crack was there before, although I cannot be sure as I had numerous oil leaks prior to rebuild, but those were more on the a quart per 5000 mile rate. The engine had overheating issues in the past and this certainly could have caused it to crack, but location of it makes me suspect that it could have happened when the guy who put it back in over torqued it.
I am looking for opinions on what could have caused it and how to fix it. Pulling the engine back out, drilling holes to stop the crack from expanding and welding it the obvious one, but could this be fixed without pulling the engine out?

See pictures below. The crack is right above the red line.

 

[BILT4ME]

That crack looks to be a direct result of handling, hammering, or poor installation of a through-bolt that comes in from the front and becomes a mounting stud for the PS pump.

It appears the sealer is imbedded in that crack so SOMEONE knew about this upon assembly.

Could be the block was dropped or impacted when transferring from the hoist to the stand or back.

Good luck with that one.

That is not a drill a hole, weld on a cast Toyota block. (BTW, I have yet to see that work long term ANYWHERE and I've been doing this for 45+ years.)

Not a cheap or easy fix.

 

[donemilio21]

That crack looks to be a direct result of handling, hammering, or poor installation of a through-bolt that comes in from the front and becomes a mounting stud for the PS pump.

It appears the sealer is imbedded in that crack so SOMEONE knew about this upon assembly.

Could be the block was dropped or impacted when transferring from the hoist to the stand or back.

That's what I was suspecting.

 

[SNLC]

What’s all the silicone about?

Short blocks are $3500-4000 depending where you get it.

Cheers

 

[Rusty Marlin]

That sucks! Sorry for your loss and impending long term wrenching session.

 

[Oneops]

If you don’t go the new short block route I have a block you can have.

 

[HotSoup]

All the fipg makes me want to believe someone didn't know what they were doing in the first place. If that bolt was hammered in with an impact it could certainly cause the problem. Good news is it's probably weldable.....bad news is it would have to be taken out and torn apart.

 

[donemilio21]

All the fipg makes me want to believe someone didn't know what they were doing in the first place. If that bolt was hammered in with an impact it could certainly cause the problem. Good news is it's probably weldable.....bad news is it would have to be taken out and torn apart.

He loves that fipg, and doesn't take the time to clean the excess. I only saw it after the engine was all fully mounted.

 

[donemilio21]

Now that I think a bit more, I believe that it is a crack due to impact as some of you suggested. PS pump and timing chain cover were both stock, so no one had touched those bolts, ever. I wish I had a picture from before that would show the exact spot, but all the ones I took don't have the right angle.

I took sometime today tracking welding shops with cast iron experience. I'm told most welders either don't do cast iron, or just do farm equipment, not engine blocks. I requires skill and good experience with brazing or cold stitching make that right. And yes, the whole thing has to come out so they can fix it from both sides.
It is likely that it goes all around, and even with the PS pump out it is not something they can do without having the block out on a stand.

I found this picture from another post. The crack is likely goes al around right above that stud bolt at the bottom right.

 

[BILT4ME]

Now that I think a bit more, I believe that it is a crack due to impact as some of you suggested. PS pump and timing chain cover were both stock, so no one had touched those bolts, ever. I wish I had a picture from before that would show the exact spot, but all the ones I took don't have the right angle.

I took sometime today tracking welding shops with cast iron experience. I'm told most welders either don't do cast iron, or just do farm equipment, not engine blocks. I requires skill and good experience with brazing or cold stitching make that right. And yes, the whole thing has to come out so they can fix it from both sides.
It is likely that it goes all around, and even with the PS pump out it is not something they can do without having the block out on a stand.

I found this picture from another post. The crack is likely goes al around right above that stud bolt at the bottom right.
View attachment 2981275

Yes, this is time consuming and expensive no matter how you shake it.

You can deal with it and mitigate the problems by cleaning the area with Brake Cleaner, let it dry, and then liberally coat it with The Right Stuff (black only) in the Cheez-Wiz can (nothing else) The other tubes of Permatex black are NOT the same thing. This product is highly oil resistant, has a one minute cure time, and works very well.

This will slow down the leak and buy you time to work out a repair. We're possibly talking years of dealing with it drooling, but not a break.

Do the cleaning and sealing NOW, before it gets any worse or starts getting dirt mixed with the oil.

 

[HotSoup]

He loves that fipg, and doesn't take the time to clean the excess. I only saw it after the engine was all fully mounted.

That's just sloppy work imo

 

[alia176]

This really sucks and I feel for the OP. Short blocks are a dime a dozen, no? Just hit up the folks upgrading to the V8s in the V8 thread and grab a block. Build it up or rebuild it as necessary then spend a weekend swapping over. This is a huge PITA but the new to you block may not require much except perhaps a simple decking up top?

Still, this sucks mucho

 

[Kernal]

Sorry if I missed it, but has the OP contacted the shop that did the original rebuild to ask them to make it right??

I'm with others above who said it was either dropped or struck with a BFH.

Stand tips over ~2:45 but watch for another minute while he inspects
the damage:

 

[PIP]

That sucks. Better than "The Right Stuff" in the can, go to your local Ford dealer and buy a tube of the sealer they sell to glue the 7.3 Powerstroke oil pan onto the block. Then clean and slather it on.

That ford stuff is incredible. I have seen it stop serious engine oil leaks where a gasket blew out from the oil galley. I've used it to stop a major coolant leak on a late model Cat dozer to avoid pulling the cooling package and the entire front of the engine apart in the middle of a big job.

 

[gummycarbs]

I could swear that there was a thread no too long ago about a crack in a block where some kind of Loctite product was mentioned. Supposed to seep into fine cracks and seal them. This is assuming that the ear isn't really structural. I have no idea how much torque the power steering pump can apply under load...