Cracked engine block!!!

[balper]

If he can take (the engine) apart & put it back together to save himself some $. I have no doubt that ,a good welder can repair this crack.

I believe that it will be hard to stop the crack with welding. You can "fill" the already cracked area but you (or any pro welder) can't see how far the crack goes as there may be parts that might not have surfaced yet. Thus the crack would continue once the block gets any tension.

If you weld it be sure to avoid any tension, I wonder how one can manage this? I wouldn't be able to

 

[MikePA]

All to bouncing cracked to engine supports that eventually cracked the block.

The rust inside the cracked support indicates it was broken for a while, perhaps before you bought the tractor. Looks like someone tried to fix the support by welding it instead of replacing it and didn't do a good job of welding. Then they painted over everything.

 

[jpbear]

Thanks for all the replies. The crack was done by me and it was probably there long enough for it to rust. I am the one to blame. There is no defect in the block. Purely operator error. I use my machine hard I have to admit. There has been no fixing or welding on the frame. That is all factory plates and welding. The frame is also cracked on the other side in almost the same place but the block, on that side, is not cracked.
I have decided not to have the block welded due to the fact that there will always be stress on that spot. Really don't want to go through that much effort and still have it leak. So I will get a bare block and replace it. All work will be done by myself.
I am going to get a new/used tractor and then fix this one up and sell it. I have a need for a bigger machine and now I can justify it a little more. Probably looking for a TC40 w/ FEL & backhoe. Thanks again for all the info and experience.
Joe

 

[gsxrsquid]

when welding a crack in cast iron you must drill a hold at the end ofthe cracks and anywhere the crack branches off. Failure to do this will just allow the crack to continue after welding.

 

[JerryG]

jpbear,
If you can't find a block locally, you might give these people a try. Used salvaged tractor parts including John Deere, Ford, Kubota and other Japanese tractor part dealers

 

[Egon]

How does one determime where the crack ends and the hole is to be drilled?

Egon

 

[kenmac]

How does one determime where the crack ends and the hole is to be drilled?

Egon



I would say you would have to magna-flux the block . We use to do this on race car heads ,etc, to determine if they were cracked & how bad the crack was

Good luck in your search for a used block.Mabe you won't have to purchase a new one

 

[Iowachild]

The rust inside the cracked support indicates it was broken for a while, perhaps before you bought the tractor. Looks like someone tried to fix the support by welding it instead of replacing it and didn't do a good job of welding. Then they painted over everything.

Now here is a theory I can relate to!

 

[john_bud]

Thanks for all the replies. The crack was done by me and it was probably there long enough for it to rust. I am the one to blame. There is no defect in the block. Purely operator error. I use my machine hard I have to admit. There has been no fixing or welding on the frame. That is all factory plates and welding. The frame is also cracked on the other side in almost the same place but the block, on that side, is not cracked.

Joe

Joe,

I hate to say it, but you will never have a successful career in politics. Nope, not with that big wide and deep streak of personal integrity.

jb

 

[AlanB]

You would dye Pen, or eddy current inspect to find the end of the crack.

They make a new repair insert to fix cast iron. It is a form of tapered threaded inserts and I believe you then weld over them. It is an advanced form of stitching in that the pin actually goes in and bites both sides, and if I remember the description correctly, actually pulls the two pieces together.

Sounds like you have a plan already to fix it, but if interested, I will hunt this product down again.

If it were mine, I would be tempted to repair in place, and see how it worked out. (obviously pulling the braketry, pulley etc. etc. out of the way.)

I think this is the one we were playing with, I will try and call my buddy that was telling me about them (he does this type of oddball work all the time) and see if this was them, but anyway, here is an avenue.

LOCK-N-STITCH Inc. homepage: Cast iron crack repair, cast iron welding, thread repair inserts