I'm assuming this is bad. How bad?

T

TRP

Senior Member
Hey Barners,

I've had my A for a little over a year now. Been very happy with it. Many trouble free miles. This morning I went to check the oil and was greeted with a few orange streaks down the side of my block.

I know those are cracks. It looks like the previous owner tried to hide or patch this spot before.

372337


Any advice is appreciated.
 

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Worth trying a block repair product such as those with liquid glass. Perhaps check your oil for coolant.
 
TRP said:
Hey Barners,

I've had my A for a little over a year now. Been very happy with it. Many trouble free miles. This morning I went to check the oil and was greeted with a few orange streaks down the side of my block.

I know those are cracks. It looks like the previous owner tried to hide or patch this spot before.

372337


Any advice is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Pretty common on Ts and As, I would clean it off and put some good stop leak in the system and keep an eye on it.
The system not being under pressure is pretty forgiving. I use the cheap silver powder crap.
 
Cracks here look worse than they really are. Nothing to be overly concerned about, as it is very common for Model A's to develop thin cracks in this area of the engine block. Fortunately, the fix is cheap and easy.
Run a CERAMIC block sealer through the cooling system and follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter. Most critical is to allow fresh air to cure the ceramic sealer after draining the coolant. That means removing the spark plugs and radiator cap and opening up the water return pipe petcock so that fresh air can circulate through the block and cure the ceramic. Normally curing time is usually about 24 hours. That will seal the crack from inside the block, which is what's important. You could follow other suggestions made so far to "sanitize" the exterior with epoxy and engine spray paint.
Marshall
 
Oh, Thats great! I assumed I was going to be looking for a new motor.

Thank you all.

Ted Pierson
 
Marshall what does these type of repairs do to the radiator core? Should he take the radiator off the car afterwards, and flush it out?

I know from working in a Ford garage in my youth, BAR'S Leak used to clog up heater cores pretty badly when people would use that.

Just curious.
 
Yes, I have had clogged radiators using the rabbit pellet Barr's Stop Leak, but not from numerous applications of a ceramic sealer. 'Don't know the chemical explanation why one clogs and one doesn't, but I have used ceramics such as Pioneer to seal crack-prone Model B blocks in the past without any detrimental effects to a radiator. I would recommend running only water for a while afterwards and then drain that before going to an anti-freeze or rust inhibitor mixture. Too bad Pioneer ceramic coating is no longer made. GREAT stuff!
Marshall
 
Re: Why involve the radiator ??

I went round & round chasing a pesky leak that turned out to be a poorly cast / machined water pump housing. I made a solid rubber gasket to seal off the bottom water inlet and then would fill the block through the upper hose and watch.


Do the same with your sealer just filling the block. Much easier to air dry afterwards.


JB
 
Would hooking a shop vac to the motor facilitate air curing? I'd be concerned about much air getting in thru the petcock.
 
This is a common place for freeze cracks in a Model A block as it is a very thin part of the water jacket. As said above, there are several ways to repair them and continue to use the engine.
 
I would try the JB weld first. Clean it really well before making the repair.
I've found that JB weld takes quite a while to cure and tends to sag on vertical surfaces. What I like to do is mix up a small amount of it, wait 10 minutes and then mix up the batch that you will use to do the repair. Keep checking the first batch that you mix to see when it starts to set up. Then you know that when it does start to set you have 10 minutes window to apply the second batch.
There is a quick set formulation of the JB weld but I think the slow cure is stronger.
 
1crosscut said:
I would try the JB weld first. Clean it really well before making the repair.
I've found that JB weld takes quite a while to cure and tends to sag on vertical surfaces. What I like to do is mix up a small amount of it, wait 10 minutes and then mix up the batch that you will use to do the repair. Keep checking the first batch that you mix to see when it starts to set up. Then you know that when it does start to set you have 10 minutes window to apply the second batch.
There is a quick set formulation of the JB weld but I think the slow cure is stronger.
Click to expand...
They have a stick weld thats more modeling clay like and works just as good. Clean the metal and clean again with acetone (ALOT) then knead the stick and really force it in there and stick to the pores of it. No sagging whatsoever and self sticks to things.
 
SeaSlugs said:
They have a stick weld thats more modeling clay like and works just as good. Clean the metal and clean again with acetone (ALOT) then knead the stick and really force it in there and stick to the pores of it. No sagging whatsoever and self sticks to things.
Click to expand...

I've used a black duct tape that has some super adhesive on the tape put it over the JB Weld to hold it in place on an overhead crack. I fixed a construction equipment front end loader with it years ago. Really held good.
 
Clean the crack and find its ends. If possible, stop its growth by drilling its ends with a 0.125" bit. I have successfully used J B Weld to seal cracks, and in one case I used it to patch a rear main bearing cap.
 
Marshall V. Daut said:
Cracks here look worse than they really are. Nothing to be overly concerned about, as it is very common for Model A's to develop thin cracks in this area of the engine block. Fortunately, the fix is cheap and easy.
Run a CERAMIC block sealer through the cooling system and follow the manufacturer's instructions to the letter. Most critical is to allow fresh air to cure the ceramic sealer after draining the coolant. That means removing the spark plugs and radiator cap and opening up the water return pipe petcock so that fresh air can circulate through the block and cure the ceramic. Normally curing time is usually about 24 hours. That will seal the crack from inside the block, which is what's important. You could follow other suggestions made so far to "sanitize" the exterior with epoxy and engine spray paint.
Marshall
Click to expand...

In a separate reply you mentioned a sealer by name and it no longer being availabe. Is this the stuff?
http://completeautosp.com/product/pioneer-cooling-system-ceramic-coat/

Ted
 
Ted -
Yes, that's it. The last time I tried to order some of this stuff two years ago, I received a message from the vendor that the product was no longer being made. When I bought the sealer 10-15 years ago and didn't use it within a couple months, the ceramic hardened inside the bottle - even without ever opening it. I assume that's why they stopped making it - because of customer complaints. It was about $12 per bottle, so that was a major financial loss for any customer who didn't use the sealer right away.
I think I'll call this company tomorrow and see if by some miracle, the stuff is still available. GREAT stuff!
Thanks!
Marshall
 
SeaSlugs said:
They have a stick weld thats more modeling clay like and works just as good. Clean the metal and clean again with acetone (ALOT) then knead the stick and really force it in there and stick to the pores of it. No sagging whatsoever and self sticks to things.
Click to expand...
IS this product from JB Weld also? If not, who?
 
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