Found Out My Blocks Cracked? Screwed by Seller

[darrin75]

It seems the engine that sold me has a cracked block, it has never been overheated when I owned it, I am mad as hell, the guy seems to not want to make it right either.  I have had a drip here a drip there ever since I had the engine installed, but got worst over time, now I am screwed.  Me and my dad inspected the block and it would appear that the block had been dobbied up, and not fixed correctly.  Is there anything I can do here.  By the way the guy lives in Nc, and I live in Ky.  He has said that for ME to bring the engine to him to fix, shit if he did this before, what makes me trust him now.

[Steve P.]

What is dripping?? Do you see a crack?? If so, where exactly is it??

[mally69]

 

[The70RT]

Did you buy it on eBay?

[darrin75]

Did not buy it on ebay, but guy sells stuff there some times.  Its  a hair line crack that has been leakiing antifreeze, si I would assume thats good anyway, and itis located on the side of the block around the number on the block or few inches below head gasket on drivers side.

[70charger_boy]

You can't really blame the seller.  If your going to buy an engine you should have asked him if it was magnafluxed.  It is usually hit or miss when it comes to these things.  If I were to buy an engine I would rebuild it before installing

Now, if you bought an engine that claimed to be rebuilt.........PUNCH him in the throat

[Steve P.]

I took one of my blocks in for the works last spring. It had a crack in the side between freeze plugs. I had them pin the motor. I asked around first as I had never had it done before and everyone said to go for it. I guess it is pretty common practice.. The machine shop said they pin motors all the time.. I don't remember the cost. I think it was a few hundred bucks...

[darrin75]

You can't really blame the seller.  If your going to buy an engine you should have asked him if it was magnafluxed.  It is usually hit or miss when it comes to these things.  If I were to buy an engine I would rebuild it before installing

Now, if you bought an engine that claimed to be rebuilt.........PUNCH him in the throat

It was rebulit brand new, magnaluxed and pressure tested, but I got off the phone with him and he said he uses block sill before taken to the machine shop, whether he really did this or not, i will never know, but here's the kicker.  I found bondo, thats right bondo over the crack and then painted, thats the slap in the face to me.  Damn people can't trust no one.

[70charger_boy]

Yeah, you definately have a case there.  Engines were not made for Bondo.  I feel the only way to talk to this guy is through a lawyer

Oh, take lots of pics of the motor and his shitty repair

[Challenger340]

Try and post a picture of the crack, "pinning", or "stitching", as a repair is fairly common, and easy to do, as long as the crack doesn't travel over the deck.
Then things get a little tricky to do.

I feel your pain !

Any Prestone getting in the Oil ?  Or just exterior leak ?

[darrin75]

Try and post a picture of the crack, "pinning", or "stitching", as a repair is fairly common, and easy to do, as long as the crack doesn't travel over the deck.
Then things get a little tricky to do.

I feel your pain !

Any Prestone getting in the Oil ?  Or just exterior leak ?

Will try to post a pic later, just exterior leak.  Also what kind of things do i need to do this repair, or is it something a pro should do?

[RD]

Try and post a picture of the crack, "pinning", or "stitching", as a repair is fairly common, and easy to do, as long as the crack doesn't travel over the deck.
Then things get a little tricky to do.

I feel your pain !

Any Prestone getting in the Oil ?  Or just exterior leak ?

Will try to post a pic later, just exterior leak.  Also what kind of things do i need to do this repair, or is it something a pro should do?

most machine shops can repair this crack if it simply leading to exterior leaking, not a problem.  now if the coolant is mixing with the oil, it really depends upon the location and severity of the crack.

[Challenger340]

Get a guy who's done it before.

Anybody CAN do the stitching, it's getting a good final at the crack end, to prevent propagation, that needs some "knowhow".

[darrin75]

what about using cast iron welding rods and a good welder.  I mean the crack just seeps out very slowly?

[The70RT]

what about using cast iron welding rods and a good welder.  I mean the crack just seeps out very slowly?

I believe you will have to use a nickel rod. I have seen where they use a small drill bit and drill a hole at each end of the crack to stop the crack from spreading before you weld it. I belive I would let a pro do that

[Plumcrazy]

what about using cast iron welding rods and a good welder.  I mean the crack just seeps out very slowly?

I believe you will have to use a nickel rod. I have seen where they use a small drill bit and drill a hole at each end of the crack to stop the crack from spreading before you weld it. I believe I would let a pro do that

  My father in law was a welder at a nuclear power plant.  I remember him telling me cast iron is very difficult to weld.  I'd have the block pinned by someone who's done it before.

[firefighter3931]

  with the rest....repair it and go. Let a pro pin it. 

Bondo on the block is an obvious attempt to hide a problem and that is  i'd be leaving him some nice feedback on E-bay !!! 


Ron

[supserdave]

Cast iron is a p.i.t.a. to weld. I welded 2 cracked bell housings. One turned out absolutely beautiful. I'm still working on the other one, it keeps cracking again right next to the weld.

If you do have to pay to get it fixed, take it to someplace that has done it before.

I would raise all kinds of hell with the seller.

[Challenger340]

Get the thing stitched/pinned, forget the welding.

Welding a block involves heating the thing almost redhot, damn near melting, then burning in your Rod of choice, High Nickel, or, I've heard of guys using stainless MIG wire ?.
The Oilpatch guys around here are very good at it, but they use cooling ovens for hours on end !
The real trick, is to then cool it VERY slowly, as they do, to prevent too much thermal stress fracturing.

Either way, you can see how dimensionally, the Block may require alot of fix ups, after sustaining that kind of thermal loads, for the extended periods required.

[1969chargerrtse]

what about using cast iron welding rods and a good welder.  I mean the crack just seeps out very slowly?

I believe you will have to use a nickel rod. I have seen where they use a small drill bit and drill a hole at each end of the crack to stop the crack from spreading before you weld it. I belive I would let a pro do that

   Beats the rod through the block thing I got.  Sucks, but can be repaired.

[max]

the story of bad blocks and sellers knowing it just irritates me

when i sell a block or engine that i don't have paper work on i try and work with the person how buys it, meaning i give the person 30 days to have the block maged and checked and if there's a problem i make it good some way.

i have had to take 2 blocks back like that in the last 10 years i started that and to me that is only good business.

the pin and stitch is the best way of fixing a crack but there are a few shops that won't even touch one.

i have one block that has a crack between two freeze plugs and i went to a local welding supply store that sold me a brazing rod that claims to work very well with cast iron but i have yet to give it a try.

[The70RT]

Why would anyone patch a place they know is gonna leak soon? I know to get money but they know it's gonna be sooner than later when it takes a dump. I learned my lesson a long time ago - either hear it run or get one and completely rebuild it and have the machine shop do all the machine work and checking, then you know what you got. I don't even like remanufactured unless I heard rave reviews about them.

[70charger_boy]

Why would anyone patch a place they know is gonna leak soon? I know to get money but they know it's gonna be sooner than later when it takes a dump. I learned my lesson a long time ago - either hear it run or get one and completely rebuild it and have the machine shop do all the machine work and checking, then you know what you got. I don't even like remanufactured unless I heard rave reviews about them.

[max]

Why would anyone patch a place they know is gonna leak soon? I know to get money but they know it's gonna be sooner than later when it takes a dump.

the 1969 440 that i have in the garage came from an original 1969 440 dart and the previous owner passed away and his 20 something year old son let the block freeze and bust so instead of taking the engine out and fixing it. he did the samething and just put some sort of bondo over the crack and sold the car.

the fellow that bought the car drove it about 75 street miles and noticed a wet spot on his garage floor and took it out. i ended up doing so trading on it and sure enough you could not only see the gob of bondo but when he sprayed paint over it the paint didn't even match the same color of orange on the block.

to be very honest about your statement, money seems to be the deciding factor and more of it happens then what people relize and ebag is great place to find crap that no one local to them wants or they can sell it to someone they don't have to deal with when the problem is found.

[The70RT]

Why would anyone patch a place they know is gonna leak soon? I know to get money but they know it's gonna be sooner than later when it takes a dump.

, money seems to be the deciding factor and more of it happens then what people relize and ebag is great place to find crap that no one local to them wants or they can sell it to someone they don't have to deal with when the problem is found.

Yeah they wouldn't want a mad local harrasing them. I bought a motor locally one time and it was a piece of crap and was sold as good. I dropped it off in his drive late one night. I guess the next morning it somehow got hung up under the back of his truck when he was backing out