Thought I had a leaking freeze plug, when I changed my oil tonight got to looking on the right side at the plugs and just below the 2nd one from the back was a crack about 2 inches long and is dripping out. My question is what should I do about it? what can I do about it any help here would be appreciated. No oil in water and the motor runs great.

 

Sounds like you got a 53 block... lots of $$$ to replace it, but you could Lok-N-Stitch it for a LOT less.

 

how much is lock and stitch and will JB weld work? I dont want to replace the block and really wasnt looking forward to this happening.

 

" 4inchcatback"

a 99 doesn't have a cat. That's a resonator.

 

Do a search on here for LNS and the 53 block. This should provide plenty of results for you to better understand what you're up against. Depending on your mileage you may be able to get some help from Cummins.

 

Just say NO to JB weld to fix your 53 block.

Lok-N-Stitch costs an order of magnitude less than replacement, the repair is stronger than the original casting, and is easier, stronger and more reliable than welding.

 

a guy here at work is selling a 91' 5.9 complete running motor and rebuilt tranny...pm me if your interested.

 

Thanks for the info on the 53 and from what I have read lock and stitch doesnt hold for long either.

Guess it will be block time as if I really need to spen the money on it and fuel 4$Gal.

 

I have welded them and they have run years and years with a weld. But, you have to be a reasonably skilled welder and understand how to lock the crack and then about color running to get a good cast bond and avoid stress fractures during the cool down. I posted the how-to years ago, and you should be able to find it with a search.

I would guess that about half the diesel Dodges running around in Mexico have JB Weld and stainless steel screen patches, and just keep on ticking! Look like crap, but it works!

 

I've only heard good things about Lok-N-Stitch; they even use it to repair cylinder heads where they crack between the exhaust valves.

RCW has a good point though - if it's just the water jacket, you could probably shadetree it easily enough, since coolant pressure will be under 100psi.

 

I would try the steel screen patch and JB weld first for sure. Then if that didn't work i would check into welding it. But if all else fails i would just replace the motor

 

JB weld will not hold up to the heat cycles. Give this a shot:

http://www.belzona.com/products.aspx

 

I was also going to suggest Belzona or one of their other super products for you to consider.

This stuff once applied, lets say to a pump housing, can be machined to the correct tolerance. Its approved by many regulatory societies in the marine industry.

The big challange is to get the working surface clean and dry as per the instructions.

Dave

 

Since posting this I have removed the thermostat and has helped alot still seeps a little out of the crack but at least my underside isnt staying wraped up with the green juice. going to bite the bullet and have a motor bilt for it .

The research I have done on this says that the crack will keep on coming back no matter what and I dont want to be worrying when I hook to a trailer and take a trip far off.

If only I had known ths before I bought the truck

 

Here is the normal procedure for preventing the crack from spreading.

You can have someone do this for you or you can do it yourself.

Go to a welding supply store, and get the three can kit of Dye Penetrate.

Cleaner, dye, and developer. Follow the instructions on the can. Clean the area to white metal and go over it again with a hand stainless steel wire brush.

Use the cleaner on the area and wipe down. Use the cleaner to get into the crack area you can see. Go beyond where you think the crack is all around. Apply the red dye to the area in question. . Let the dye sit for serveral minutes and they wipe it down with a rag and the cleaner. Cleaner on the rag.
Don't spray the area. Apply the developer. The dye will show thru the white developer. The developer pulls the dye out of the crack.

Once you can see the entire crack, use a drill twice the thickness of the block in diameter and drill the crack at each end. That will stop the crack from getting larger. If its a compound crack running multiple ways, you'll have to decide if it worth chasing or not. Antifreeze in the block may be a problem with this method.

At this point you'll need to either weld it up or use a super compound to seal the crack.

You can also use mag particle to do this which is much cleaner. Orientation of the magnet is critical to the process. I would suggest you obtain the sevices of a pro for the mag.

Dave