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Hello,
I`m in the middle of 91` Camaro v6 3.1 rebuild and I just discovered something that looks like crack in engine block. I think that I should get engine x rayed, but I could use your opinions.
Car has 200k miles, I know nothing about the past of this car, I bought it and drove it for a week before taking it apart. It always fired right up (even after 2 months of not running at all), it smokes a bit (white) on cold start, but I think this is due to moisture in exhaust, because I started it every few days, always in cold weather. Coolant temp was always ok. Coolant and oil levels remained the same. Engine is generally running good.
I can`t confirm leakage from the crack due to really bad leakage from valve covers.
I took some pictures and videos.
Area around the crack looks silver because I cleaned it with wire brush wheel.
I grinded a little bit to see how it will look deeper, but the crack remains..
This is right bellow the engine head, area where I grinded is where head bolt is.
Could this be factory casting defect?
Also if crack is not too deep could it be fixed by grinding it down and filling the hole with liquid metal?
It appears to be a crack in your block. Either borrow a cooling system pressure tester or take the car to someone who has one, and get it checked. Look to see if coolant seeps out when under normal operating temperature and cooling system pressure.
There's no 'practical' (read, inexpensive) way to repair a cracked block; methods used to salvage high-dollar, 'matching numbers' damaged blocks for collector cars are very expensive since they require a large amount of skill to make a successful repair. If your engine is cracked, just get a replacement. You might even consider swapping-in a V8.
It appears to be a crack in your block. Either borrow a cooling system pressure tester or take the car to someone who has one, and get it checked. Look to see if coolant seeps out when under normal operating temperature and cooling system pressure.
There's no 'practical' (read, inexpensive) way to repair a cracked block; methods used to salvage high-dollar, 'matching numbers' damaged blocks for collector cars are very expensive since they require a large amount of skill to make a successful repair. If your engine is cracked, just get a replacement. You might even consider swapping-in a V8.
Hello, thank you for your explanation. Yes, I would consider buying other engine block or even v8 swap, but the thing is that I live in Slovenia, there are no parts to get here and shipping would be expensive. I will try to fix what I have. Have a nice day
Looks like a freeze crack from straight water used as coolant in winter-low stress area,so should be able to weld up with special welding rod meant for cast iron or use nickel rod-vee out the repair area and pre-heat/post heat for best results.
have you already bought pistons for the 3.1? This could be a good excuse to upgrade to a 3.4
I`m not changing the pistons, the compression is good. For now I will try with liquid metal (I bought some that you can use on engine blocks), so I don`t have to pull the heads. Will report back after a while if it holds.
