here we go again

[anesthes]

So after 2 years away from I/O in the jetboat world (seadoo), I sold the jetboat and bought another I/O.

I picked up a '89 celebrity 181 with a 3.0 (130hp) mercruiser. Boat runs and drives great. Good condition overall. Paid $1800 for it.

Anyhow, while I was out I noticed a small drip. drip. running down the side of the block. I said "hrmm. this looks familiar".. I ran it for about an hour + in the river, and trailered it back home. Whole time temp never rose above 140f, and I kept it around 4200 rpm. (did I say it drives nice!? man does it plane fast!).

Checked the oil. Still clean, level, etc.. Took the carb, alt, and manifold off and said "wow!". nice 6+ inch crack along the side of the block, about an inch below the deck. Wonderful. Leaks in two small spots on the crack.

So I friday, I'll cut a V in it, drill both ends, and fill it with some magnum steel. (the tube kind you kneed together, and stuff it in there really good). Hopefully that will be that. The head and everything looks great, this just one crack. No water in the oil. It's not wide, its enough for water to only leak out of two small spots, and I'm talking a small drip but probably 2 gallons over an hour was in the bilge.

Oh well. I'll try to post pix. I know "bondo" has fixed a bunch of these this way, so I figure it should be fine.

-- Joe

 

[capthook]

Re: here we go again

I just did this with mine as well. Worked great still holding strong.

 

[anesthes]

Re: here we go again

I just did this with mine as well. Worked great still holding strong.

You use JB, magnum steel? tube or mix?

After spending 1/2 hour reading the packages, I figured the tube you knead together would be better cuz you could force it in the crack while it's still plyable.

-- Joe

 

[capthook]

Re: here we go again

I used jb. What I did ws let it dry almost to a tacky feel then spread it "into" the crack. I then let that dry a while then went in again and cleaned the surface and repeated again. I did all the drilling, grinding and sanding and it worked great. good luck

 

[oh-u812?]

Re: here we go again

I used JB as well. There no drippage from my crack presenty. When I was done grinding my crack was a half inch wide or better at it's widest-my crack was huge! I drilled the ends as well and wiped my crack with acetone (finger nail polish remover). Just remember to wipe your crack well before filling it with the epoxy. Here's to JB weld and duct tape, Red Green would be proud.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: here we go again

Here is a trick I've seen done, but it can only be done if the crack is in an area that is relatively flat. A slight curvature vertically or horizontally should not bother -- just not a compound curve. A flat steel or aluminum plate (3/16 thick) can be fashioned that covers an area about one inch above, below and to either side of the crack. Drill stop holes at either end of the crack to prevent its spread. Place the plate over the crack and if any slight forming is necessary, bend the plate as needed. Next, using a small drill bit to drill through the plate and the block. Repeat at the bottom. Next, drill the two holes in the plate so you have clearance for a cap screw. Fine thread, 1/4 inch should be fine. Now drill and tap the two holes in the block for whatever cap screw size you use. Now you can cut a gasket from thick gasket material, coat it with any number of sealers and bolt the plate in place. If you want to grind the crack and stuff it with the sealer it certainly wouldn't hurt. I've seen this done on a two engines in my life. One was a tractor that tossed a rod through the side of the block. The hole was big enough to stick my fist in. That plate had screws all the way around it and the owner never came back. My Dad did the repair. The second repair, also done by my Dad was done on a 6 cylinder Chevy. I might add that this was done back in the days when a buck was really worth something and things were repaired rather than replaced.

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: here we go again

Geez Silvertip....just how old are you anyway???

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: here we go again

Good to hear another 3.0 has been saved....

There are some excellent epoxy products out there.... I've yet to hear of a bad one.

We used to use a system like this on diesels over 100HP per cylinder:
http://www.locknstitch.com/Metal_Stitching.htm

tedious, but it lasts forever.

 

[hydro556]

Re: here we go again

I used JB as well. There no drippage from my crack presenty. When I was done grinding my crack was a half inch wide or better at it's widest-my crack was huge! I drilled the ends as well and wiped my crack with acetone (finger nail polish remover). Just remember to wipe your crack well before filling it with the epoxy. Here's to JB weld and duct tape, Red Green would be proud.

Maybe I am slow, but I couldnt tell if this was humor or serious. Wiping your crack, my crack was huge!, grinding your crack, no drippage from your crack etc....

 

[sabastianunf]

Re: here we go again

^I didn't catch it the first time either. But I did just get a good laugh out of it just now.

 

[Modified]

Re: here we go again

I got a good laugh outta that.

 

[Bondo]

Re: here we go again

There are some excellent epoxy products out there.... I've yet to hear of a bad one.

Ayuh,........... While there's Nothing Wrong with a Mechanical Patch,.........

I'm kinda Glad that I'm living in the Age of Plastics,..............

And I Agree,..........
There seems to be a Severe Crack Problem in this neighborhood,...........

 

[Coors]

Re: here we go again

Seems that someone in here also had good luck by putting vacuum on the cooling system, so as to draw the patch into the crack, and getting a better mechanical bond.
You crack heads, you; get your minds out of the gutter.

 

[anesthes]

Re: here we go again

Seems that someone in here also had good luck by putting vacuum on the cooling system, so as to draw the patch into the crack, and getting a better mechanical bond.
You crack heads, you; get your minds out of the gutter.

Thats partly why you want to cut a V into it. If this wasn't cast iron trust me I'd be welding it. I've been welding for 15 years. But cast iron sucks.

But anyway, cut a V into it, and use a stick to force it in there.

-- Joe

 

[oh-u812?]

Re: here we go again

I only wish I had only been joking about my extensive crack.