Cracked block on C-113, Farmall A

Tom Fleming · Mar 17, 2009

Well, I probably already know the answer, however, I thought I would ask anyway.

bought a parts A that was not running, but the engine was not frozen, and turned freely. No coolant in the oil. No oil in the Rad. external block is intact, and no cracks.

Get engine off the tractor and start to dismantle the engine. all is well until I get the head off. Find a crack through the water jacket holes on the carb side of the block. It starts at the back of #1 and runs ziq-zag through the water jacket holes to the front of #4. No ridges on the sleeves, and VERY VERY little wear.

Now the dilemma. Is the block junk? is it ok to run as is? Should I try to have the crack ground out, and welded, then machined down? cylinders were clean. no rust.

It appears that the engine was running fine, with no leaks.

I will try to post pics a bit later.........

Andrew Z · Mar 17, 2009

Depends what you want to do weld it or patch JB weld it. personally i would try this marine engine sealer cant recall the name off the top of my head. but a guy i know used this on a oliver 88 block that had a rather large crack and worked fine no leaks and such.

Andrew

Jim Broughton · Mar 17, 2009

Tom : I would go for the welding job since the rest of the engine appears to be in good shape.
That old cast should be fairly soft and todays' welders can really do a nice job on 'er !
Best of luck.
Jim B.

Tom Fleming · Mar 18, 2009

I did a bit of research on welding cast iron. Appears that a NI (nickel) rod is the best way to go. Since it is difficult to pre-heat the whole block, there are ways to use the NI rod to do this.

I am wondering how long the engine ran this way with no issues......from the bottom of the head gasket, it appears to have been this way awhile, as it is "stained" where the crack is, and still no indications of coolant leakage, as there was zero staining on the block surface on either side of the crack. Also considering, the thermo-siphon system is low to no pressure in the cooling system.

Since these are low-compression engines, it may not be an issue to run "as is". This block will be used to restore a B, and it is going to be a "show queen", so it won't get worked hard........

I am going to explore welding it with one of the local welding companies.....

Jim Becker · Mar 18, 2009

Is the crack ONLY between various openings in the water jacket? If so, I'd leave it alone. If the crack goes to any of the head studs or a cylinder bore, different story. Then I'd consider the options already suggested.

Tom Fleming · Mar 18, 2009

Thanks Jim, and others that have responded.

Yes, the crack is only in the water jacket. the stud holes are not even close to the crack (relatively speaking).

Since the rest of the engine is in such good shape (ie. sleeves are excellent, pistons, rings, bearings, etc.) I think I will go ahead, and install this on the B, and put her back together. I will certainly clean things up a bit, but worst case, if it doesn't work, I will have only invested time, and a few gaskets.

It does appear that this one was running for awhile with the crack in existance, as the "stain" on the head gasket would seem to indicate that. If that is truly the case, it makes me wonder how many other internally cracked blocks are out there, and since they are not leaking, no one is the wiser.........

I do appreciate everyones input, and if anyone else has experience with this or other suggestions, i welcome them.

When I get this all put together, I will report on the results.......hopefully, it will be a good report.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 18, 2009

If You can find a HAND that knows how to weld cast iron, The Lincoln 99 nickel rod would be the one to use.... From recently doin' a lot of machinein' on a 113 cu in block for a Super "A" It is My feelin' that there is not much water pressure inside the block, as You know there is no water pump, the rad. cap should not be a pressure cap, there is a lot of space around the sleeves for water, the engine cools by, what is the term ,THERMO SYPHON? Personaly I would not weld on the block unless I was in a 9 line bind and had to have it now...without seein' the crack I don't know, seldom does a block crack where it is easy to get to to weld, the area to be welded will need to be heated, the welded deposit will need to be peened to be stress releived. A good HAND doin' this job right will have several hrs in this job, if the job is not done right, well that goes without sayin'..I would gamble on the block not leakin', might be tempted to try some J B...some swear by it...I sweare at it

Tom Fleming · Mar 22, 2009

Here is a picture of the block:

here is the head gasket that came off of it:

[/img]

Cracked block on C-113, Farmall A

Tom Fleming

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Andrew Z

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Jim Broughton

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Tom Fleming

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Jim Becker

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Tom Fleming

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Anonymous-0

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Tom Fleming

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