2 small cracks in Engine Block

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Author Message   A.W. (A_W_Disco) Posted on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 08:52 am:    Hi, I have a 1995 V8 Disco, and I have a question and I would appreciate any input. I live overseas and new engines or spare parts in general for discos are rediculously expensive. A couple of days ago my mechanic told me that I have 2 small cracks in the Aluminum engine block by the water/cooling compartment of the engine I think (that explains the coolant loss I have been experiencing), and he told me not to worry much because he knows a professional shop that can weld the two small cracks very well. He also told me not too worry also because there is another layer (made of steel I think, and that consists of 8 pieces, he calls them "chemise" here) that will prevent any coolant leackage. So my question is, is my mechanic right and that the welding if done right can stop this engine's problems or am I screwed and I need to buy a new engine, which I can't afford by the way. Thank you.   Norm Posted on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 11:23 am:    The AW saga continues... As memory serves, you're in Egypt and had a deep engine knock and a rebuilt oil pump, etc. (did your mechanic ever do an oil pressure test and a cylinder compression test? results?). Did your mechanic ever fix the engine knock? It's impossible for me to tell how bad these cracks are, if they're in a critical area or if they're even repairable, but it sounds to me like your mechanic either doesn't know what he's doing or has been stringing you along. Sounds like one major problem (and repair bill) after another. As memory serves, you said the motor had been overheated a time or two -- this is usually fatal to aluminum blocks. If I were you, I'd try to find another mechanic or take it to the LR dealership for a second opinion before you sink anymore time or money into this thing. ---Norm   A.W. (A_W_Disco) Posted on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 04:59 pm:    Hi Norm, your memory is pretty good, you were right about all what you said. Well what can I say, I'm really unlucky with this vehicle. Basically everything was finally running great up until a month ago. The knocking was fixed (problem was with engine bearings), the new oil pump was working very well, and the engine sounded really good. During this last month, the car overheated a couple of times (even though I check the water level regularly) and a couple of days ago, I was told by my mechanic that the cylinder head gasket was busted. Upon further examination, he told me that there were small cracks in the block. Today I went to inspect them, there were more like 5 or 6 cracks (some taller than others but all relatively small in depth) distributed among the pistons housings in the engine block. One crack looked a bit worrisome though, it was small but tall and was just half an inch or less away from the top end of the piston housing. I think you are right that I need to change mechanics, but the thing is that everytime I have trouble with the car, he convinces me that it was definitely not his fault, and that the car was already in a bad shape when I bought it. I'm afraid it might be too late to change mechanics anyways, the engine might be unfixable. He did strongly assure me though that this is repairable, by welding the cracks well, using a component between the block housings and the "chemises" (the iron cylinders that surround the pistons) to prevent any possible coolant leackage from the cracks if the welding wasn't enough, and finally by adding another component that he told me about to the water that reaches the block, this component he said will fill the cracks with a metal and repair them (I think the idea is that component particles will attach themselves to the cracks in the block and repair them). Thanks for reading this, any input is appreciated.   Norm Posted on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 06:17 pm:    AW -- I would say your motor is pretty well toast at this point, unless someone on this board has had any success welding or otherwise chemically plugging the cracks in an aluminum block. Apparently, overheating is worse than running out of oil with an aluminum Rover V8 -- the overheating might have been caused by a bad thermostat stuck closed (I change these out once a year -- they only cost $10.00 which is cheap insurance against overheating) or a clog in the radiator or elsewhere in the cooling system. It may also have been caused by a problem in the fuel system which caused the motor to run too lean. If you intend to keep driving this truck, you'll need to address the overheating problem immediately. As far as the motor, if your heads are in good shape and not warped from the overheating (although it sounds like possible warpage occurred if the head gasket blew) you may be able to put in a short block motor (which is basically everything but the front cover/oil pump and the heads and valve gear). If it were me, at this point (provided that the rest of the truck is in good shape) I'd put a whole new motor in (long block) with a new front cover/oil pump rather than keep on screwing with the overheated one. Otherwise, you can leave it as is and drive it til it blows up and then part it out. Don't feel bad -- I've been through something similar with a 3.9 that was completely dismantled and rebuilt twice and they still couldn't fix the knock!!! I ended up putting in an RPi 4.6 and it's the best thing I could have done --- very satisfactory motor. You may also be able to find a decent motor out of a wreck and save a bunch of money. Check out the RPi website -- they have info on V8 problems that will be of interest to you. Good luck!!! ---Norm   A.W. (A_W_Disco) Posted on Saturday, August 24, 2002 - 08:52 pm:    Thanks Norm for giving me your opinion. Although that is not what I would have liked to hear, I think that you're probably right and that my engine is toast. Everything in the engine apart from the block is definitely in very good shape though, so I may explore the "short block" option but I doubt I will find any here. Also there is no thermostat in the car, we remove it in this country because the weather here is quite hot. I think what I'll do is drive it till the engine totally fails, I think by then I will have enough money to buy a new (or used in good shape) engine. Thanks again.