I hope this is a fresh water cooled motor! If it's raw water cooled, you'll find a few more cracks when you fire it up.

Jeff

UPDATED.... posted pic

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Thanks for the replies.

The engine is cooled by lake water. I guess that is "raw" water?

I am hopeful that the engine only has this one crack. A beer bottle with water in it that I placed back in year 2 (capped with no airspace) didn't break, so I was suprised to see this crack.

I heard that while I was gone the marina got down to 7 degrees for three days in a row. I bet on one of those days there was enough cold air moving around inside the motor compartment that it and only it got chilled. Kinda sticks out. See the pic I just attached.

First year, I winterized. Second year, winterized but put the beer bottle in place. It was a cold one, and the bottle never broke. Years 3-9, never winterized. This year, well, you see......

I'm betting that this is the only thing that froze. The hull is aluminum so it stays pretty warm inside the motor compartment thanks to the lake temps (about 40F right now, and probably higher back on those frigid days that I foolishly discounted...)

I was going to weld this but now you see I have ground down into the crack, probably won't drill holes since this wasn't a stress crack to begin with, and will probably use J-B Weld since I am afraid to let someone weld/braze this for real AND also because since it is low-pressure and low-temp (it routes the lake water coming in from the water pump (which is at times heated up with the water that comes out of a hose that comes off the thermostat) so it shouldn't be very warm at all).

The hose that feeds the block mixes with the output water until the motor is warm, then I guess the thermostat closes off and feeds the motor cold water (?). The dude who had the boat before me had a cork in that output hose, down by the water strainer. I took the cork out since the motor was never getting past 120F . Now it gets to 160-180F. I never run it over 3K so I figure that is ok. But that is a different topic for later.

Tomorrow, I go back to the lake unless someone talks me out of JB Welding it at midnight tonight.... :^) That gives me 15 hours to let it cure then I put it together before dark tomorrow and fire it up and look for more cracks ....

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ADDED: I have to make a gasket for the thing too. I bought some 1/64" gasket paper tonight at A*e and I am wondering if I should also use some gasket sealant when I put the gasket on . What do you think? I mean, since the piece is cracked it might flex more than a non-cracked one would.... HMMM.... and there is both oil and water contained under this plate.

I guess I will buy some gasket goo just in case.

There is a company called "Metal Lock" that repairs cast iron cracks by drilling, tapping and screwing the cracks solid.

Thanks for your replies, everyone. Norm thanks for all those ideas about DIY work. If I wasn't pressed for time I would have gone that route. I do need to get an oxy acetylene setup and learn how to use it. A torch has been on the list for a while now. As much as I like heavy baling wire and G*rilla Tape, the value of brazing rod isn't lost on me.

I plan to get a new casting someplace along the way. I chose to fix it with JB this time and as of today are looking for a used replacement. Any other suggestions on where to shop would be helpful. See the pic for a visual of the part needed.

Once I get a replacement part I will grind off the JB and try brazing it myself. I didn't want to risk someone else breaking the only part I have. I expect that the cast iron will continue to rust from inside and will eventually let the JB pop out and leak. A good thing is that the crack wasn't letting very much water out, it's above the water line, and the time to take the thing apart wasn't all that great.

And we don't go far nowadays -- normally go only a mile or two from the dock then park. So we can be in sight of a wireless connection. I have 428 feet of cat5e cable on a hose spool (run at 10Mbit when I have to use that excess amount) and can shoot wireless to the docs even with the boat tucked back into a cove. And you see why I didn't wait. I can go there today, drive out, and work tomorrow, Monday, etc. Skype for phone in a place where cell is unreliable or if I burn too many minutes, and shad and Silver Buddies for smallmouth off the back. The hardest multi-tasking ever known to man -- fishing and computing. LogMeIn and RDP works well. Let me know if I can help any of you with making the best wireless at your docks. I'll be glad to share what I know. 2.5 miles with a cheap hardware set (<$250 total) is my personal best so far. Most times I park the Marinette in sight of a dock's wireless and can repeat the DSL signal to a friend on the other side of the lake who has nothing more than a laptop. Wonderful.

And for Thanksgiving I made a wireless buoy out of things I found floating around and on the shore... LOL. To let me be on the "dark side of the creek". I take it out into sight of the dock and anchor it. An old ski rope I snagged while trolling one day (used for an anchor rope), an old cedar sapling for the upright, a funky algae stained green pool noodle I cut into 2" sections and use to float and make it obvious to protect my cable from boaters, and an old boat bumper to float the thing. I use a spare small anchor on the bottom of the sapling to keep it upright. I need to take a pic. Words don't do it justice.

Live and learn, winterize and braze. I hope to have the time to gut this boat this year so everything will be changing.

Thanks again. Send your spare baling wire and duct tape this way!

Rich

Yeah, I'm afraid too -- but in my job, I am always expecting the worst but hoping for the best.

I looked at the freeze plugs and none popped out, none moved. One on the front, and three or more on each side.

Not even the beer bottle broke. And if it got REALLY cold all over (cold enough to break the block) then the bottle would have broken. It's in a plastic cup about 2" from the back of the boat. The only thing it doesn't get is breezes from the scoops.

On the other hand the part that cracked has the alternator bracket bolted to it on the side that cracked...... and I bet that acted like a big heat sink.

Quincy I'm not but it makes sense to me. A little breeze, a heat sink, water without whiskey, and a sad boater results. Change any of those factors and the results could have been much different!! ;^)

Will certainly let you know. This baby is going to be running on Saturday at the latest. Weather should be in the 50's here. A veritable heat wave!!

Rich

I would check with http://www.hurrikain.com/ChryslerMarineStore.htm they have a lot of older chrysler products. I looked at their website but don't see one on there but they might have one. I would refer to it as circulating water pump block off or something like that, I have one but mine is cracked where the double pocket impeller goes. Good luck.

:^) Thanks.

OK, I got back from the lake. More to say than what I am about to say, but I think (and Jeff called it!!!) that maybe maybe I have a crack in the block.

The repair with JB held. So far.

I got the boat running to get it warm so I could change the oil (for many reasons as you know!!) . About a 1/4 cup of water came out first. ((((This doesn't look like something normal, but I am an optimist. Since the motor has many hours on it, and since it never gets hot, is it possible that blowby and the coolness could cause condensate to build up in the pan? ))))

If not, I have a cracked block ---------- and will drive this thing til it dies. We rarely cross 2k RPM unless in a bind (trolling and needing to protect our lines from runabouts, etc) and rarely go more than 2 miles.

So...... I changed the oil, and ran it at 4K RPM for maybe half an hour then , again drained a little bit of oil....pulled a cup of oil out and saw water droplets. I assume this is not leftover oil from the previous batch. Ha.

But like I said..... I will run this thing til it dies. Then I will put a short block in it.

LOL. I'm ready for a project! First , the inside. Going to get rid of the back bench seat , spin the head, expand the head room, and put a shower in. Then, replace the motor which should by then be tortured beyond any of its wildest dreams. My brother says that ya can't kill a 318 so what happens to a motor that fills with water over the period of a month? I'll drain the water out every trip if I gotta. Takes me about 5 minutes to tap the water out until the oil follows. LOL . Jeeze I'm so unconventional!!!! (I really do care about some things.... this isn't one of themm.....)

96 days to May 1 launch!

Roger

It has no PCV system to speak of . Port side valve cover has a hose over the fill cap, and that feeds into the carb. Right side has what appears to be a PCV valve with a hose on it that USED to be connected to the carb. No idea why the carb, but it's disconnected now. Been that way for years.

I'm simply going to drain a cup of oil out at the beginning of every trip and see what comes out. Going to keep it close to the marina as usual, and maybe by June I will have an idea of whether or not the motor block is cracked.

My brother tells me that if I could block off the output hoses I could pressurize the system and be sure if the system is cracked or not. I will do.

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR THOUGHTS . Tight lines and clean internet to ya all. Rich

Correct, Mr Diesel Man.

The reason "core plugs" (their correct name) got called freeze (out) plugs by the public is that they pop out when the engine block freezes. When that happens, the block also cracks inside, just below the intake manifold and other places.

Jeff

PS: Looking forward to your diesel web site.