What are the signs/symptoms of a cracked block? Think I may be at the end of the road with Bertha..

Thanks,
Christina

 

Slipped liner
Burning coolant
Coolant in oil
Compression leak

varies between area of crack.

 

Symptoms of cracked block would be misfires getting increasingly worse as coolant enters combustion chamber and fouls plugs. Usually happens in thin walls between inside cylinders allowing coolant to seep in back of liner then up and under head gasket. Which is why Top Hat liners are a solution.

You can slow the misfires by cleaning the fouled plugs, that will buy you a few hundred miles and it will repeat. You can inspect with a cheap USB boroscope attached to your smart phone. look for bubbles around the block/head seam during cooldown.

I did the unthinkable and used block seal to buy me some miles until I could afford a new engine solution. Of course if you do that plan on a new cooling system too. The block seal bought me 8 or 9k miles.

 

Thanks guys - I was freaking myself out reading past forum posts and the issue of my bubbling coolant reservoir.

So I have a bubbling coolant reservoir after seeing my temp gauge go up quickly yesterday. I immediately pulled over, let it cool down a bit (not much as I was in a precarious spot), filled the reservoir up and the temp gauge was back in the middle.

I added 1/2 a jug of 50/50 coolant yesterday (store bought). Fast forward to this morning - forgot to check the level, hopped in the Rover, started to drive to work and again, the temp gauge shot up. Shut the Rover down, pulled into the Holiday Inn parking lot, noticed that the level was way down (like as in I couldn't see the level) and dumped the other half of the bottle in. Walked to the gas station down the road, bought another 50/50 jug and poured half in. Noticed that the reservoir is bubbling...figured maybe it was due to air pockets but am curious as to where the coolant is disappearing to?!? Haven't noticed any leaking, haven't done a pressure test, don't know where to start with a pressure test to find the leak.

So.. drove to work, temp gauge stayed steady, and noticed that the coolant level is down again when I got here. Reservoir is still bubbling..

Obviously I should stop driving it until I figure out what is going on.. no leaks around the car, don't see anything leaking inside?.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Christina

 

No leaks outside means it's burning coolant.
It could just be head gasket(s).
I would pull the heads before saying the block is cracked.

 

I was afraid of that. Visibly I cannot see leaks. Head gaskets are almost five years old. Guess I should haul her in and see what they say. I just assumed that I'd see coolant leaking somewhere if it was the heads?

This sux. Argh..

 

Do you have any misfires or rough running? Check your oil to see if it is chocolate milkshake like. If you have no misfires then its going into the oil. If the oil is fine, it is going all over the road and only leaking when under pressure.

 

Sometimes the heads do leak to the outside, but sometimes they don't.
You don't see steam from the tail pipe, or smell antifreeze(sweet smell)?

 

This^

 

Thanks - I tried getting the stupid oil cap off earlier today but my husband likes to tighten it down with a Hercules grip. I'll see if I can get that off and take a look at it in the next hour. No misfires or rough running. I'll check the oil fast and report back.

Be back soon..