Porous block or tiny crack?

[pacstud]

So... Not freeze plugs, not head gasket...pin prick leak from the block! I'll try to get pics but I put dye in and the ran a pressure test. It held the pressure but after wiping down the block I saw the tiniest pin prick leak. About 4-5 inches aft of the freeze plug on the passenger side and a few inches lower. Might be a crack, but if it is it's tiny. Ah, 360k miles but perhaps her race is run.

EDIT: lol, so then I find a nice used 1998 green ford ranger 2wd right down the road. It's a 3.0 so I guess I'll enter the timing cover gasket club. 195k for $3,000 though? I sense a haggle in my future.

 

[19Walt93]

If you like the truck and it's otherwise in good shape, it might be worth trying some Bars Leaks in it before giving up. It would be hard to justify a major repair at that mileage.

 

[pacstud]

Tell me if this makes sense:

I'm going to flush just my radiator and pull the thermostat.
I'm going to fill with distilled water and some bars (copper).
I'm going to follow directions.

Then? Do I use a complete flush? Just the radiator from time to time? Do I leave it in?

I can wait to put the thermostat back in until it's going to get cold.

fwiw my heater core is tip top, no leaks blows hot.

But doors and windows. A 1998 Ranger that's identical just posted for 3k, but it has the 3.0 and is an automatic. I may just get that after I patch and sell my current girl. Sad though.

 

[19Walt93]

Bypass the heater before adding the stop leak just in case and don't use a chemical flush afterwards.

 

[pacstud]

Bypass the heater before adding the stop leak just in case and don't use a chemical flush afterwards.

OK, I wasn't going to use chemicals, just distilled water. As for bypassing, it's too late (I did it last night) but the directions say to crank the heater for the whole 15 minutes. I did think if needed I could just flush the core, separate from the cooling system flush (same for rad) so that the copper in there doesn't just accrue elsewhere.

 

[sgtsandman]

OK, I wasn't going to use chemicals, just distilled water. As for bypassing, it's too late (I did it last night) but the directions say to crank the heater for the whole 15 minutes. I did think if needed I could just flush the core, separate from the cooling system flush (same for rad) so that the copper in there doesn't just accrue elsewhere.

Back flush the heater. Hopefully that will clear out whatever got in there. It is generally recommended to switch the heater lines everytime the coolant is changed anyway, for the same reason. Flushing out any gunk that may have gotten or built up in the heater core.

 

[pacstud]

Back flush the heater. Hopefully that will clear out whatever got in there. It is generally recommended to switch the heater lines everytime the coolant is changed anyway, for the same reason. Flushing out any gunk that may have gotten or built up in the heater core.

Will do. Thank you.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I’d be inclined to try the old school method of drilling and tapping the block at the leak and thread in a fine thread bolt with some heavy duty locktite…

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

^^^ this was taught to me 40 years ago in diesel pre-apprentice school. But used pipe plugs. Could fix cracks that way too by overlapping the plugs.

 

[pacstud]

I’d be inclined to try the old school method of drilling and tapping the block at the leak and thread in a fine thread bolt with some heavy duty locktite…

I read about this but at 360k miles...oof. But it's on the table, I'd have to find a guy. What I can't tell is if there is a crack connecting this pin holes. There are three of them all in about an inch of space, looks like Orion's Belt. So I don't know how that would work. One big hole?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I read about this but at 360k miles...oof. But it's on the table, I'd have to find a guy. What I can't tell is if there is a crack connecting this pin holes. There are three of them all in about an inch of space, looks like Orion's Belt. So I don't know how that would work. One big hole?

I would do each one individual one at a time. And if one hole overlaps a plug, no big deal. Just drill and tap like the first plug isn't there. I'd look at using 1/8” pipe plug, which looks like about 5/16" on the outside. You could go up in size to 1/4”, which is a hair over 3/8”. Pipe is measured on the inside diameter, which is why they measurements dont seem to make sense to someone who is used to measuring the outside dimensions on everything.
Or do fine thread bolts. Lock tight on any plug or bolt.

 

[sgtsandman]

I read about this but at 360k miles...oof. But it's on the table, I'd have to find a guy. What I can't tell is if there is a crack connecting this pin holes. There are three of them all in about an inch of space, looks like Orion's Belt. So I don't know how that would work. One big hole?

Doing what they are recomending would take care of the crack as well, with a properly sized plug. This is assuming that you aren't working close to something that doesn't allow for a bigger plug. Drilling a hole that you are just going to tap and plug is a lot easier than if you were doing the same to attach a bracket or something. Straightish is going to be good enough. I would take steps to make sure there is indeed a crack. Smaller plugs and taps are easier to work with (and cheaper) than a bigger one.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I agree with that method but I don't think there's going to be enough depth available for a pipe thread tap so I would probably stick with straight threads... the problem with there being a few in the same spot is there's likely a pocket that is about to pop out... dumb thing about fine thread fasteners is they're usually hard which you might not want... considering the material of the block is likely 1/4" or less I would be tempted to just go 1/4-20 with the cheapest bolts or screws you find (IE soft, even brass...) and tap shallow so it would act like a pipe plug, could even use JB weld as thread sealant or just get proper pipe dope/thread sealant (not thread tape, avoid that...)

I've been to that area of Nebraska, I know for a FACT there's bound to be some farmer that can help . Unfortunately my days of being familiar with that area were 10 years ago so am not as friendly with the irrigation guys in Hastings or Karney as I was...

 

[pacstud]

I agree with that method but I don't think there's going to be enough depth available for a pipe thread tap so I would probably stick with straight threads... the problem with there being a few in the same spot is there's likely a pocket that is about to pop out... dumb thing about fine thread fasteners is they're usually hard which you might not want... considering the material of the block is likely 1/4" or less I would be tempted to just go 1/4-20 with the cheapest bolts or screws you find (IE soft, even brass...) and tap shallow so it would act like a pipe plug, could even use JB weld as thread sealant or just get proper pipe dope/thread sealant (not thread tape, avoid that...)

I've been to that area of Nebraska, I know for a FACT there's bound to be some farmer that can help . Unfortunately my days of being familiar with that area were 10 years ago so am not as friendly with the irrigation guys in Hastings or Karney as I was...

Yeah, I know a few farmers. It's all cost-benefit at this point. If I can get into something I like at a reasonable price, I'm going to. If not, I'll try to stretch out the girl. I've got a mess of parts in or going in and the cheap part of me hates not using them. I'm guessing a lot of you have way worse examples of building something up only to see it either fail catastrophically or get in a wreck. Murphy's law.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yeah, I know a few farmers. It's all cost-benefit at this point. If I can get into something I like at a reasonable price, I'm going to. If not, I'll try to stretch out the girl. I've got a mess of parts in or going in and the cheap part of me hates not using them. I'm guessing a lot of you have way worse examples of building something up only to see it either fail catastrophically or get in a wreck. Murphy's law.

Been there this year, I have plans and investment in my F350 and rely on it for my camping and towing adventures when 5th gear in the transmission broke this summer it put the same thoughts in my mind and was close but ran into similar issues to you, everything that isn't completely ran into the ground costs way too much and I would have still had to add camper tiedowns and figured out hitches and stuff... ended up putting $1700 into a transmission that I still had to rebuild because of a timeline issue...