block cracked?

[chevykid13]

i picked up a 3.4L engine from an autopac wreak, took it apart, there was a head bolt broken under the valve cover and the rings are seized (from sitting w/ coolant in the cylinders?) k there was no coolant in the oil, just a lil on top of the piston (which where in the form of white bubbles) im planning on rebuilding the motor (bearings are pitted and gouged the crank a lil which will get machined) now ive heard that coolant gettin into the crankcase can crack it, how can i get it checked w/o bringing it to a machine shop or pulling the cam and cam bearings?

[CDNFB]

Re: block cracked?

from an autopac wreak

The only place I know that has Autopac is in Canada (Manitoba in fact). Is there somewhere else that has this? Where you from?

Chances are it's not the block. The coolant is probably from bad head gaskets or intake manifold gaskets, which these engines are known for.

If you want to see for yourself if there are cracks in the block, put the heads back on and torque them down, block off all the coolant ports or openings and pressurize the cooling circuit of the block. If you use a shut off valve and a pressure gauge you can actually measure a leak down rate.

But ultimately, if your going to rebuild the thing, and you have to employ the services of a machine shop for the crank grinding, it would not cost alot more to have them check the block for you. They are experts with the proper tooling and you're going to have to give them the block anyways so they can set up your main bearings for the crank grind. Call them up and ask how much. Estimates are FREE!!