cracked engine block

[galaxian]

Hi,
Remember the water leak that I suspected to be the flush screw?
Well it's much worse....the engine block is cracked ! I managed to slip the digi camera way below the manifold and look what it revealed !(see photo)
Nasty ! I was thinking that I might try to seal this 12 cm crack with metal cement puty...do you guys think it might hold ?
Another solution would be argon font welding, but the spot is very inaccesible.
Furthermore, considering the rust that has formed on the pushrods and the rocker arms, (see photo)I wonder if water has mixed with oil or do you think this rust is due to the fact that the engine was abandonned for 5 years.
I would need some advice.
Thanks

By the way, since I am talking about my 4L (safari 1978) I haven't had the oportunity to show it, well here it is

 

[malcolm]

I thought it never got cold in Greece. Normally a crack in the engine block like that would be due to the coolant freezing.

It is possible to repair cracked engine blocks using an arc welder with a Nickel electrode. The repair is normally made with the engine warm, so the welder would probably need you to remove the inner and outer wings for access, run the engine until hot, then drain all the water.

It's a skilled process so a welder would normally charge quite a lot of money. Also any distortion might unseat the sealing rings at the bottom of the cylinder liners. Seeing the rust on the push rods I would worry that there might be rust inside the cylinders- that might cause wear or cause the piston rings to seize to the pistons.

Are spare engines available where you are? Fitting a replacement engine is probably the most sensible approach.

The rest of the car looks solid.

 

[Chris H]

the engine isn't in the best of health fromt eh pictures, if you can source another engine locally I'd go that route to be honest.

The welding can be don't buit you don't know where else its cracked. The wet liner desgine means the bores will tend to be fine bu tthe crack might be right through to the cam/pushrod gallery thuis the water build up.

 

[galaxian]

I guess you are both right.
If things looked better under the valve cover, I think I would go for the welding, but considering the "mud-rust" deposit I think that that water passes through.
I have found a whole TL 77 car for 300 euros, if the engine looks ok I will buy it, and it will be a good source for spares anyway...
I am not an expert, but I am quite agile with my hands and like messing arround with engines. Do you think that engine swap is a really difficult task ?
Any particular recommendations ?
Thanks

 

[malcolm]

300 euros will be way cheaper than welding and you'll probably find some ohter bits in there you'll need. Make sure it's a good engine by driving the car if you can. Normally these engines go on for ever.

The engine swap is time consuming - you have to remove the bonnet (hood) and the steering rack, and all the bits that connect to the engine. It's a weekend work for me, but there's nothing really difficult apart from removing the drive shafts (which need the suspension balljoints to come off and that requires a special ball joint splitting tool.)