Engine block repair help

[rpaga]

2014 Chevy Cruze that has become quite the project to say the least. Long story short in an attempt to drill out an exhaust stud and install a timesert, the repair boogered up the cylinder head and surface of the block. I'm already replacing the cylinder head but was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what to fill the damaged area with? I'm thinking a ground bolt that will fill the threaded areas and possibly fill the rest with epoxy and file flat. Is this realistic? Suggestions on what epoxy to use that will last? Any help/insight is greatly appreciated.

 

[Bill D]

Is the block iron or Al?

 

[Turbowerks]

I have repaired those type accidents with a spray weld torch with success i use a torch goodson sold years back. The powder was the machinable cast. Be careful though don’t get the hard powder or you’ll through the block away

 

[rpaga]

Is the block iron or Al?

Block is cast iron

 

[rpaga]

I have repaired those type accidents with a spray weld torch with success i use a torch goodson sold years back. The powder was the machinable cast. Be careful though don’t get the hard powder or you’ll through the block away

Nice! I'm guessing this is an oxy/acyl setup?

 

[moonlight machine]

Block is cast iron

How in hell did you do that????? I don't think you can fix it without pulling the engine and stripping it down, repair with weld, mill the deck. By the time you do all that you might as well get one out of a junk yard. Next time use the exhaust manifold for a drill fixture or better yet make a drill fixture as the manifold may be warped and the center distance may be off. I made a fixture to drill out some broken exhaust bolts without removing the head on my 2000 Corvette, easy peasy.

 

[pan60]

ouch

 

[John Garner]

The "modern technology" to do that sort of repair in the late 1960s and early '70s was Devcon Plastic Steel.

 

[plastikdreams]

Waaaaaoooow

 

[john.k]

The slot doesnt cut water jacket ,or oil passage..........id suspect you could leave it and no adverse effect ...........any solid filler would be OK ,maybe even blue silastic...........your idea of a steel piece would also be OK,with a smear of sealant,or epoxy.

 

[APD]

The slot doesnt cut water jacket ,or oil passage..........id suspect you could leave it and no adverse effect ...........any solid filler would be OK ,maybe even blue silastic...........your idea of a steel piece would also be OK,with a smear of sealant,or epoxy.

look again

 

[72bwhite]

high temperature epoxy With powdered steel mixed in.
it is plenty strong.
both devcon and locktite make a suitable product,
just be sitting down when you see the price.
good and clean use acetone.
and don’t make a huge blob that stuff is tough hard to sand or file, more like mild steel
then bondo.

 

[Superbowl]

I fix that kind of stuff with dozens of tack welds from a mig. Heat the area with a propane torch then intermittently hit it with the torch to keep it hot while you keep applying tacks. Then file it down and stone it flat.

 

[John Garner]

A 2 ounce syringe of Devcon Plastic Steel sells for something between $US 5 and $US 10 in hardware stores and auto parts stores just about everywhere in the US.

 

[Turbowerks]

Nice! I'm guessing this is an oxy/acyl setup?

Yes kinda works like brazing almost heat area with the torch, hitting the spay lever and it will look like glass beads spread on the surface. Keep heating and it will start to flow and then just add and build. It will get dull read in the weld area but it doesn’t seem to cause crack problems when using it. It is slightly harder than cast but very machiable. Color match isn’t bad either. Mask the top of the block so the powder doesn’t get were it isn’t supposed to be. The powder I use is Victor #22 build up it could be used in any of the ebay torches I believe

 

[BT Fabrication]

tip one.... let a mechanic do it...... they could have saved it before it got messed up like that. complete junk now.

 

[Maxxer]

We have used Belzona 1111 for years to do in-frame block deck repairs on Cat engines. This is considered an approved repair procedure and has kept many engines running for years with many different types of damage (corrosion and/or cavitation pitting, general deck damage). It's a better version of JB weld. I suspect this would be an excellent application for this material. It would be easy to do a very successful repair without taking the engine out and apart using this method. The stuff is expensive and from what I can see only available in 1kg tubs, so Devcon may be a more viable option based on cost... but the repair procedure would be the same.

If it was me, I'd turn the engine over by hand to get the closest piston at TDC and then mask the area off and plug any and all ports/passages. In this case, those thread impressions would be a real asset for keying the liquid filler to the block. the surface just needs to be super clean and dry. I would control the total amount of the product used with a dam (putty, tape, etc) to stop the oozing off the edge of the deck and keep the material just above the deck during curing. A cast iron straight edge (or something else rigid and flat) with sand paper ( 150 to 180 grit IMHO) glued or 2 sided taped to it would be very workable for sanding the cured material and decking the whole surface. With a light touch it's not hard to maintain the flatness of the surface. After sanding, I would carefully turn the engine over to set the closest piston at BDC (bottom dead center) and then wipe out the bore with a clean lint free cloth. I'd then carefully blow the area off with compressed air and then do a final cleaning with brake clean or some other suitable degreaser.

My only caveat is that I would run the engine for 5-10 minutes after assembly and then dump the oil and filter while the oil is hot and any solids in suspension within the oil....