Earlier this year, I had an issue with block corrosion due to neglect by previous owners. If coolant is not regularly flushed, it starts eating away at the block. As the current owner, I get to deal with these issues. Yay!
When we last left off, our hero recovered from its injuries. The block had some leaks on the driver's side. Yeah, I said 'some'...as in more than one...leaks. These were patched and eventually the car was working fine. I was told to keep an eye on the situation, check for leaks. Well, guess what I found
One day I noticed a pool of green, on the passenger side, this time. I followed the trail of green apple Jolly Rancher up and found the source. It was at the oil filter. At first, I thought coolant was leaking from the seal. This lead to many theories, including coolant leaking into the oil and out the seal of the oil filter. I even checked the oil make sure it was not contaminated with coolant. Well, good news. Oil is clean. More 'good' news, I located exactly where the leak was coming from.
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| Hole in engine block |
At the 1 O'clock position where the oil filter meets the block, you can see a nice little green hole. It is a relative small hole, about 3-4mm.
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| Another view |
Hard to get lighting and a camera up there, but here is another view of the coolant eating a small hole. After cleaning the area the surface tension of the coolant was just enough to slow down the coolant from flowing out. With the car not running, there is no pressure built. Yet, after a few days I did notice that there was still coolant leaking from the hole.
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| Tiny hole, huge problems |
I sent these images to DMC-California and based on my medical history, the diagnosis is I need transplant. New engine. With the new engine comes upgrades, as DMC no longer installs stock engines. I will be getting a Stage II upgrade which gives me a few more horsepower, I am kinda excited for that.
In the meantime, I did a quick patch job on the hole. Something to keep it from leaking, especially under pressure, and hopefully reinforce the area...at least for the drive down to the shop.
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| Ghetto patch job |
Since I will be getting a new block, whatever I do to it does not matter. So, I decided to patch the hole. As it was hard to get lighting and a camera up in there, it was harder to get access to patch the hole. The car was jacked up with the rear wheel removed. Still, it was difficult to reach above, behind, and around the oil filter. Once the area was cleaned, I mixed some JB Weld and globbed it around the hole the best I can.
After a few days, it seems to be holding, no noticeable leaks. I let the JB Weld sit for a few days to let it cure. Then, I ran the engine for a few minutes to test out the patch under pressure. Granted, I did not push the engine or let it run too hot, but it held. Hopefully, this should get me to the shop with no issues.
Trivia: Six years ago, today, was the first time I saw the car. A month later, I would purchase the car of my dreams. Sure, some the dreams have been nightmares, but you cannot have the yin without the yang. Here is hoping that the new engine does not cause me to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Stay tuned.
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