My 1978 Dodge van, 318 cu engine developed a water leak today.

If you are familiar with those 318 Dodge engines.A hole about one
quarter inch or a little larger, topside about three inches behind where
the water pump bolts on there.There is a bolt that holds the
airconditioner bracket and right below that bolt, there is another bolt
that holds the power steering pump on there.The hole in the block is
near where the cylinder head bolts on to the block, the hole is a little
bit to the right of the bolt that holds the airconditioner bracket.I
think I can get to the hole good enough to throughly clean the area.

Does anybody know of a product I can use to seal the hole that lets the
water leak out of there and do auto parts stores sell such a product?
I was thinking something like a high heat epoxy resin, or similar
product.
cuhulin

What went there, or is it a corrosion hole, Cuhulin?

I have heard good things about JW Weld, but have never used it..and probably
wont.

wrote in article
>...
> If you are familiar with those 318 Dodge engines.A hole about one
> quarter inch or a little larger, topside about three inches behind where
> the water pump bolts on there.There is a bolt that holds the
> airconditioner bracket and right below that bolt, there is another bolt
> that holds the power steering pump on there.The hole in the block is
> near where the cylinder head bolts on to the block, the hole is a little
> bit to the right of the bolt that holds the airconditioner bracket.I
> think I can get to the hole good enough to throughly clean the area.
>
> Does anybody know of a product I can use to seal the hole that lets the
> water leak out of there and do auto parts stores sell such a product?
> I was thinking something like a high heat epoxy resin, or similar
> product.
> cuhulin
>
>


Given your past posts, I would think that a gallon of roofing tar would be
right up your alley!

> wrote in article
> >...
>> If you are familiar with those 318 Dodge engines.A hole about one
>> quarter inch or a little larger, topside about three inches behind where
>> the water pump bolts on there.There is a bolt that holds the
>> airconditioner bracket and right below that bolt, there is another bolt
>> that holds the power steering pump on there.The hole in the block is
>> near where the cylinder head bolts on to the block, the hole is a little
>> bit to the right of the bolt that holds the airconditioner bracket.I
>> think I can get to the hole good enough to throughly clean the area.
>>
>> Does anybody know of a product I can use to seal the hole that lets the
>> water leak out of there and do auto parts stores sell such a product?
>> I was thinking something like a high heat epoxy resin, or similar
>> product.
>> cuhulin
>>

If the block has rotted so bad that it has a hole in it, I would wonder
what is going to fail next.

With the problems you have had I would be VERY tempted to drive it to
the scrap yard and leave it there. Go buy a newer car and enjoy the trip
to the vet and the store...

--
Steve W.

"Steve W." wrote:

>
> If the block has rotted so bad that it has a hole in it, I would wonder
> what is going to fail next.

The block isn't rotted out. He may have a frost plug that is rotted or he
may have a gasket leaking or the temp gauge may have come unscrewed or the
block could be cracked. There may be a lot of things that are rotted out
on this vehicle and those things are going to be dust before the block is
rotted out.

-jim

>
> With the problems you have had I would be VERY tempted to drive it to
> the scrap yard and leave it there. Go buy a newer car and enjoy the trip
> to the vet and the store...
>
> --
> Steve W.


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jim wrote:
>
> "Steve W." wrote:
>
>> If the block has rotted so bad that it has a hole in it, I would wonder
>> what is going to fail next.
>
> The block isn't rotted out. He may have a frost plug that is rotted or he
> may have a gasket leaking or the temp gauge may have come unscrewed or the
> block could be cracked. There may be a lot of things that are rotted out
> on this vehicle and those things are going to be dust before the block is
> rotted out.
>
> -jim
>

From his description it is not a freeze plug, or a gasket.

The freeze plugs are farther down the side of the block.
The bolt for the A/C bracket is well above the freeze plug and below the
gasket surface.
Temperature senders are in the intake manifold.

Could it be a crack? Maybe, but they usually don't appear overnight in
the summer!

--
Steve W.

"Steve W." wrote:

>
> From his description it is not a freeze plug, or a gasket.

I wasn't able to decipher the description. But realistically whatever he
is describing it is not a hole caused by rotting out unless it is a frost
plug or gasket. It could be a gasket that was blown out by pressure. Or if
it is a drilled hole and then it probably had something in the hole at one
time like a drilled thru bolt or temp sender. The point is - It makes a
lot more sense to assume the OP's description is faulty than to assume the
block has rotted out.


>
> The freeze plugs are farther down the side of the block.

Farther down from what? The entire block is farther down from "topside"
where he said the hole is located.


> The bolt for the A/C bracket is well above the freeze plug and below the
> gasket surface.

Which gasket do you mean? He said "The hole in the block is near where
the cylinder head bolts on to the block"

> Temperature senders are in the intake manifold.

Does he know the difference between intake manifold and block?

>
> Could it be a crack? Maybe, but they usually don't appear overnight in
> the summer!

For all I know it may have started leaking 6 months ago.

-jim

>
> --
> Steve W.


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I am not too good at describing thingys like that.It is a hole caused by
corrosion.If anybody can dig up an online picture or photo of the front
end of a 1978 Dodge 318 cu inch engine, I will try to point it out.

Soon as I can bum a ride with somebody to take me to an auto parts store
so I can buy some J B Weld, I will patch that water leak.I have a
sandblaster, I will sand blast the area and then mix up some J B Weld
and get her done.

There are a few auto parts stores within a few miles of doggy's couch.I
don't want to run my van's engine HOT, that could cause some real
damage.
cuhulin

"HLS" > wrote in message
...
> What went there, or is it a corrosion hole, Cuhulin?
>
> I have heard good things about JW Weld, but have never used it..and
> probably wont.
Sorry, that should have been JB Weld, as everybody knows. My bad

Back in the wintertime of 1972 - 1973, I went to night time welding
classes on the G.I.Bill at a nearby juinior college.

I can weld anything but the crack of Dawn, and she was a good auld gal.
cuhulin