Whats involved with welding a hairline crack in a cylinder?
 

Just wondering whats involved in welding a hairline crack in a cylinder? Do they have to pull the engine out to do it?

Is there any drawbacks in the long run?

crack
 

Rocky;
It would be unwise to weld the block,If I read right you have a C36, the correct way to repair would be to bore out the block and install a sleeve. This would be a permanent repair and as good as the original.
MF

I spoke to another mechanic, a shop I use to do some monkeying in when I was younger. He basically told me to get a new block and that welding the crack would be usless.

Sleeving a block would be a no no unless you do all 6 cylinders. The heat expansion of the sleeve and the block is different so he said it was a bad idea.

Not sure what to do.

Woah..I called the dealership back just to doublecheck.

The hairline crack isn't on the block :) but it is on the cylinder head :(

I take it that's good news?

Unless the crack goes thru a valve seat , a good welding/ machine
shop should be able to weld the head & pressure test for leaks. I'm sure that a new head is at least $4000. WA 104-016-02-01 is the part number. I don't have price list for that head.

Depending on the location of the crack, you might be able to stitch the head. I don't know if this technique is used in the States but is well known in the UK.

Don't know where or how big your crack is but just a trivia point. VW diesels actually have a crack spec. in there manual.
I rebuilt a VW with a crack and it never had a problem. I guess cracked heads were common.

Rocky,

Just curious, how did you get the cracked head? Is there a lesson that others can take away to avoid similar problems?

Did it overheat?

Thanks!

No idea how I got a cracked head.

Went to PetSmart. Jump in my car, cranked it and it made a funnie idle and the check engine light ws on. Car drives fine.

Couple hours later after i get home i decide to go out to get something to eat. Jump in my car and it won't turn over when I tried to start it. Then it turns and it spits out white smoke from the exhuats. Took it into the dealer immediatly after that.

No idea how that happened. I have regular radiator flushes, oil changes and everything. That has has NEVER overheated. I'm just not sure what caused the problem.

One problem that did occur that I can closely relate to the cracked head is that the mechanics at MB did not tighten the sparkplugs too well last time they changed it and cause some "knocking sounds" I tightened it and about 2 weeks after i get a cracked head. Any relationship? Also have 1 Bad exhaust valve on the 6th cyclinder where the plug was loose.