April 2016
Engine block crack detection
If your vehicle suffers for a strange loss of power or there is an intense smoke from the exhaust pipes, there is probably something wrong with your engine.
After a careful check, the causes of this deficiency may be many, not least the formation of cracks or fissures inside the engine block.

How can you highlight this type of failure?
There are many procedures but the simplest and most used are basically two:
  • Injection of a soapy solution inside the head
  • Immersion of the head in a hot water tank
We want now to focus on the second method, explaining the guidelines of this procedure.
First of all, the head or the engine block must be completely cleaned.
After that, you can place the cylinder head on the support grid and close the water flow channels by rubber stoppers which are then blocked through a plexiglass plate locked by clamps. This operation ensures the sealing of the head coolant circuit and avoids the air leakages during the test.

The next operation is to dip the head in the hot water tank. The temperature of the water should be about 70°. Left it to soak for a few minutes, this allow the heating and tha dilatation of the head. Now it's the time to blow the compressed air inside the circuit, at a pressure ranging between 30-60 psi. The consequent formation of air bubbles, allows to precisely locate the presence of any cracks or fractures in the engine block, also the smaller and invisible ones.

Comec, for this purpose, proposes two models of machine, the VPT130 and the VPT160 that basically vary for the tank capacity wich determines the range of use.
VPT130 is more suitable for small and medium-sized motors, such as cars or commercial vehicles, while VPT160 allows large engines testing such as Iveco Cursor, Caterpillar or Cummins, usually mounted on trucks or industrial and marine vehicles.

If you would like to have more information about VPT130 and VPT160, please write to comec@comecpn.com