Well, I blew a coolant seal a few weeks ago and just pulled the engine last weekend. Before pulling the engine, I tried the block weld trick but it didnt really work out for me. Anways, today I was taking my LIM to get it polished and saw some things that disturbed me.

First some pix.




First question: Do all LIM manifolds have that one hole for the coolant flow blocked off? You will find out why I ask a little further down the page. I did a search and found one picture similar to mine but just wanted to make sure. I have never seen an UIM off before in person.

If they are in fact supposed to be like this, why?

Here is the picture of the coolant passages from the block (the right side is the one where the hole on the UIM is blocked).


At the hole at the right side lots of block weld and possible dirt.

I'm just wondering if this happens to all those who use block weld or not. Why is that coolant passage blocked?

 

If u can clear it up(scrap the **** away thats ok), when i took mine apart it was blocked like that. So I guess it came like that from the factory.

 

This is why I've always warned against the use of "sealers" in the coolant system. It may or may not seal the hole you're trying to seal, but it WILL tend to block small passages that you don't want it to (heater core, rotor housings (the smaller passages), radiator...)

Have no idea why your LIM passage is blocked, good thing you're rebuilding

 

the LIM should be blocked like that only came on turbo models the N/A's had both port hole things open dont worry about that everything seems fine there just clean it up before you put the rebuild together.
TwEaK

 

Hate to sound like grampa but I'd be more concerned about your work area if thats a gas furnace and water heater in the room. Gasoline fumes can spread across a floor and if it hits that pilot, ka-pow, goodbye eyebrows, or worse.

 

What you see is normal.
Mazda wasn't about to make a different front versus rear rotor housing, so they all had holes on them.
The rear hole is for coolant flow to the turbo.


-Ted

 

reTed nailed it

 

oh and why pay some guy to polish your LIM - get some old sand paper and a can of AutoSol and hop to it old school style
You'll get black as night but that manifold will sparkle like the stars

damn i should be a poet-lol

 

HAHAHAH THAT WAS SOOO LAME--in a cartman voice!
But thanks for the tip. i think i'm going to try that now on a spare manifold i have lying around tomorrow.
Matt

 

Ok I feel relieved now. Too bad I missed my polishing appointment because I didnt know about that blocked passage before hand. Guess I wont be able to put polished manifolds on my clean REMAN this weekend.

thanks for all the help guys.

So anyways has anybody tore down engines that have received the block weld treatment? I'm curious about where else the block weld sticks and how it affects rebuilds. So would it be safe to assumethe block weld pooled up where it did because of the blocked hole on the manifold?

 

The blocked hole on the manifold would be irrelevant unless you put a gallon of that **** in..

 

Nope only the 2 bottles that were recommended. I flushed the hell out of the system as well.

 

I've finished the flush procedures for the temp collant fix. The water pump started weeping during the flushes, so am waiting for the part. I was searching for "Water Wetter" on the forum without a Generation-specific. It seems that the 2nd Gen guys (old-timers with multi posts) favor doing the Block Weld thing unless they are adament on just doing the rebuild.

What surprised me is that it appeared the 3rd Gen guys were equally adament for NOT ever doing the Block Weld fix ESPECIALLY to a Turbo. I have a 88 10AE TII, so those posts disturbed my confidence in the Block Weld fix (I'm just trying to buy some time until I haul the car to RotaryRessurection for a port and rebuild).

What's the real deal here, guys? Is this a Generation difference thing? And can the 2 cans of Block Weld really screw up the turbo ( mine is relitively new- 3k mi.), radiator, etc.

Constructive feedback is appreciated by this NooB!

 

It worked great on my former NA.

The higher pressures in a turbo may limit its effectiveness.

 

Yea I'm not too sure myself. Since I'm getting a reman I have to send the core back. It would be great to tear it open and take a look at what block weld does to the internals and coolant passages. I'm not going to bother tearing it open since I am not rebuilding it.

I hope engine builders like Rotaryresurrection and mr. gadget jump in with their experiences on rebuilding block weld treated engines.

 

I am totally against it.
If the motor is hurt, give it a rest - you're only pushing a hurt motor part its limits.

Typical block-weld uses a substance that gels and hardens when it comes in contact with "air".
This is how it seeks holes and seals them.
Now, it all sounds find and dandy until you realize that a cooling system that leaks will also have air bubbles in it.
So what happens when these air bubbles come in contact with the block-weld?
Yep, now you got blobs of this stuff floating around in the cooling system.
So what does it clog up first?
Small coolant passages...
Where are these more prevalant?
In the radiator...
So you end up clogging up the radiator, which ends up overheating the engine...

If you haven't seen the warning, the entire cooling system will be covered with this stuff, and it's highly recommended to replace all of it - radiator, water pump, hoses, heater core, etc.
So once you use it, kiss your entire cooling system goodbye.

Sometimes you get lucky and the motor last a few more months...maybe a couple more years.
The majority of people who tried couldn't get it to work the first time.



-Ted

 

Thanks for the detailed explanation Ted. I guess that is why I had big chunks the size of gravel in that coolant passage. BTW I have a new koyo rad and all new coolant lines as well as new waterpump with the reman. Any chances block weld got into the TB?

 

What he said

 

ReTed said, "If you haven't seen the warning, the entire cooling system will be covered with this stuff, and it's highly recommended to replace all of it - radiator, water pump, hoses, heater core, etc.
So once you use it, kiss your entire cooling system goodbye."

Thanks for taking the time to completly explain the downside of this issue. I'll forego the "FIX", try to limp it along, and then do the port and rebuild. If I'd 'clogged' the turbo, I'd gone nuke at myself.

Side note: Really difficult to discern what advice to take, given all the different opinions, experience, and bs.............thanks a bunch, Chuckles (54 yr old NooB)

 

Someone has disgusting OMP lines

On another note, I used block weld on the Jspec that I overheated last year. I tore it apart but didn't notice anything different on the housings other than what's normal. Perhaps it is how ReTed said it... I had chunks of **** floating around the coolant channels. I did, however have a disgustingly warped rear iron... lol

 

Dont worry about the OMP lines. I have another set that are in good condition and you can actually see through them.

All in all I dont think I would do block weld again, but I have known some people who had success although not turbo models.