Thread: any way to check heads for cracks at home??

im still swaping over my l67 stuff to me l26 short block. I noticed when I pulled my l67heads(first time) that it looks like there are small cracks between all the valves on the rear head. Im going to use a wire brush on the bowls to clean them up in the am and see if i can tell if they are cracked.I didnt notice anything wrong with the car before it spun a bearing but would i even notice if the heads where cracked? Is there a way to check these at home or just visual inspection?? any one have any pics of cracked heads so i know what to look for??

That's a common area for cracks in 3800 heads. Only way I know of to really check for cracks on iron heads is to have them magnafluxed.

Unfortunately, Sabre is correct. Ive wondered though if it would be possible to use something like a powerful degaussing ring and an iron solution to do the same thing they do at the machine shops.

yea im having a hard time finding a local machine shop. ill keep looking and i hope i find someone to check them

those cracks wont hurt anything. i wouldnt be worried in the least.

are you sure they wont hurt anything?? i would think that when the cylinder is under pressure it could push it out the cracks past the intake and exhaust valves. but im not a mechanic so i dont know for sure

I know Ed Morad won't sell you a set that have those cracks, and no vendor will accept some with cracks as core returns.

Don't worry about cracks in the heads....hmmm that's new!!

Yeah I wouldn't use those heads. Gixer, you are basically right. Think loss of compression = loss of power = eventual drivability problems = miss fires and so on.

Unless they can be fixed, I'm not sure how these heads hold after being repaired, someone else might know more on that.

Thats a first on me too. Cracks of any kind in the heads are usually bad and grounds to get replacements.

depends how bad they are. they tend to crack between the cylinders if i remember correctly. its pretty common if you look through a lot of heads.

pour some water into the cylinders when they are sitting upside down. let it chill and see if the water gets out. if water is seeping through, air can get through way easier. i pulled off a set of my heads and noticed that ALL my valve guides were shot and a couple cylinders were leaking at the valve seals. from running no oil though.