I would like to know anyone's experience with repairing cracks in heads. I have a Fiat Allis 14C ( 150 hp Dozer ) that was blowing bubbles in to the radiator. Pulled heads, two piece, gasket looked OK, so sent them to head repair specialist. After pressure testing them, they found a couple of small cracks. They are confidant they can repair them successfully, but my mechanic is more than a little sceptical. We are going to rebuild the rest of the motor so we need to get it right. Cheers, Greg
Never seen a head successfully fixed, not saying it cannot be done, just never seen one
IF you are rebuilding the rest of the motor put new heads on it!!!! if you want a cheap fix to get the machine to another owner have those fixed.. I have yet to see any head that has been repaired to hold up for any amount of time!!!
Yair . . . Queenslander . Generally I would say Alldodge and FSERVICE are pretty much on the money. However there used to be an outfit in Toowoomba that had good results. They used the drill/tap/stitch method with overlapping (I think) 3/16" tapered studs. I sent a couple of heads to them over the years . . . one off a td9 and a couple of cooked Perkins heads. They worked well and I know the Perkins heads were still going after a couple of thousand hours. So it is possible in some cases but I have heard of many failures. I imagine heads for the little Fiat Allis would be spendy and maybe even hard to get . . . reckon a bit of internet research and contact repair specialists to put you in contact with happy customers would be worth a try. Chairs
Yeah Scrub , we call that procedure " pinning " . Might be the best option on crack repair . I my opinion on a naturally aspirated engine it would work fine . On a turbocharged engine that builds allot of heat ??? I give it a 50 / 50 chance . I would attempt it on the 14 C and don't let the engine get even close to hot . I would also be looking for a good replacement head for the dozer in case the head repair fail's .
The only reason I considered a repair was because my usual parts supplier said new heads were like hens teeth and didn't seem interested in pursuing the matter further. After a few calls I found another supplier with two new heads in stock, so this is the way we'll go. Comes at a price though, $3800 for the pair. As a comparison, Cat here is quoting $2600 for a genuine head for a 3306 in a D6D application, minus valve gear etc., $1200 for a classic part. Still, Iam happy just to have found new heads. Cheers, Greg
Good to hear you found a set of new heads Queenslander . I would Hang on to the old set and still attempt a repair on the cracked head being they are expensive & hard to come by . I never was around a 14 C . Seems like a nice size tractor for a lot of jobs .
I had to do a Fat Allis some years ago the had the Italian made Hino engine in it. Someone worked on it before and didn't torque the heads down correctly. Both were cracked and there were no new ones available back then. There was a company in Portland, Oregon I think named Precision Cast or something of the sort who specialized in welding heads and blocks. When I delivered the heads they took me for a tour of the facility. They had precision ovens for pre and post heating and weld booths that had gas heaters blowing on the components while they were being gas welded. I was impressed to say the least and they guaranteed they work. When I got the heads back I couldn't tell where the cracks had been. I put the machine back together and never heard another word from the customer about that. A year later they shipped the machine to me to rebuild the steering clutches and it was OK then.
Yeah, I think I will get them refurbished, only one has a crack, so they might be handy some day. My mechanic, who has rebuilt about twenty of these motors, says when removing the heads you risk upsetting the liners,so ideally, these need to be removed and reinstalled. On this tractor that means removing the entire motor so when you fit a new head you need to make sure it is going to be there a long time. Cheers, Greg
Ended up doing a proper job on this dozer. Stripped block down completely, crack tested and ground crank and rebuilt with all new parts including new heads. Rebuilt T/C, transmission and equaliser bar as well as shouting the old girl a coat of paint, still waiting for decals. Off to push some gravel for our road crew. Cheers, Greg
Yair . . . Queenslander . That's a nice tidy tractor mate, I'd feel real at home on her I reckon. (big grin) Cheers.
Good looking dozer and love the full canopy
Just FYI: Diesel Cast West 8100 NE 14th Place Portland, OR 97211 PH 503-282-3909 FAX 503-282-3407 [email protected] They also have a branch in Minnesota: Diesel Cast Welding 2190 107th Lane NE Blaine, MN 55449 PH 763-780-5940 FAX 763-780-5646 [email protected]
A properly welded head will hold up just fine. I have had 4236 t Perkins and l-10 Cummins heads hold up and still in use. Had them repaired at Columbus Col-Weld in Columbus Ohio. They did a furnace weld and then did the machine work.
My dad had a TD9 with a Hough loader on it. First crawler I ever ran. Also, that engine has to be the biggest head-cracking son of a ****h I ever ever seen or heard about. After one old boy told us after pulling to (1) let it idle for 10 min. on diesel (2) switch it back to gas and let it run another 5 before shutting it down we would manage to get a couple seasons out of a head. Warming up we would let it run on gas until the head was too hot to touch. About 140°F on the gauge.