it realy wasnt that big of an issue if I remember and the numbers I cannot give since I dont know. From what I read up on the block there is no straight answer as to why the block cracks like it does. the Lock and stitch method is a good method to fix the problem since you are basicaly drilling the ends of the crack so they cannot go any farther, then welding the crack closed. I have seen this done in the past and it seems to work well. how much it costs I dont know.

would I worry about it, not realy, but as with every vehicle I own/driven I check around and under on occasion for leaks. These things are complex machines, and with everything that has lubricants/coolants in it it will eventualy leak.

 

look at the website it has some good info on Block 53 including where to look for the stamped number.
http://www.stamey.info/Truck/Cummins53BlockFAQ.htm

 

I hafta crawl under my truck ????

Sorry Rock, I won't be crawling under my truck until my next oil change. Should be in a few months or so.

It isn't printed anywhere else?

 

Drew,

Here is what Lock-n-Stitch says causes the crack;

" The area in question on this engine block suffers from being thinner than the rest of the block's wall. It also suffers from not receiving enough coolant flow during warm-up to heat the lower part of the engine outside wall. Thermal expansion of the cast iron follows the rise in temperature. Uneven thermal expansion causes stress when the engine is not warmed up enough before driving away."

I have also read somewhere that the vibration of loading the engine along with coolant cavitation, in that area of the engine will cause the crack.

Lock-n-stitch also has a bracket they say will stop the crack from forming. See link below. I don't really understand how an external bracket will solve an interanl thermal expansion problem. Maybe it provides stiffness to prevent vibration?

http://www.locknstitch.com/cummins_5_9_block.htm

 

I can see how the bracket helps reinforce the block to prevent sudden expansion which apparently causes the cracking I gather. even though it does seem a bit illogical, apparently it does work

 

It sounds funny, but its how they re-inforce walls and buildings. To make something you stronger, you have 3 choices....rebuild it, blend it, or modify it...

You blend metals to make them stronger, you rebuild things when they fail to make them stronger.....and you modify/re-inforce things to improve the strength and durability of something.

The bracket keeps the metal from expanding because its now been re-inforced. It doesnt matter that the problem is caused internally, because there's something on the outside pushing back against the expansion.

 

very well said Derrick

 

My family owns a Dodge dealership in the middle of MO. When I started looking at these trucks and found out about these blocks I asked the guys about it. The dealership has sold and serviced a pretty large number of these trucks. Not 1 truck seen in that shop with a cracked block. Injection pumps, lift pumps, and track bars, completely different story. Personally, if it's been over 100k miles and that thing hasn't cracked, I doubt its going to anytime soon.

 

Well, a couple of days and only one vote on the poll and they do not have a crack.. Is the 53 block issue a non-issue?

 

I'd vote, but I don't know which block I have. I have crawled up under the truck before and never did see any #'s on it. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place.