53 block

[doodle's bill]

just found out i've got a 53 block in my 98 12 valve, you know, the ones that crack. how concerned should i be?? all i've read says that they'll crack under high demand, like towing heavy in the mountains. but,i've not heard of anyone who actually had one crack. truck has 160 plus on her with mild mods. but does pull heavy loads. any one with knowldge of this your info would be appreciated

 

[argve]

there was about a year ago a gent in the 24 valve section that had to replace his 24v because of a cracked block here on the site - he hauled for a living with the truck.

I don't think it's a common as folks would think - we know it can happen but I don't read about it all that often and with the way these forums work (any where on the net) you hear about all the problems first then you hear about how much they love their truck.

I wouldn't sweat it if I were you. If it happens it happens... How many miles do you have on the clock now?

 

[doodle's bill]

163k 0n her now and no problem so far. just wondering how big a deal this 53 block really is and if anything could be done pre-crack. i've read where it's really a cold weather thing when the engine isn't allowed to warm up prior to mashing the pedal and getting her hot all at once. souds to me like if it were a big problem then there would maybe of been a recall.

 

[jdb32]

Is the block not under warranty from Dodge/Cummins? I believe the block is warrantied for a million miles, but I could be wrong.

 

[argve]

No he's out of warrnaty.

The blocks or engines are not warranted from Cummins - when Cummins sells the engine to Dodge then Dodge assumes all warranties and Dodge only put I believe it was a 60k or 100k mile warranty on them for like 6 years. So in Chrysler Corps eyes the truck is completely out of warranty at this point.

 

[doodle's bill]

No he's out of warrnaty.

The blocks or engines are not warranted from Cummins - when Cummins sells the engine to Dodge then Dodge assumes all warranties and Dodge only put I believe it was a 60k or 100k mile warranty on them for like 6 years. So in Chrysler Corps eyes the truck is completely out of warranty at this point.

you would think cummins would be liable somehow when it sells a faulty product. but what do i know

 

[rubberfish]

What do you expect from a Mexican motor.

 

[doodle's bill]

i believe t's brazillian, the mexicans make the good ones. even though, out of all my research and talks with people i have't heard of a 12 valve 53 block cracking under normal circumstancs. they all seem to be 24 valves. lockstitch says it's partially from not allowing the engine to warm up enough prior to high stress on cold days and the other part being the faulty casting of the block.

 

[rubberfish]

He said Brazilian.

 

[Whit]

160k and no problems..................yer good man...keep doin what ya been doin

 

[Whit]

The "53" comes from a casting number on the side of the block and is used to identify the problem blocks. Supposedly it affects about 100,000 blocks, but not only in Dodge Rams.

1. Brazilian Blocks are cast by a company named "TUPY" and are marked such. They are identified with cast evolution numbers. #53's are TUPY's. #54 and later evolutions were improved to correct the block issues that the 53's had.
2. Mexican Blocks were made by "Teksid" these blocks to my knowledge never had a problem with cracking, as they are heavier duty by trait, but they did follow the evolutions and got thicker. These blocks do not have the 2 digit "cast number" embossed on the side, instead a series of numbers that are unidentifiable to me. The Mexican blocks were rumored to even be harder to machine do to a harder cast overall, basically better quality in my opinion.

Brazilian Tupys always seem to outnumber Mexican blocks during the ISB's production probably about 8 to 1. So basically if there is a pattern number its Brazilian, if there is a series of small numbers its Mexican.

By the way the Mexican equivalent of a 56 pattern was the Heaviest ISB block of all. This means if you have a 2002 without a #56 on it and instead it has a series of numbers that are smaller and hard to identify, you got the the big boy!!!

 

[doodle's bill]

thanks for all the info. i figure there is no use in worrying about it till it happens and it may never happen. with that many 53 blocks out there you'd think that there would be more said on the subject

 

[92F350CC]

Were there any block differences between the 12V and 24V?

 

[EMD Diesel Power]

I remember reading a whole crap-load of information somewhere regarding just the 53 issue blocks. If I can find it again, I'll post the link. Basically Whitmore pretty much covered the high-points of the issue though! The issue never affected Mexican cast blocks but unfortunately, they are in the minority.

AFIK the 53 issue is a 24-valve block problem only... 12-valve blocks are a different design.

I wouldnt worry about it unless you really tow heavy.... just run the sucker and if she blows... then you worry about it. I have heard of lock-n-stitch used to make sucessful repairs, but it is labor-intensive.

 

[Whit]

this may help

http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?t=19536&highlight=brazilian