Mechanical moron question - Whats a crank case

[bermyandy]

And more importantly, how do they break!?

[softinthehead]

you are probably better off asking in speed, plod and the law, but i think its an allegation or assertion that turns out to be false, with the intention of wasting time. as i am now amply demonstrating

dont worry, someone helpful will be along in a mo

[Agent Orange]

They re in two halves and hold the big bits of ur engine all together...............they are to say the least vital , can be cracked with a good /bad whack , spring leaks around gaskets and in extreme cases get rods thru them ..........................all v expensive , shud nt be needed!!!!!!!!

[fastfreddy]

There is more to the question than idle curiosity I'd wager...

[bermyandy]

Indeed there could be!

I know about them being in 2 parts, and that apprently they are glued together, so possibly the glue could fail to cause it to break. Just not sure of any other causes.

Also, wouldnt you notice them breaking?

[fastfreddy]

bermyandy said:

Indeed there could be!

I know about them being in 2 parts, and that apprently they are glued together, so possibly the glue could fail to cause it to break. Just not sure of any other causes.

Also, wouldnt you notice them breaking?

Hmmm not sure about the glue bit. Someone like Baz would be able to answer this as he's pulled loads of them apart.

Are you talking about the M96 engine block?

And who is the 'you' in your final question? A dealer perhaps?

[Pork_n_Beem]

Glued together

would have thought lots of HT bolts as a minimum.

Normal vertical engines have a block, head and sump.

Porsche engines are similar to motorbikes in that they have a crankcase, barrels and heads - just a different arrangement of the engine bits. the fact that the engine is horizontal is a big factor to this

[bermyandy]

The 'you' would be the driver..

Basically, car went into garage as alternator had died, so battery went flat. Turns out the alternator had died as covered in coolant (i assume shorted it or something)

Turns out coolant was everywhere as crank case is broken

At present, this really is just out of pure curiousity as its under warranty, but i was just wondering what it was.

Also, i never noticed anything wrong the car, and the only signs of an issue were that of a flat battery - i.e. no other warning lights or noises suggesting anything other than a battery problem

Would I have noticed the crank case breaking? Is there a risk it happened a while ago and ive been driving around without realising?

[Pork_n_Beem]

What causes them to break ?

Apart from accident damage, they are usually broken by something else inside breaking first, like a bearing, shaft or rod to put it technically

[CharlesW]

Surely the engine would have overheated if all the coolant had p*ssed out. Also I wasn't aware of any water channels in the crankcase. Aren't they in the cylinder blocks and heads?

Edited by CharlesW on Wednesday 28th March 12:27

[fastfreddy]

So what you're saying is that the dealer has told you the alternator failed due to a cracked/broken crankcase leaking coolant?

[bermyandy]

fastfreddy said:

So what you're saying is that the dealer has told you the alternator failed due to a cracked/broken crankcase leaking coolant?

yes

[Pork_n_Beem]

I think its one for seeing is believing, i am sure they will oblige.

Baz on here does engine repairs he may be able to comment on whether a cracked crankcase alone is a common occurance.

[GreenV8S]

The crank case is the large open region at the bottom of the block that the crank spins round in. It's usually integral with the block. There are usually coolant passages in the block but not (ime) in the crank case. If the engine has had a major coolant leak it's quite possible that this has wiped out the alternator, and it's possible that the leak was caused by a failure in the crank case/block or any of the pipework in that area. If you aren't mechanically minded and the person explaining the situation realized that then you shouldn't take their explanation too literally - they may have simplified it to try to help you understand, or they may have just realized they can string you along and get an extra foreign holiday out of you.

The problem they're describing sounds expensive, and if so I'd suggest you get them to explain the problem to somebody who does know what they're talking about, or get them to provide a written description of the problem and proposed solution so that you can run it past somebody who will understand what it means.

[sportsandclassic]

As said the crank case is basically the engine block assembly...on a porsche its in 2 halves that are bolted together with sealant between the 2 mating surfaces..

The blocks are not prone to cracking and gushing coolant everywhere,but ocassionally you would have to replace an end plate ( a hole used for casting/machining puposes blanked off by a plate with gasket)..i had a C4s in for a problem similar to what you describe and i could not find the problem at all for hours and it turned out to be a faulty header tank cap.....damm caps !!

There is a coolant gallery running through the crankcase halves on a 996 engine to get coolan from 1 half to the other...if this was leaking they would repair this..as its a easy fix but costly and time involved..maybe the mechanic has accidentely damaged/cracked your engine and they are replacing it under the warranty....who knows.

Mike

sports and classic