Sourcing 98+ 5sfe block - very easy or something I'm missing?

[biohazard]

Hi,

I'm on the lookout for a 5sfe block to get a 5sgte build underway and all I know is that it has to be a post 1998 2.2 for best results.

So is it as easy as getting something like this http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... OTA&page=1

as donor....or is there something I'm missing here?

Cheers

[androo007]

exactly that. plus a days labour to remove engine.

[androo007]

P.s you could import a bare block for 400-500 from the states.

[[email protected]]

shame.. i have a 3sge bare block

[Caleb-mr2]

I seen a 5sfe block on eBay a week or two ago for 500.
Had a look there and it must be gone.

There's a whole car for 550 near me granted it high mileage but they kept it serviced and if you just wanted the block might be alright! You'd have to bring it from Northern Ireland though....

[biohazard]

Thank you all for the responses!

So then the strong 98+ blocks with the thicker walls are actually in UK models too - that's good!

P.s you could import a bare block for 400-500 from the states.

Androo007 do you have any link to point me to for the US imports? 400-500 would be inclusive of import duties etc?

Regardless of source, is there any way for me to check the year of the block before I buy it e.g. casting number etc?

Thanks

[androo007]

A post 98 block will be beefier around the water pump. All 5s blocks have thicker walls but an early 5s will still crack at 500ish at the pump

[ashley]

Reputedly the later ones are stronger, and certainly the better option if you are going to go to the expense of building up a 5S block...more expensive than you might think though

[Dale_V]

Cracking the block at the water pump has nothing to do with power output

I cracked a rev 2 NA block at the water pump running totally stock, that's 158bhp....

Im a firm believer that it's down to some form of thermal shock

[C35Rob]

Off topic but I don't think it's thermal shocking that causes it, nobody knows the exact make up of the block material but taking ductile cast iron as a generalisation the delta T between the block and the coolant returning from the rad wouldn't be enough to take the iron below its non ductility temperature..

I think the cause is the combined tensile stresses of the head bolt/stud and the water pump all being fixed to an area with insufficient support, combined with the cyclical loading of combustion. Add potential corrosion on the inside of the water channels and you've got a perfect storm for stress cracking.

[ashley]

Plus I think the rotational stresses in that area from the water pump are underestimated, especially once you have an excessively hot coolant system- that's a lot of pressure for the pump to work against...and then you've also got the forces from the timing belt on the other side.

That said I've never heard it as "fact" that you can't take an early 5S above certain power levels, not sure that many have been built to reliably provide that data

[androo007]

No that's a good point, I guess my point was for surefire security you'd need a later block which removes all risk.

[rev2rich]

If your that worried about it buy a cheap block and sleeve it....that would elimnate all problems

[androo007]

Sleeving has been, on the whole unsuccessful on the 3sgte. The walls are already thin and iirc most of the specialists now will not touch sleeving.

[ashley]

Depends on the style of sleeves used, and the other supporting mods (such as a girdle to stop the sleeves moving), in my experience sleeving leaves very very little original material between the cylinders, and given how close the water ways run to the surface of the deck, you do risk cracking between cylinders.

That said some specialists swear by sleeving, so there must be ways of avoiding this issue...it would be interesting to run a side by side comparison of costs between a 5S build and a 3S build with sleeves...I liked the benefit of a larger bore as standard on the 5S block though, opening the possibility of an over square build if such a thing appealed...

[C35Rob]

Sleeving has been, on the whole unsuccessful on the 3sgte. The walls are already thin and iirc most of the specialists now will not touch sleeving.

Will not touch, or don't have the capability/inclination to properly install a set of top hat sleeves?

An oversquare/long rod build in a 5s block would be interesting.. but by the once you've invested the time/money into it, id prefer to go for a 2AZ and lose about 75kg from the rear of the car

[androo007]

One I spoke to did 5 builds iirc and it failed, the other didn't say but flat out said no way mister walls too thin.

That said just because they won't doesn't mean to say it's not possible I guess.