casting dates for failed crd heads

Locked KJ · **Posted:** Sat Oct 29, 2016 8:14 pm

In one of the thermostat threads flash7210 mentioned compiling data on failed/cracked heads to see if maybe there was a bad batch. I figured it deserved it own thread. I found the casting date stamped on the intake side in between cylinder 1 and 2. That particular head was not cracked but leaking through the casting. I found out when I brought it to a machine shop to get it tested after I found the engine was burning coolant. Wanted to make sure the head was good and straight before just throwing a head gasket at it.
The casting date is 10/12/04

The arrows show where it was leaking

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sat Oct 29, 2016 9:10 pm

Mine was 09/12/04

Cracks around the exhaust valve seats of cyl 2,3,4.

Thanks for starting the thread.

lacabrera · **Posted:** Sun Oct 30, 2016 10:47 am

My ex 2003 CRD had a suspected cracked cylinder head. But I did allow it to over heat several times pulling 2500kg trailer up a 1in4 hill with a worn out fan clutch and no electric fan up front.
These heads can crack if you let the motor over heat, excessive expansion of the aluminium around the head bolts especially the ones closest to the exhaust valves.

geordi · **Posted:** Sun Oct 30, 2016 2:04 pm

flash7210 wrote:

Mine was 09/12/04

Cracks around the exhaust valve seats of cyl 2,3,4.

Thanks for starting the thread.

Interesting - Considering that this is a European design, that casting date is probably day/month/year, which means those two failed heads were one day apart.

Locked KJ · **Posted:** Sun Oct 30, 2016 10:30 pm

You learn something new every day. I was totally unaware that the date format is different in other countries. But that is indeed the case.

I was thinking a month apart. No way that's one batch. But a day apart could be much more likely that VM recieved a bad batch of aluminum ingots (maybe air or some other impurities) from their supplier or had some other sort of issue.

Hopefully we can get some more dates off of bad heads.

diesel_guy86 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:38 pm

Ill double check, but the cracked head i bought for research purposes has 27/1/05.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:41 pm

Thats 2 from December 04 and 1 from January 05

geordi · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:52 pm

Could still be the same batch - we don't know their production capabilities.

lacabrera · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2016 6:10 pm

don't mean to up set the apple cart but that date could be for the machining work carried out not the poring date. The two operations will nether be done on the same day. Also I have nether found a car component with a date change every day.

lars0247 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 12, 2013 12:09 am **Posts:** 98

The head on my 05 failed last summer.

It had cracks in the cylinder 3 and 4 intake seat area.

The casting date was April of 2005.

joelukex4 · **Joined:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 4:54 pm **Posts:** 386

Has it only been owners of 2005 CRD's that have experienced cracked heads. Just looking at everyone's signature.

BlueLghtning · **Posted:** Tue Nov 01, 2016 3:47 pm

I just checked the spare head I got with my 05 CRD when I bought it. It was the stock one on the Jeep and the previous owner bought the Jeep as a basket case needing the common rockers and many other things. I'm not sure if it was an actual head failure or not, but he ended up getting a remanufactured head for it and doing all the normal things (new glow plugs, new cams, new rocker arms, ARP studs, new head gasket, new water pump, timing belt, etc).

Anyway, the date on that head 17/12/04 so just a few days behind the other ones listed above.

fool4wheelin · **Posted:** Thu Jan 26, 2017 12:47 am

18/01/05
Leaking through the "outer" intake port on #1 cyl.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:36 am

lacabrera wrote:

don't mean to up set the apple cart but that date could be for the machining work carried out not the poring date. The two operations will nether be done on the same day. Also I have nether found a car component with a date change every day.

Some get marked with the hour - just in time manufacturing!

On my 2000 XJ I can see manufacture dates and times to see that components like seats were produced hours before the jeep rolled off the final assembly line.

I can certainly believe that the date stamp is etched on when the final machining in complete.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Thu Jan 26, 2017 11:08 am

My experience is that they rarely crack. At least a few of them had inline thermostats (me included, hey, my jeep came with it!) , but I also overheated mine. Overheating is the usual cause, and the uneven torque of the tty bolts can't help. I have seen them survive some really bad failures where several rockers collapsed and the head gasket blew violently, but the head was fine. Pretty tough. And the incidence of valve failure is minute also

casting dates for failed crd heads

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