Re: Port webbing cracked in block, V6
That was sort of common in those days. It wasnt unusual to see the sleeve cracked also. What seems to happen is the middle 1/3 of the sleeve, because of all the holes (lack of support), actually moves away from the piston. Therefore it doesnt seem to hurt anything.<br /><br />We noticed a lot of those bridges cracked in cylinders that had nothing else wrong. We actually built a test motor for OMC and ran it like that. We put it on the dyno first and then on a midsection and ran it on a boat. We put over 100 hours on it and nothing happened. I then put it on my father-in-laws boat and he ran it for about 3 years until he passed away. I kept track of the motor for another couple of years and it still was OK. I figured that was good enough.<br /><br />One thing I always thought about doing, but never did, was to cut that bridge out. One, not both. That would make a larger exhaust area but I'm not sure if it would actually breathe any better. I mentioned it one time and was told the opening would be too big to support the rings. Then along came the loopers with huge exhaust ports. Another theory bites the dust!
