John Deere B water in cylinder.. PLEASE HELP!

I purchased a 1948 B that was stuck. I took it apart to find the block had a crack in it that was un repairable.

I bought a reconditioned block from sharps tractor that had been bored and sleeved (std bore) with new pistons. When I got the block I took it in to Arnold motor to have it surfaced.

I also had them totally go through the head. New valves, springs, pressure test. everything. I also had it surfaced.

When I put it back together I used a new head gasket with we copper washers. After getting it all back together and torqued at 96lbs I had it running good. A few days later I opened the petcock to start it and water ran out of both cylinders. This happened every time I would open the cocks.

I took it back apart and took the block to a different Arnold motor supply to have it pressure tested. Sure enough water was leaking in around both petcock holes and one spark plug hole. (Where the sleeve meets the block.)

Frustrated I got another block that had never been cracked. Had it bored, sleeved and surfaced.

Put it all back together with new a head gasket, washers, etc. At that time it did NOT leak. Got it out 3 days in a row to run it. NO LEAKS!! Now after putting some hours on it I am getting water in the #2 cylinder again. Grrr

I ordered a new John Deere petcock put it in and it is still leaking out around where the sleeve meets up with block around petcock hole.

Has anyone else had this problem!!??

Sorry about the long post but the thought of tearing it all down for the third time about makes me sick!

P.S. I also forgot to mention after it has been running and it is hot it doesn't start leaking again until it cools down. Maybe it is expanding and sealing up while it is hot? Then shrinks back down and starts leaking when it cools off??

Thanks in advance for your help!

STOP SLEEVING THE BLOCKS!! You can bore a late B block
to 4.875 with new pistons & longer rods. Or 0.125" over stock
which is 4.815" with new off the shelf pistons. Much cheaper
than sleeving. Blocks are cheap sleeves are expensive. Also
on a post- 47' tractor the head bolts need 104#. Also you need
to get it up to 180* temp & then remove carb, valve cover &
rockers & torque it again Hot. If you don't it's gonna leak.
Some guys let it cool & retorque but either way you must do it
or it will leak.

Push rod tubes. If the manifold was installed with studs that are
too long they can punch a hole in the push rod tubes. Park the
tractor with the front of the tractor facing down hill remove the
valve cover and see if water is coming out of the push rod tubes. If
so the head will have to come back off and the tubes replaced.

Pushrod tubes leak into the crankcase not the cylinders.

You should get lead washers to go under the head nuts and throw away those copper washers the aftermarket gasket sets have.

Any chance you are putting the studs in backwards?

If studs are in correctly, and you've ruled everything else out (it's not the pushrod tubes), pull the block and head. yee haw...

bolt them back together on your workbench (torque to 102 ft-lbs. Make a plate to cover water outlet on head and seal it up. Fill block/head with water. Make plate to cover water manifold on block with air chuck in it. Put 5-10psi into it and look thru the back of the block to see where it's leaking at... let us know what you find.

Ray