Ferguson TO-30 Cracked Block

Hi All,
Recently purchased a Ferguson TO-30 that was barely running as a project. Got the tractor running decent now but after running for a short while I noticed the oil and water are mixing. Could be head gasket but the mixing looks more severe than I would expect. I'm assuming that I'm probably looking at a cracked block between the webs. Anyone have any experience with this?

The tractor runs like a champ although I don't want to run it in it's current state. I'm trying to figure out my next move. I've heard of people drilling tension bolts through the block to seal the cracks. This is sounds like more of a project than I'm currently up for. Anyone have this done and if so, what kind of cost might I be looking at? I'd rather not invest more into the tractor than it is worth.

Another option I'm considering is something like the BlueDevil Radiator/Block sealant. I have no experience with this product so I'm unsure if something like this is even compatible with a wet sleeve engine like the continental Z-129.

Any advice offered is much appreciated. I'd like to save this tractor from the scrap heap if possible.
Thanks,
-Mike

Before going totally ape and spending
big bucks, why not figure for sure
where the leak is coming from. Being a
wet engine. A sleeve could be cracked,
the o ring could be damaged, head
gasket could be blown, block may
actually be cracked. I would pull the
pan and see where it was leading from.
If it is as bad as you are thinking
then freak out about it and make a
decision. At least it would be an
educated decision rather than a shot in
the dark. Just my $.02 worth.

I do not know that tractor well but if Pat is correct and it is a wet sleeve engine I would start by pulling the oil pan off and lay a piece of card board under it and see if one of the sleeve o-rings is going bad. If you do not have leak that you can see from doing that the next thing would be to make sure it is not a blown head gasket. Reason you do the oil pan first it so you can leave the radiator full of coolant.

Thanks for the advice Pat. I'll pull the pan this weekend to drain the mixed oil and see what I can see.

the 30 I had did not have sleeves, they are prone to cracking between cylinders

Sometimes sodium silicate (water glass ) works for years!

I believe that engine can be bolted across the block in between the cylinders.

That has been a very hot topic over the years, check the archives on both this board and the Ferguson only board, you will find hundreds of posts about cracked blocks on TO 30 tractors.

My brother has a Massey 202 which did split the block, and right at the center main bearing. We found a shop in Missouri which specializes in furnace brazing that block back together. But when they are done, the block must be line bored to get the 3 mains properly lined up again. That engine has been good for at least 10 years now. I do not know the name of the shop which did the work. We shipped the block by truck freight to them, so never saw the shop doing the repair work.

Paul in MN