Aluminum Repair?

[[email protected]]

Sorry, this is non Vmax related and not really a project either. I'd say more of a hack job, LOL. Anyways was curious if anyone out there has had any experience with those aluminum rods used for home repair. Something like this or similar http://www.alumiweld.com/

I have a hairline crack in my old CR500 waterpump cover and was wondering if something like this would work. I see they sell them on ebay for 10.00. That alot cheaper then the $70 for my waterpump cover.

 

[dannymax]

Mike, I think this is very closely V Max related! :eusa_dance:

Looks like the perfect product for fixing cracks in old scoops! I've never used it, but I have a pair of scoops that could use a little TLC, think I'll give it a try!

Thanks for the idea! unk:

 

[1967vmax]

Aluminum can be a bitch to weld,mostly because of all the impurities in the aluminum or qulaity of the aluminum,and when welding the impurities want to flow to the top,compaines today use the cheap aluminum,just by looking the rods i dont think will do a good job because of the size of the rods but i never tried them. J.b weld may be a temp fix or have it Tig welded . JIM

 

[COP RUNNER]

TWICE A YEAR I GO TO THE DRAG STRIP ( RACEWAY PARK ) FOR THE " SWAP MEET " AND THERES ALWAYS A COUPLE OF VENDORS DEMONSTRATING THAT SAME EXACT PRODUCT ! ... THEY MAKE IT LOOK EASY ! .. I HAVE NEVER USED IT THOUGH . .. KEEP US POSTED HOW IT WORKS OUT ! ... GOOD LUCK ! ... unk:

 

[[email protected]]

Well, I bought some of these http://www.alumaloy.net/ off of ebay. $11.99 for 1/4 LB including shipping.

Hopefully it'll do the trick.

 

[satariel666]

I have used that magic alumweld or so called other shit.

Dont use it for thin aluminium pieces couse you will definitly
melt it.

Its good for about + 4-5mm thickness. Under that most defo
it will melt quicker then that magic alumweld will.


For now id rather use good epoxy.


Dont waste your money Mike, it will not hold long for things like waterpump.

 

[88vmx12]

word of advise when you go to do this. I personally have never used this product but do some Tig / heliarc welding once in a while. When heat is transferred through the aluminum it travels very quickly. So when you have too much heat or stay there too long. The aluminum will turn molten and drop out with in a blink of an eye. So unless you know what you are looking for . Your repair could turn into a wreck and you possibly could be spending that 70 bones that you are trying to avoid. So be quick about your repair, Heat on then off do not ponder on your repair. Or try to find some other aluminum that you can practice on first. Welding any aluminum that is cast is the worst. Get yourself a Stainless wirebrush ( tooth brush style) from your local welding store. Clean it up really good. Do not use a regular steel brush it can cause problems and contaminate your new area to weld. Also it would be a good idea to use a dremil or something small to grind the crack out a little bit. Don't get too carried away when grinding it out. I hope that you have some knowledge of welding already. Cast aluminum can sometimes be your worst nightmare. I wish I was there I would do it for you.. Or just take it to a local welding shop that knows their aluminum repair really well. But like I said I have never used this product I have only used the TIG welding process

Scooter

 

[one2dmax]

Send it to us.

Sean

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

I have had good luck using JB Weld to repair dirt bike engines, but the #1 thing is that it HAS to be clean and dry before using. I usually clean it a couple of times with a can of brake cleaner, then blow out with compressed air. Warm it up to room temperature, and make sure to let it fully cure before using.

 

[4gasem]

I'm in the welding industry... Any ? feel free to ask.

Chris

 

[one2dmax]

I didn't go looking to see the fiche for you cover but if it's like the Vmax cover with the rubber insert on the back side it may not weld up very well. The middle gear cover and water pump cover don't like the heat building up from the cavity and internal dampener when being welded.

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks Sean, I appreciate the offer. There is no rubber in the cover. It should be a fairly easy fix. Nothing but cast aluminum here. The worst part is that it will be hard to see what you're doing as the crack is inside the cover (it was dented on the outside which created and internal fissure) and is in a tight spot. But, there really is no need for me to send it out though. There is a local place that I have done work with before and they did a fine job.

I was just looking for a way to do it at home and be more self reliant. I will have to experiment when I get the rods and see what happens.

 

[4gasem]

If it's something that can warp I would bolt it to a non warpable surface and heat it up. Aluminum is VERY porous and in this case it will have a lot of contaminates in it. You're best bet is to bake them out before trying to use this rod. Slow cooling will reduce warpage as well. A good way to slow cool something is to take room temp kitty litter and poor it on thick. The cheap ass litter is what you want here.

Chris

 

[[email protected]]

Well I tried the rods out. It seems as though it may actually be a decent reapair! I'm not sure how well they will work to "weld" things together but it worked good in my application.

I had a crack on the inside of my CR5 water pump cover. I ground the crack with a dremel. I bolted the whole cover to a makeshift plate to try and keep it from warping and it helped to position it for work. I heated the whole thing slowly with a heavy duty heat gun first. Then I used the torch to heat the repair area unitl the rod melted when it touched the surface.

Working with it reminded me very much of solder. It was a nice and neat operation. The hardest part was cleaning up the excess after I was done. A bit of work with the dremel and I got it looking halfway decent, which is good enough for this. The adhesion seems to be good as I was grinding on it and nothing was flaking or falling off. It took some work to get it flattened out. It will be awhile before I get to test it out but hopefully this will do the trick!

A couple pics of the completed repair after some rough grinding.

 

[one2dmax]

looks good!

Sean

 

[KJShover]

+1 it looks great, much better than I thought it would. :clapping:

 

[Redbone]

I agree, looks like a job well done! :thumbs up:

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks guys, looks are OK but I just hope it holds. It would suck big time to boil over 15 or 20 miles out into the woods over memorial day weekend when we go on our riding trip!!! The last couple times out I took some water bottles with me. Needed them one time but not the other:confused2:.

Either way, I think most of my issues were a worn pump shaft. It was quite visible where the seal had been eating away at it for the last 20 years. This thing is setup with a double seal, one on the oil side and one on the coolant side with a relief passage in between the two seals. I had lost nearly all my coolant out of the relief passage on a couple occassions. I think a new shaft and seals will cure the issues but when I saw the crack on the cover I figured I better fix it cause who knows if air is coming in thru there or not. I kinda doubt it though cause the system definitely had pressure in it when the coolant was coming out! Talk about a steam bath.

 

[tvmax]

So would this work to fill a deap scratch on a side scoup? Could you chrome over this without problems? What was the site on ebay?

Jim

 

[one2dmax]

I'm not sure if it will chrome?? The chrome vats are very hot so as long as the metal can survive then it may very well work. I may need to get some and try it out. Most of the cores I have are in good shape anyway but this could maybe help some future customers out that the scratches are too deep for me to use.

Sean