Welding an engine..

[Michelle L]

Yes something I have never done myself..
My question is , can I weld an engine with an arc welder ?.
I have a old arc welder or would I need to buy a mig welder ?.

I have a spare engine but one of the header bolts has been badly drilled out so I thought I would weld it and then re-drill ,, then put a fresh thread in it..
Its so badly drilled out I do not think a helicoil will do the trick ,, one of the guys did suggested it but I think its to bad to put a helicoil in it.

Thanks for your help guys
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Ride safe , if you can not ride safe , ride free....

[Fizzer Thou]

A friend in East London does aluminium 3 phase TIG welding which,as far as I know,is the only way to weld that material.He would be able to advise you on the best way to sort your situation

His number is 07815-575371 and answers to the name of John Bull

PS.He is a biker so knows what he is talking about
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Just talk bikes.What else is there?

Always have a 'Plan B'

[sickpup]

You could always have a word with my Cylinder head chap Matt who welds heads for a day job.

[Michelle L]

Hi sickpup Fizzer..

Thanks for the advice , I was not sure how to weld aluminium , I tried welding it when I was in my young teens and it did not work.
But I wondered if your could get some special rods for the arc welder or weld it with a mig..

The reason I was asking now is because my husband does not like me spending to much money as Christmas is not far off , if it could be done with a mig welder I would have ordered one now..

I have heard of tig welding ,, thanks for the number fizzer , I have stored it in my phone , its always handy to know people that can do that sort of thing , when I am ready to ring , I will tell him you give me his number...

I am stripping the engine down as a winter project , I have done a top end re-build before but never ventured stripping the bottom end , I think I will leave the gearbox intact , I think if I try taking that apart I might not be able to get it back together again..

I think I am going to sand blast the engine and spray it up nice..
I will post pics as I get on with it

Sickpup I will PM you if that's ok for the chaps number , you don,t look to far away from me , who ever can do it the cheapest for me then I will have to get it done thanks.
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Ride safe , if you can not ride safe , ride free....

[bugeye_bob]

https://hildstrom.com/projects/stickaluminum/
hth

[Michelle L]

Well that's very interesting , he is using special rods for aluminium..
When I tried welding aluminium , did not work but the rods was for steel..
Well I will keep the number fizzer but I think I will give it ago myself..
Just have to find out where I can get some rods from..

Thanks for your help guys , grateful to you three chaps
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Ride safe , if you can not ride safe , ride free....

[Fizzer Thou]

[MCN]

I remember stinkwheel mentioning a method of aluminium welding using gas and a coated rod. Not sure what. May have been this
You still need gas welding gear though.

You can get electrodes to use with arc welding gear but you would have to buy a lot for one job and it may be expensive for a one off.

As the Pup says, speak to a specialist.

Aluminium is well weld-able though.
It just depends on what needs welded as the heat involved can damage adjacent material.

You can easily manage yourself like this Yeehaw
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Val]

[kramdra]

Pic of the damaged thread?

Aluminium is greatly affected by heat as the alloy elements will separate out as it solidifies, making it brittle as well as loosing a lot of strength. It can easily be done, but not recommended for structural/high stressed items. Exhaust header should be ok.

Welding aluminium is a very easy thing to do (melts and flows much better than steel), but there are some things to be aware of. It must have pure argon gas, the correct filler and a very clean joint. Engines are usually cast, so 4043 wire is probably good. For most purposes, MIG is as good as TIG. Its faster and cheaper, and most alu bike frames are made this way (robots but same process). TIG is really only needed for very thin sheet (I can MIG 1mm sheet ok) or looks. A small mig will need engine preheated for any chance at a decent weld.

A decent used mig is about 40 quid on ebay, and you will spend another 50 quid+ on other bits, £50-150 on gas and more to modify the wire feed or get a spool gun.

To sum up, I can MIG aluminuim quite well, and my bike frame has a small crack, but there is no way I would attempt it as the HAZ will lower the strength significantly, I have drilled the ends of the crack to stop it spreading and its been good for 30k miles. If I had my head out and on bench, I would certainly try to weld up exhaust threads myself, with a reasonable chance of success (but a lot of time/effort learning so far). Getting it done professionally would cost more than a used replacement head, and they wont touch it on bike either.

[Pete.]

[mentalboy]

Evenin' all

I like the odd bit of welding every now and then, would I do a head myself? You've gotta be havin' a laff, but I would trust a specialist to do it.

As several have already pointed out, it's a job that you want done properly, they'll be able to check that it's true and make sure that the head doesn't leave the workshop warped.

Pics of said FUBAR stud hole would be nice, then we can all argue the merits of other thread recovery systems for the rest of the evening.

[spikenipple]

[Val]

[mentalboy]

[kramdra]

Better would be if manufacturers used a T slot design. They could likely cast the slots to adequate tolerance so it would also make heads cheaper to produce, not needing as many holes drilled and tapped.

[Val]

[MCN]

[mentalboy]

[Pete.]

I like timeserts better too but there are highly professional situations where helicoil-type inserts are specified. They aren't the 'worst' type of thread repair at all - you choose the repair type that's appropriate to the situation.

Many times you'll find it impossible to use a timesert (try fitting one onto a countersunk hole) and that makes the wire insert the best repair option not the worst.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Michelle L]

Morning everyone , thanks for all your replies ,, I am out very soon for the morning but when I get home I will post some pics as you asked..

They have made a right sh*t job of drilling it out , I mean a 4 year old could have done better..
To me I see it how it is , its a hole , how hard can it be to fill a hole with weld..

But from what people are saying its not that easy , I can weld but I am no pro welder that's a fact ..

I will put some pics up this afternoon , see what people say but I think when the time comes I will give John bull a ring..

Have a good day chaps , its nice to wake up and its not pissing down
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Ride safe , if you can not ride safe , ride free....

[Pete.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwFRbUKLQ48

OH NOES! He mentions helicoil AND he's using WD40 - must be a right bodger!
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[sickpup]

[Michelle L]

Some pics , its not a round hole , egg shaped
____________________
Ride safe , if you can not ride safe , ride free....

[Michelle L]

Another one..
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Ride safe , if you can not ride safe , ride free....