JB weld-- ok for minor engine case repair? opinions? advice?

[toobalicious]

ok... some of you may know that i bought a 1993 gsx750f kat dealy from special K... some of you may also know that the bike had been down prior to my ownership (nothing apparently major, but did cause a little damage)... two things: under the timing cover a little chunk of the mating surface is missing and it leaks (prior shoddy epoxy job)... also, i removed the oil pan to solve a mess of RTV and another leak, and clean the pickup screen while i was in there... once i got the pan off, i found the casting where the middle-of-the-pan bolt goes sheared off in the bottom of the pan... it doesnt appear to be structural, and in fact, i cant really understand why in the f it is there, but what do i know... cant decide if it was already busted or if i got it whilst using the rubber BFH to unstick the RTV--- the bolt was installed and intact, as best i can tell.,.. the pan has been welded to fix a crack, so it must have taken a hit at some point...
i thought i might JB weld these pieces... i have used JB weld before with good results, but this spot is actually *in* the oil sump, and i havent any experience in that kind of application... i may just have the timing cover area TIG-ged and be done with it, but i think the casting under the pan will be too much of a PITA to fix that way... K hooked me up with fresh gaskets, and i have my hondabond handy if it looks dicey--- thanks keith...
what do you think, folks?
a

BTW, this is the second pickup screen i have picked little orange balls of silly-cone out of... friends dont let friends use RTV on their close-tolerance engines!

[md86]

Well , I COULD be referred to as the JB Kwik king , becasue at one time pretty much ALL the engine covers on my bike had SOME JB on them ! I had a bunch of it smeared on the inside of my oil pan for almost 2 years before it sprung a leak , and that wasn't because of the patch , a bolt punched a hole in the pan ! Yeah , it'll probably do the job , but if you can find new covers eventually , that might be good ...

[bigtwan251975]

also fixed fairing good to

[Macka]

What is RTV?

[md86]

RTV is a sealant that (I BELIEVE) is used on gaskets . Used it for that myself . Think silicone ...

[toobalicious]

Well , I COULD be referred to as the JB Kwik king , becasue at one time pretty much ALL the engine covers on my bike had SOME JB on them ! I had a bunch of it smeared on the inside of my oil pan for almost 2 years before it sprung a leak , and that wasn't because of the patch , a bolt punched a hole in the pan ! Yeah , it'll probably do the job , but if you can find new covers eventually , that might be good ...

heh, i hear you... the thing is, the timing cover *has* been replaced---this is the actual engine case (a little harder to replace )... i have had the bolt casting soaking in acetone, and wil try that piece first... i have the regular JB weld, not the KWIK... seems i remember the KWIW having a lower temperature threshold?...

macka, RTV is your worst nightmare... Room Temperature Vulcanizing silicone... great for filling in gaps in say, an intake manifold on a V8 chevy... lots of folk use it as a "gasket bandaid" of sorts, because it is impermeable to gas and oil once it is cured... my honda is working on a two year aniversary for repairing the front master cylinder reservoir (dont ask)--- no leaks... however, when used as gasket sealer, some inevitably gooks out into the engine cavity as you mash the parts together because it has definate positive thickness (i.e. doesnt compress like a gasket would)... no biggie, except that these "gook-outs" tend to separate off, which means you now have theve non-soluable rubber boogers rolling around in your oiling system... in small passageways like cam journals and oil pickup screens, it gets stuck, and lives there until physically removed by you... it may or may not completely disrupt oil flow (remember what a good sealant it is)... if you have leaks, BUY A FECKING NEW GASKET! it is cheap assurance... a non-hardening gasket sealer like hondabond is a much better alternative if the surfaces are mangled, but you need to have a clean suface to start with (i.e. new gasket)...

ok, RTV rant mode off...

a
a

[The CyberPoet]

heh, i hear you... the thing is, the timing cover *has* been replaced---this is the actual engine case (a little harder to replace )... i have had the bolt casting soaking in acetone, and wil try that piece first... i have the regular JB weld, not the KWIK... seems i remember the KWIW having a lower temperature threshold?...

Yup... you heard it from me recently. JB Weld's 4-minute stuff has a temperature ceiling of 300 degrees (F), while their standard stuff has a 600 degree use ceiling after curing. Since the oil in the Kats can easily exceed 300 degrees on a hot day of highway driving, don't use the 4-minute JB Weld "Quick" formulation on it.
There are also other alternative epoxy compounds out that will do as good or better of a job of fixing metal.

PS - used oil pans in good condition usually run $20 - $40 on ebay.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[md86]

Well , like I said , I've had pretty good luck with the stuff on my oil pan and engine covers . Dunno if I just got lucky (I and someone else whose bike I did the same to ! ) or what , but there you go . I've HEARD of people using JB to repair holes in engines using a quarter or something as filler , but that was of course on the JB Weld website .

[ThAzKat]

Oh man, JB weld, IMHO one of two tools to be sure to have with you. The other being Duct tape.

[md86]

I keep BOTH in my bag ! Also don't forget ... wire ties , electrical tape , super glue , and a few tools !

[Yellow]

The other being Duct tape.

Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together...

+1 on the JB...

[toobalicious]

so far, the JB weld looks like it will hold great... filed the mating surfaces, nice and smooth... will see how she holds oil later this week... all body work is still with the painter though ...

BTW, if you have a broken bolt casting, it can probably be fixed with JB... i had one under the timing cover with so much material gone that the screw would just spin... i cleaned that part of the case with acetone, painted the bolt with copper antiseize and placed it in the casting... i then glopped JB on top of it to reform the casting--- it doesnt stick to the antiseize (was a little experiment ), and (obviously) the threads are decent since they were molded from the bolt... a neat trick if you ever have to go through that...
a

[Special K]

Toob:

Offer still good for Heli-arcing that bad boy!

I'm traveling Fri-Sun, but after that I'll be in town for a while............


Pop over some time!

K

[toobalicious]

heya spec... i think it is going to work... the real test will come sometime next week... had a little delay with the painter--- turns out the NAPA guy forgot to sell me the reducer for the clear coat (what did i know; i had 5 bottles of crap in my bag)... looks like the JB will be A-ok since there is no real pressure in that cavity... hondabond is a poor cycle owners best friend...
BTW keith, jeff said that he would perhaps be interested in working with you on painting some bodywork... i will let you check mine out before slipping numbers to either of you... he is a "good ol boy" type , like many other kernersvillians...
be safe on the road..
a