Help! Any ideas in repairing this?
Discussion
Hi guys.
Putting this out in the general forum for a much broader audience in the hope of a higher chance of a cheap solution!
Lets just say I've been an utter pudding. And that's being reserved!
This is entirely my fault so lets not over discuss how this happened.
I over tightened it. The end!
Its the drain plug on the gearbox of a Vauxhall Monaro.
So, what can I do to sort this? Even if its just a temporary solution. It won't hold gearbox oil as it seeps though.
For now I've left it to drain as much as possible in hope I can perhaps patch it somehow with some sort of magic product!
Any helpful ideas welcome!
Putting this out in the general forum for a much broader audience in the hope of a higher chance of a cheap solution!
Lets just say I've been an utter pudding. And that's being reserved!
This is entirely my fault so lets not over discuss how this happened.
I over tightened it. The end!
Its the drain plug on the gearbox of a Vauxhall Monaro.
So, what can I do to sort this? Even if its just a temporary solution. It won't hold gearbox oil as it seeps though.
For now I've left it to drain as much as possible in hope I can perhaps patch it somehow with some sort of magic product!
Any helpful ideas welcome!
Have repaired cracked diffs with epoxy, but absolute cleanliness is essential. The oil does need to be drained out fully so that none seeps, then clean very well with thinners, sand (or grind if the option is available to you) an area around the crack, a v-slot also not a bad thing as suggested, then thinners again, but in any case I always use epoxy with a patch of matting of some sort - glassfibre ideally but a patch made out of those white re-usable shopping bags ought to work also - this I find to be absolutely essential otherwise the crack just propagates through the epoxy. Bear in mind that when you remove the plug the crack will close, when you tighten - even carefully - it is likely to open up a little bit. Probably best to repair, then fit the plug with the epoxy still wet. Personally would tighten as little as possible and rely on either a small dab of epoxy on the threads or some other sealant/blue Loctite to prevent it coming undone.
IMO, Ideally it needs welding.
As a temp fix I think I'd be tempted drop the oil, clean it with thinners inside, outside and right through the crack, refit the plug and fill it with silicone sealant making sure it goes all the way through.
The trouble with JB weld etc is they set solid. The silicone may give you a little more time as it will expand.
Is access to it easy or is it like most gearbox plugs and in a stupid place?
How long is the crack?
Any better photos?
As a temp fix I think I'd be tempted drop the oil, clean it with thinners inside, outside and right through the crack, refit the plug and fill it with silicone sealant making sure it goes all the way through.
The trouble with JB weld etc is they set solid. The silicone may give you a little more time as it will expand.
Is access to it easy or is it like most gearbox plugs and in a stupid place?
How long is the crack?
Any better photos?
rockin said:
The bodge is strong in this thread.
That sump needs replacement or professional repair. Epoxy will fail due to differential expansion of the metal and epoxy as the sump goes through I’ve recular cycles of heating and cooling.
Epoxy is very elastic compared to metal, and can deal with small movements from thermal expansion quite easily. It's much more likely to fail from being unable to get a good bond to start with in such an oily area, and future use of sump plug could open the crack further than the epoxy could deal with. Needs to be vee'd out and welded for a permanent repair.That sump needs replacement or professional repair. Epoxy will fail due to differential expansion of the metal and epoxy as the sump goes through I’ve recular cycles of heating and cooling.
Sorry to hear and see. My best advice to you is get coffee and spanners and strip the box out. Thinking about it will make it seem worse. Three hours of spanners is more productive in this case than three hours of thinking.
And
Do not, under any circumstances dwell on your mistake or ifs or buts. As viper said in top gun “you fly jets long enough something like this happens”
We have all been there - patience and grit.
Best of luck.
And
Do not, under any circumstances dwell on your mistake or ifs or buts. As viper said in top gun “you fly jets long enough something like this happens”
We have all been there - patience and grit.
Best of luck.
Many thanks to you all.
I've had the car hard tilted to one side so the dregs of oil run away from it, then I have cleaned it up, drill brushed it, sanded and then cleaned off with proper paint prep solution.
Then used JB metal weld putty to patch it up which hopefully for now will get me by.
We will see how it holds out, worse case is it doesn't and will slowly drip giving me plenty of notice.
Car isn't my daily anyway, its a hobby/project/toy thing. Barely turns a wheel!
I've had the car hard tilted to one side so the dregs of oil run away from it, then I have cleaned it up, drill brushed it, sanded and then cleaned off with proper paint prep solution.
Then used JB metal weld putty to patch it up which hopefully for now will get me by.
We will see how it holds out, worse case is it doesn't and will slowly drip giving me plenty of notice.
Car isn't my daily anyway, its a hobby/project/toy thing. Barely turns a wheel!
rockin said:
The bodge is strong in this thread.
That sump needs replacement or professional repair. Epoxy will fail due to differential expansion of the metal and epoxy as the sump goes through I’ve recular cycles of heating and cooling.
It's not a sump, it's a gearbox - the epoxy will be fine, epoxy actually goes slightly soft with heat, is very plastic. Agree that welding would be the best solution but I have welded a diff (have had welded actually) twice by a very competent welder and twice the crack re-appeared, through the weld (stress fracture) now I have epoxied over the crack, and it has held for years. With glass fibre matting. As long as the function is simply no-pressure sealing and all measures taken to promote good adhesion, epoxy works well. Indeed the main problem is the utilisation of the plug, opening and closing the gap, but since it's a gearbox this will be extremely infrequent. Were it a sump plug then for practical purposes welding it would need to be, or messy mucking around re-doing the repair at every oil change.That sump needs replacement or professional repair. Epoxy will fail due to differential expansion of the metal and epoxy as the sump goes through I’ve recular cycles of heating and cooling.
996TT02 said:
rockin said:
The bodge is strong in this thread.
That sump needs replacement or professional repair. Epoxy will fail due to differential expansion of the metal and epoxy as the sump goes through I’ve recular cycles of heating and cooling.
It's not a sump, it's a gearbox - the epoxy will be fine, epoxy actually goes slightly soft with heat, is very plastic. Agree that welding would be the best solution but I have welded a diff (have had welded actually) twice by a very competent welder and twice the crack re-appeared, through the weld (stress fracture) now I have epoxied over the crack, and it has held for years. With glass fibre matting. As long as the function is simply no-pressure sealing and all measures taken to promote good adhesion, epoxy works well. Indeed the main problem is the utilisation of the plug, opening and closing the gap, but since it's a gearbox this will be extremely infrequent. Were it a sump plug then for practical purposes welding it would need to be, or messy mucking around re-doing the repair at every oil change.That sump needs replacement or professional repair. Epoxy will fail due to differential expansion of the metal and epoxy as the sump goes through I’ve recular cycles of heating and cooling.
I drove home 150 miles stopping regularly to see if it was leaking but no all good. Several yrs later I was doing some other work and thought I get the crack welded. I couldn't get the buggering stuff off so left it! I reckon the heat from the engine helped it go off.
996TT02 said:
It's not a sump, it's a gearbox - the epoxy will be fine, epoxy actually goes slightly soft with heat, is very plastic. Agree that welding would be the best solution but I have welded a diff (have had welded actually) twice by a very competent welder and twice the crack re-appeared, through the weld (stress fracture) now I have epoxied over the crack, and it has held for years. With glass fibre matting. As long as the function is simply no-pressure sealing and all measures taken to promote good adhesion, epoxy works well. Indeed the main problem is the utilisation of the plug, opening and closing the gap, but since it's a gearbox this will be extremely infrequent. Were it a sump plug then for practical purposes welding it would need to be, or messy mucking around re-doing the repair at every oil change.
I'm inclined to agree. As you say, its a gearbox and the oil may never be changed again, certainly in my ownership. I suspect like many cars on the road it has never had its gearbox and diff oil changed before.I am impressed with the repair this far, it seems to have taken very well and appears very strong. I will be filling with oil this morning. I'm also going to experiment with an old coke can, stitch drill a 'crack' in its base, patch it with this stuff, fill with a little oil and subject it to ambient, fridge and low oven temps to see how it fairs. I will keep this in the garage as a reminder and to see if that ever starts to weep.
A 'proper' repair maybe untaken in the future should I need a new clutch at some point or if the box just screws itself!
At the end of the day, a leap of faith has to be taken, this product is sold as suitable for this and much more claiming to be a solution for plumbing, leaking fuel tanks, underwater repairs etc.. There are some magic products out there, I know as I've used them. Hope this is another!
As a warning for any other DIY mechanic - do not over tighten any type of fitting, ideally use a torque wrench of appropriate size, try to find the correct torque setting and know your own strength!! Alloy is quite soft!
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