Main engine casing damaged following accident

[tvr123]

Hello everyone,

I had an unfortunate incident involving a slippery roundabout and long story short, here is the main piece of damage. As you can seen, when the stator cover smashed, it took a piece of the main engine casing with it. Is there anything I can do short of dropping the engine out and replacing the entire thing?

Thanks for the help and advice in advance/.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

If you still have the broken piece, and you can find a really good aluminum welder you may be able to weld it.

Its really not stressed there, just a matter of cleaning/grinding. Unfortunatly, the location (basically sideways) doesn't make it easy for the welder. I have seen on certain year Goldwings, they had a re-call on the frame cracking. There was some dissassembly and they basically laid the bike out on its side for the welding process. Your engine on a bench would be much easier for the welder..

You likely need to start looking for another engine, or new cases and a bunch of labor $...

Or sell as a "fixer upper"..

 

[2old2ride]

I notice 2 bolts. If there was NO stress there and the bolts were mostly to keep the gasket in place, might an aluminum glue work? It wouldn't deal with stress but if you just want to keep OIL in and dirt, road debris out, then it might be worth trying. No? I priced a stator cover that was scratched in a tip over. 94.00$, IIRC. Scratch got to looking pretty good.

 

[Motogiro]

In that first picture it looks like a hex head bolt going vertical. Is there a third piece separate from the main engine casting? Or is that a drain bolt?

An important consideration is that your stator drum took a really hard hit and you may have further damage that, if not right away, may show failure in the near future. I'd closely inspect that area behind the flywheel.

 

[fazil]

how about using jb weld epoxy glue?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

+1 on checking the flywheel and making sure it and and the crank isn't bent.

If the crank is bent, $ wise, another engine is in order.

IMO, with as hot as the engine gets, (try touching that area at full temp, it's very hot), I wouldn't trust anything but a good weld. That is if the broken off piece is still available. If its gone, it would be VERY, VERY difficult to trim/bend/ grind a pice of aluminum to fit perfectly, a good gasket mating surface, etc.

The next step is to simply remove that cover and see what other, if any damage has occurred. A dial indicator on the flywheel while its turned over slowly should show if the crank or flywheel is bent/out of round. You'll also be able to see better if there's any other damage to the cases.

 

[FinalImpact]

Flywheel (and coils) is clearly trashed in the picture ^^.

JB may do it as the part is captive by the cover. If doweled, it may even stay.

Welding is bit of a trick as the case top (cylinder) mates there at the split and w/out pulling the engine apart the welder would end up leaving the last little bit improperly terminated. Meaning, it would likely leak.

I'm not sure what your skill set is, but the best bet would be to pull the engine, split the case, fit the part, weld it. Then file or machine the mating edge flat and reassemble.

As said; in a pinch; dowel it and JB weld. I'd guess the case temp never exceeds 300°F so make sure the product is good to 400°F and oil/fuel resistant and it may hold.

Good luck and hope you're OK!

 

[2old2ride]

how about using jb weld epoxy glue?

I am far from up to date on chemical welding (glue). Is jb a brand or a description? I don't have need of this information right now and god willing and my M-20's holding, I never will. It still would be nice to know.
I have more faith in God then Bridgestone so if God decides to give me a little hint about entry speeds, It might be nice to know where to start looking.:spank:

 

[fazil]

Jb weld is a two component epoxy glue. Very strong. Can be used in metal or other materials.


JB Weld | World's Strongest Bond

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Until the Op responds, with wether he's got the broken piece or not, it doesn't really matter at this point..

 

[warthogcrewchief]

regular aluminum will not work. I'm dealing with a leaking case from a broken chain. The PO used JB weld to "fix" it.

Took it to my welder, and he screwed it up by using aluminum. He wants a second chance, but is asking me to remove the engine.

The casing is a magnesium/aluminum alloy. Magnesium or titanium would have to be used to fix it.

Yes, magnesium can be welded with minimum risk of fire. The argon prevents it from igniting.

 

[Motogiro]

regular aluminum will not work. I'm dealing with a leaking case from a broken chain. The PO used JB weld to "fix" it.

Took it to my welder, and he screwed it up by using aluminum. He wants a second chance, but is asking me to remove the engine.

The casing is a magnesium/aluminum alloy. Magnesium or titanium would have to be used to fix it.

Yes, magnesium can be welded with minimum risk of fire. The argon prevents it from igniting.

Interesting and good info on this. Do they make a magnesium/titanium welding wire for these applications?

 

[warthogcrewchief]

From the knowledge I have gained from my friends that weld, it is done with a TIG welder. There are magnesium and titanium wire (rods) available. I found them with a quick search on Google.

 

[FinalImpact]

If i had to guess, the casting material likely contains some percentage of Silicon. So its aluminum-silicon (Al-Si) as it reduces thermal expansion, increases wear resistance, and it maintains structural dimension better than aluminum by itself. Plus its cheap.

Regardless, I'd guess there are trace amounts of several elements added.

From years in the automotive refinish; cross contamination of things like wax and silicone can ruin the best of jobs. In this realm, grinding the paint off and cooking the oil completely from the repair area is the biggest challenge. To the naked eye, yes the paint and oil may appear to be gone, yet its not and it causes issues during a repair.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Grinding a "V" groove in the cracked portion, for cleanliness and FULL PENETRATION, is also paramount...

 

[FinalImpact]

If i had to guess, the casting material likely contains some percentage of Silicon. So its aluminum-silicon (Al-Si) as it reduces thermal expansion, increases wear resistance, and it maintains structural dimension better than aluminum by itself. Plus its cheap.

Regardless, I'd guess there are trace amounts of several elements added.

From years in the automotive refinish; cross contamination of things like wax and silicone can ruin the best of jobs. In this realm, grinding the paint off and cooking the oil completely from the repair area is the biggest challenge. To the naked eye, yes the paint and oil may appear to be gone, yet its not and it causes issues during a repair.

Check this out:

From: How and why alloying elements are added to aluminum
Series Primary Alloying Element
1xxx Aluminum - 99.00% or Greater
2xxx Copper
3xxx Manganese
4xxx Silicon
5xxx Magnesium
6xxx Magnesium and Silicon
7xxx Zinc

Read the section under this: The principal effects of alloying elements in aluminum are as follows:

Most this appears to be referring to extruding but it does reference casting too.

 

[warthogcrewchief]

For a happy ending, I was able to get it fixed. After a friend suggested I use an aluminum epoxy (instead of a steel epoxy like JB Weld). I found AlumBond from HY-Poxy on Amazon for less than $7. Amazon.com: Hy-Poxy H-45 Alumbond 2 oz Aluminum Putty Repair Kit: Industrial & Scientific

After a thororgh cleaning using a dremel sanding bit and brake cleaner, I applied the product. It was a little runny at first so I had to continue to pull it back up once or twice. It has a working time of 45 minutes and full cure in 24 hours. I mixed the entire contents to ensure I had as close as possible to a proper 1:1 ratio.

This was done about a week ago and isn't leaking!:thumbup: