A Better Oil Catch Can. Maybe?

[Husker6.5]

Where's the hole at and what's the metal involved?

 

[Will L.]

Post #79 last pic. It is the bottom of the castiron turbine side (exhaust) housing. About 1/16" wide and 1/2" long at most. It's just like the classic muffler hole.

It hit me, I need to vent valve cover line to atmosphere and see if my oil consumption disappears. That will tell me if the oil being burned is from the turbo or not. No blowby noticeable via valve cover or dipstick.

$ is tight now, but more so is no time for yet another project. Too many already.

 

[Husker6.5]

Pull the turbo. Disassemble the exhaust side so you just have the bare housing. Heat the housing up to 500-600 degrees and while still hot, stick-weld the hole shut with a high nickle rod and place the housing in a 450° oven and over several hours turn the oven's temp slowly down. The heating prior to welding and slow cool down afterwards will prevent thermal shock cracking. Once cold, a little Dremel tool work/grinding of any internal slag/excess material inside the housing if needed, and there you go! Cheap turbo repair!

 

[Will L.]

Once upon a time, I owned a stick welder. Now just a 250 amp mig. But if I keep this rig, I might try brazing it with nickel. I learned a trick with brazing different than stick some years back. Preheat like normal, but let it cool normal. It will crack in the brazed area, then braze it from cold and when it cools the second time it holds. I've done a few manifolds like that and it was ok.

The new to me valve cover must have had a better working valve in it- it is smoking a bit less than the original was before I hacked it up. Not every forum is good to learn from, haha. See- we all thought steaksauce was only into chevy "fixes". Looks like I'm just going to run it as is for now and get the hummer in my garage.

 

[ak diesel driver]

weld it with your mig

 

[Will L.]

I've tried welding cast with it before, never had good results. As thin as this is, dont want to "learn" on it.

I was kinda hoping somebody used some wazoo epoxy or something. New and improved muffler tape maybe.

 

[Husker6.5]

You've got epoxy up your wazoo? Now I know why you're such a tight ass!

 

[Husker6.5]

MIG is WAY too concentrated heat in a pinpoint area. Low amperage stick welding with a 3/16 high nickel rod. Heating the cast iron up first and sloooooow cooling afterwards is the trick.

 

[ak diesel driver]

use what ya got

 

[Husker6.5]

use what ya got

That would be his epoxy up the wazoo.

 

[Will L.]

The bad part is, if I had the $.
I know the rig is worth a new turbo, rebuilding the injectors, and even rering if needed. But I don't have the $ or the time to do it and my other projects. I just need to run it as is for now and cross my fingers.

I have never ran a turbo with an exhaust leak like this in the housing- never had to. I really can't down it and pull the turbo to brake it up now. My hummer injector knock went from no worries to making noise and has me scared, so I really don't want to drive it.

Wondering what damage it could have done or is doing. Think that could somehow wipe the oil seal sooner? Low boost would be on the list, but what damage? The car is not as fast acceleration as I believe it should be, but has been like that since I bought it. Leak could have been there all along and I missed it. Cant imagine more boost that might help mpg, thing is over 30 now. 146,000 miles stock injectors, reman pump before I bought it.

Holy crap, I side track a thread horribly. If this needs to be chopped off and moved I'm sorry for that. You should see how bad a change conversations in real life when talking rigs and .... oh, look! A butterfly.

 

[Twisted Steel Performance]

@Will L. I have some HTS-528 brazing rods I could send you one if you have a torch.... and high grade silver solder will also stand up to the heat and won't cause it to crack like the other process can...

 

[Will L.]

Thank you, but no. I appreciate the offer. I think I have some good silver solder, never tried it on cast- probably do that when I get into it.

I have a torch, but it's just going to wait for now. I know I will have the pull the turbo to fix it, and that is not happening until I get my sons dodge ready for him (and backup rig if my wife or I need it) and get my hummer parts I already have bought on there, and fix heater & a/c.

 

[ak diesel driver]

Sounds like a list like mine LOL

 

[Husker6.5]

Butterfly? Where? Where?

 

[Husker6.5]

You could just JB Weld the hole shut. I've seen some pretty amazing things done with it that worked, like fixing a Brodix head that cracked between valve seats the beginning of the season and racing the rest of the summer on it.

 

[Will L.]

Jb weld wont cook off that hot? Ive done radiator cores but never anything hotter. Hmm, I can reach a couple fingers to it to put that on. I'll try that.
I wonder if there any type thats better than the other for heat? I know there is the regular kind and the lower shear strength fast setting one. Time for some reading in isle 17 at the True Value Hardware store.

 

[Husker6.5]

Regular old Original JB Weld. It held for 15 weekends of sprint car racing and was a hell of a lot cheaper than an $1100 head!

 

[dangerousdave]

JB Weld burned off on my '67 slant six cast iron exhaust manifold in less than a day, back when it was my daily driver. It was a good excuse to get headers.

Back on track; Did I mention the oil catch system I made reduces coil consumption, can hold 1 liter, and I empty it when I change oil. Emptied out the CDR, copper fittings, ABS plastic catch can elbows under the air filter in the cold air flow from modified bulkhead and drilled grille.
.
Off track; The (3) bamboo pieces cover longer bolts and rubber hose to form a level stand for my tool box. The cooling system is Evans Waterless zero PSI, so there's that air filter on the expansion tank. The Dr. Pepper can is open ended and heat shields the TM spring. The Turbo and AC lines are insulated, and so many more tweaks and details...