Crack Repair

[David Bond]

Have had a small leak for awhile by the bottom of the left axle trumpet. Had replaced gasket serveral years ago and just slowed down the leak. I suspected a crack. Today pulled it apart and yes there is a crack in it. Currently there is an interesting thread about repairing a cracked block. I doubt that I will be stiching this. The idiot in me wants to fire up the torch and lay some brass on it. The cheap part of me just wants to epoxy and be done with it. I guess my question would be should I take a carbon burr and trench it like I would do if I was to braze it, or rough it up some and smear JB on it.
I ask beacause in all my years as a mechanic (retired) I have only used JB Weld once, always replaced part that was broke.. But this time its on my dime and time....I just don't want to do it over. And as an added note,the crack does extend into the casting behind this flange...

 

[Ultradog MN]

I've never been a fan of puckys, epoxies, JB and such. Have criticized their use (and the boneheads using them) many times on this and other boards.
On the other hand there are some places where properly used they can save you a lot of time and dough.
If you are confident the crack doesn't extend beyond the flange I would use some kind of dope or JB on that one. Clean it up real good with lacquer thinner so it bonds.
Clean up the threads real well and locktite the bolt in too.
Probably last for many years.

 

[Royse]

Cracked right through the bolt hole like that,
I don't know if anything would hold it permanently.
Changing the whole rear axle housing would obviously be a pain.
On the bright side, I've heard there are plenty of them around.
If it is cracking beyond that flange into the casting as you say,
it will probably continue to crack with use.

 

[killroy]

whatever you do, at the end of the crack drill a small hole (1/16). then braze or pucky it. the hole will help keep the crack from runnin on you

 

[Dell (WA)]

David.........reminds me of a sign at a motorcycle shop. Harleys don't leak oil, they just "mark" their spot. Yer tractor is just doing that too. Iff'n yer sphincterly challenged, "V" the gap and J-B Weld it. Probably more oil is leaking out the stud than the cracks. It would take a LOOOooong time to leak 5-gals of hydro-tranny oil out that crack. Me? I'm NOT challenged and expect leaks in 65-yo tractor. .......oily Dell

 

[36 Coupe]

Epoxy works fine if you know its limits.A little Pemmatex will stop that leak.

 

[Bill Rowles]

I think I would use permatex that gets semi-hard with time, on the stud and along the crack insid the housing, after a good cleaning with solvent and alcohol. I think any flexing along the crack will loosen the JB-weld, but permatex should flex and stretch enough to keep the oil inside. It should last a long time unless you mount a back hoe or do something else that adds a lot of weight or "bouncing-type stress" to the cast iron housing. I bet it has been cracked a long time.

 

[Bob]

Is it a "blind hole", so it could have been broken by tightening the bolt with debris in the hole, or was it a stud?

 

[TheOldHokie]

(quoted from post at 22:15:22 07/20/13) Have had a small leak for awhile by the bottom of the left axle trumpet. Had replaced gasket serveral years ago and just slowed down the leak. I suspected a crack. Today pulled it apart and yes there is a crack in it. Currently there is an interesting thread about repairing a cracked block. I doubt that I will be stiching this. The idiot in me wants to fire up the torch and lay some brass on it. The cheap part of me just wants to epoxy and be done with it. I guess my question would be should I take a carbon burr and trench it like I would do if I was to braze it, or rough it up some and smear JB on it.
I ask beacause in all my years as a mechanic (retired) I have only used JB Weld once, always replaced part that was broke.. But this time its on my dime and time....I just don't want to do it over. And as an added note,the crack does extend into the casting behind this flange...

That is a milled surface so whatever you do make sure it is dead flat when done. If you leave a high spot after repair you may find you have a trumpet with a matching crack.....

There are any number of industrial crack repair compounds that should do the job and JB Weld would be way down on my list. Personally I would leave the torch in the corner - better living through chemistry.

TOH