Gasless Aluminum MIG?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It won't be good. Take it to a welding shop.

Be cheaper to buy a new one . -- Snag

A pile of shit.

I'm beginning to think there are no easy cheap ways to do repairs on aluminum. I've tried two different torch weld alloys and gotten mixed results at best. The biggest problem I've found with those though is the expansion and contraction of hte metal. I can do very small repairs, but for anything bigger it breaks itself, or melts the weld further back as you try to work along further up.

You just have to invest in the right equipment I guess.

$100 to weld, $130 to replace the entire pump. Thanks, guys - not the answer I wanted, but it sounds like a solid consensus.

$100 to weld, $130 to replace the entire pump. Thanks, guys - not the answer I wanted, but it sounds like a solid consensus.

I'd double check that price with another shop. I don't know where you are located, but that sounds a bit like rape. Did you pull up in a limo to have it priced, or is the job a lot more complex than it sounds.

I had a call from a guy on the East Coast who was desperately trying to find somebody willing to weld a really expensive timing chain cover for a BMW sports car.

I explained that I was willing to weld it, if he could ship it to Seattle. He then explained that he thought it could be welded ON THE CAR!!!. I had to explain to him that that is impossible. The part would have to be removed, cleaned, and degreased completely. Then preheated, welded and then slow cooled.

He thought the shops he had taken it to were trying to rip him off. After my explanation he understood why their estimates were so high.

Aluminum can be welded, but it takes equipment, knowledge and training to do it right.

Welding ally is in the realms of a black art , however all is not quite lost there is an aluminium soldering rod which I have heard good reports on for repairing automotive waterpumps and similar castings( land rover group). I bought a pack but so far I have been lucky and not needed it. This is a link to a UK supplier on ebay you should be able to find somebody closer to home

I've used this and it can be useful. It's main limitation is the low tensile strength of the joint. Filling-in is good, structural not-so-good. In the OP's case, if the length of the tube beyond the break is significant, or there is any significant mass at the end of the tube (e.g., a filter), then vibration could put too much stress on the joint. Hard to say without pix. Also, not something that you want to fix twice.

Yikes - $75/lb! I bought mine for about $17/lb in the hardware store.

Bob

That brings up another good point. Aluminum is a lot more sensitive to welding without post welding heat treatment the steel alloys. If this tube is indeed a structural element in an area of high vibration, even TIG welding it without restoring the heat treatment could be a lost cause.

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote: (clip) In the OP's case, if the length of the tube beyond the

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I looked back at the original post--the broken element is the suction line to the oil pump. If it falls off, the oil pump loses prime. This is not a place to economize.