Welder/crack repair help needed

[Grin-a-lot]

Unfortunately i've managed to crack my crossflow sump.  Roughly 6mm split on the base near the corner as far as I can see.

I was wondering if there is anyone on here that has a welding kit that might be able to seal it up.  I guess i'll need to drill both ends to stop it propagating further anyway.

If anyone has any other suggestions on repairing cracks in sumps then I am all ears!

['The Gaffer']

Cant help with the crack sorry, but how did you do that? Did you lose any oil?

[Grin-a-lot]

To be honest it's a steady slow drip so didn't lose much oil out & about but with the car static it's constantly dripping.  I think the car bottomed out in a dip and it scraped rather than anything really penetrating it.

I've had a new plan though, when I bought the car I negotiated a spare engine, an un-modified version of the engine in the car. I'm hoping to use the full size sump and oil pick up in place of what is already fitted so in principle just a case of swapping them over, as easy as that!  The old one needs to come off anyway so worth a look I reckon...

What's could possibly go wrong..?

[xr2 stu]

just to let you know ford sump gaskets are a pain to fit right if your doing it on the floor i tryed doing
my cvh on the floor went thow to gaskets in the end had to get my mate to do it an a ramp in the air
i got there in the end still got a tiny link but i can leve with it lol good luck

[Mark G]

What sump do you have fitted now? Is is a shortened sump?  If so then I'd highly recommend not fitting the standard one as you clearly need more ground clearance.

Do you know what the sump is made from?  If its mild steel then I can weld it for you, I have a mig so should be no problem.  If its ally then you will need someone with the correct mig filler wire or a tig welder.  If you remove it you could take it to any decent metal worker.

[paintman]

   I Know this sounds a bodge up and I suppose it is....... but my sump was dripping badly around the filler plug where it was badly welded.

   I managed to seal it with the oil still in by rubbing the sump clean with thinners, then applying superglue with kitchen roll (this clogs the crack then dries at the same time.)

   I then applied epoxy resin generously to the whole area of repair with a spatula.

  Worked a treat..... 

  Tony

[Grin-a-lot]

It looks like steel so hopefully welding should be nice and simple.

The one that is fitted is shortened to the bellhousing height but nothing added so there is a loss of volume.  The one that I was considering fitting is approx 20mm deeper and will be the lowest part by a long way.  The benefit was that it has had an extra cavity added to maintain volume.  I can't tell until I look tomorrow but I think it'll foul the clutch cable (which is potentially why it hasn't been fitted).

The epoxy comment got me thinking, metal repair epoxy is only £5 so might attempt that for the time being, a number of forums claim success with it so I figure it's worth a go.  If it ends in tears I'll drop the sump & come seeking some welding skills Mark (if that's still ok)?

[Mark G]

No problem at all, I've used metal repair putty on many occasions and always found it to be very useful, especially for things like this.  Make sure you take time to prepare the area properly though or it won't take properly.  Before you do it though it may be worth noting that if it doesn't work you might damage any chance of welding it after the putty has set.

As for the oil volume it doesn't actually make any difference how much is in the sump as there can only be x amount of oil circulating the engine at any one time. 

The only thing to bear in mind is that you'll need to adjust your oil change intervals accordingly.  If you would change 5L of oil every 5k miles then if you now only fill 4L of oil then change every 4K miles. 

Simples.

[Grin-a-lot]

Thanks for the top tips above, I did an oil change when I bought the car but the reduced interval stuff is a top tip for sure!  When i finally get round to fitting the oil cooler i might stick fresh in again and start from there.

More importantly, the metal epoxy appears to have done the job and I am leaking no more!  Not driven it yet but the garage floor is still clean!  Might just work a treat until I beach it again!

[Camber Dave]

Just a thought - if you fit a deep sump make sure there is enough oil to get to the oil pick up filter. It could also surge away from it on a big corner.

I have tig and could weld the crack if you take it off. I could also replicate the big wings on the spare pan.

Dave

[Grin-a-lot]

Thanks Camber Dave, I was thinking of getting hold of you regarding some geometry stuff, perhaps gaining a bit in ride height and getting the geometry set now that the car has me +1 sat in it for fast road/occasional track use.

['Mendip Wurzel']

No problem at all, I've used metal repair putty on many occasions and always found it to be very useful, especially for things like this.  Make sure you take time to prepare the area properly though or it won't take properly.  Before you do it though it may be worth noting that if it doesn't work you might damage any chance of welding it after the putty has set.

As for the oil volume it doesn't actually make any difference how much is in the sump as there can only be x amount of oil circulating the engine at any one time. 

The only thing to bear in mind is that you'll need to adjust your oil change intervals accordingly.  If you would change 5L of oil every 5k miles then if you now only fill 4L of oil then change every 4K miles. 

Simples.

I've done the same with car metal filler. I split a sump on a Vauxhall Omega and drove it around for nearly 5 years with this sump repair. To remove the sump on a Omega you need to lift the engine out, so not an easy job.