So, I put freeze plugs in my coolant passages today, and in the mean time, noticed this:


and now I'm worried.
The logical side of me that likes to do things right says scrap the housing, while the cheap-*** side of me says that since there's no load there, and its just a coolant passage, I can quicksteel it and if I do a decent job and make it really close to factory, I'll be set.

What should I do?

 

if the rest of the housing is good, you can jb weld/quick steel/whatever, that.

 

I personally wouldn't trust it but Judge Ito has an interesting repair for that. He uses part of a side seal to bridge the gap and hold the outer coolant seal in place. Give it a try.

 

Trochoid, any idea how he anchors the side seal in there? or does he just wedge it between the coolant seal and the edge of the groove?

And j9fd3s, the rest of the housing is in good shape, it's just that one spot.

 

A little Hylomar will hold it in place. You might try filling in the missing aluminum with JB Weld or Lab Metal to help hold it and give it backing strength.

 

Why can't that portion be welded back and dremeled / ported back to the orginal shape...??

 

i would ONLY do it to a housing you couldn't buy new, like that one

 

Can you fit a 2mm apex spring in there? Might be a good way to hold it in similar to a side seal, but you may not have to grind it down as much.

 

IIRC, Ito used a side seal because it's the right height and thicker than an apex seal spring. No grinding needed. I would blunt the ends of the side seal to avoid nicking the coolant seal.

 

Ah, it was ArmyOfOne, one of Judge Ito's associates from back in the day who suggested an apex spring.

 

If you do the JB Weld fix please post the results. I have the same problem on my 12a. Thanks.