Spool Gun on Cast Aluminum?

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While I was telling myself I was saving money by removing and replacing  my tractor's steering cylinder, I managed to make a tiny hole in the  engine's front cover. It's in a location where you pretty much have to  split the tractor to remove and replace it, and getting a TIG torch and  filler in there is not possible. I might be able to get a spool gun in  there if I had one.The cover is cast aluminum, and I can only clean the outer part and the  broken edges of the hole. Is there any hope a spool gun will close a  hole in this material about 1/2" long by 1/8" wide? I have never used  one.
Reply:Cast aluminum can be a real challenge, and sometimes impossible to weld, so that would be my first concern.  Second, I'd be worried about contamination from the back side.  What you don't want to do is try something and immediately make the hole twice as big as it is now.  For that small of a hole I would probably try one of the epoxy patch kits meant for fuel tanks.  If you can get the outside really clean I think it would work just fine.Check out my bench vise website:  http://mivise.comMiller Syncrowave 250DXMillermatic 350P with XR AlumaProMiller Regency 200 with 22A feeder and Spoolmatic 3Hobart Champion EliteEverlast PowerTig 210EXT
Reply:Thanks for the suggestion.I took a look at the JB Weld patch kit. I don't think I can get in there with my hand to apply fiberglass cloth and all that, but I could manage to get a glob of JB Weld Steelstik on it.
Reply:My experience with cast is using TIG. The first issue is the amount of zinc in the cast which you won't know until you strike an arc on it. If the casting all but evaporates it has a high zinc content and welding is going to be......fun? If pockets open up but not too bad you can add filler, burr out the crap and add more filler.The other advantage to TIG is that you can usually "cook" the contaminants out......oil etc.
Reply:Yeah, you would have to split the tractor to get both a rod and a torch on it, so TIG is not practical. Thanks, though.
Reply:Show a picture of the available space please.

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Reply:i tig'd cracks on  a primary cover for a friends harley, the oil contamination was a fight/mess , but it worked/held - at least till we lost track of oneanother.      i d try the epoxy like mentioned first, but keep an eye on it if oil can be loss
Reply:Can you show us a picture of the area?I can't imagine being able to fit a spool gun somewhere a tig torch couldn't fit, but that's me,It's gotta be super clean either waySent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

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Reply:

Originally Posted by Guy Caballero

Thanks for the suggestion.I took a look at the JB Weld patch kit. I don't think I can get in there with my hand to apply fiberglass cloth and all that, but I could manage to get a glob of JB Weld Steelstik on it.
Reply:JB Weld is just wish full thinking.  It sounds like you have not welded. I would look for someone on site that close that can help with welding Dave

Originally Posted by Guy Caballero

Thanks for the suggestion.I took a look at the JB Weld patch kit. I don't think I can get in there with my hand to apply fiberglass cloth and all that, but I could manage to get a glob of JB Weld Steelstik on it.
Reply:Add another vote for epoxy. Not sure what you mean by "engine's front cover," but if it's just cosmetic, epoxy should work fine. I've even seen epoxy used on engines where there was heat and pressure (water jacket on V8) and it worked fine.  As others said, a pic would help a LOT.
Reply:Get a new cover. I'm guessing you are referring to a timing cover. You may be wrong about having to split the tractor, but if you aren't, so what. Probably half a day to take apart, a whole day to reassemble. Tractor isn't very useful as is. Welding oily cast is not a sure thing. It has to be very clean & I think the metallurgy is unknown. IF you get a good weld, there will be distortion so it needs a surface grinder to perfect the mating surface. Take it apart, clean it, weld it. Put it back together & it cracks again, then you start over. Get the new part first time, half the work.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Thanks for the replies. Most of them, anyway. There have been new developments.First of all, changing this thing is no joke. Unless you want to suffer a great deal, you have to remove the loader, which is nearly impossible on this model, and move it away from the tractor. It has 4 pins, not two pins like the newer ones, and you have to have the hydraulics going to get it off. It's an incredibly stupid design. This particular loader has a gigantic frame structure newer loaders don't have, and it attaches to the engine itself, with screws going through the frame. It also attaches to the transmission and the front bumper and grill guard.If I removed about 30 big screws, not including the ones I already took out, and somehow managed to move the frame forward without taking the tractor out of the disconnected loader, I would be able to get to the gear cover screws and remove it. Then I would have to manage to put the frame back on the tractor in my driveway. I could probably do a job like that with the help of the tractor, which, of course, is not available.Second thing, I managed to get a better look at the gear cover, and it's worse than I thought, so epoxy will not work even temporarily. The cover has to be changed now.I can top off the oil and run the tractor long enough to use the engine to provide some help, but it's not worth the struggle and oil mess. I'm sending it to the dealer. They say they'll stick the new pan on without doing any more work than necessary, so I can do the other stuff myself.
Reply:Ok, then /thread closed?

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Reply:Suits me.