More log splitter blues

[shmodaddy]

While pulling the splitter out of the shed I got too close the door and knocked the carberator off. It broke part of the engine block off including part of the intake port. It was a 5hp Briggs with a diaphram carb..

Soooo ..... on a scale of 1 to 10 how screwed am I? I vote 10 and will probably start looking for a donor engine

 

[shmodaddy]

Sorry about the greasy hands.. lol.. any suggestions on a possible fix appreciated!

 

[wenger7446]

I would try JB Weld and a grinder to reseat the flange. It's worth a try.

 

[blades]

Habor freight 6.5hp eng. on sale $100. Don't know if Jb will hold due to vibration and that being an un-supported area. Could try a welding shop in your area. there are a couple of low heat brazing products for alum and alum mix that might work they use a propane torch for the heat range. Problem here is alum and alum mix is fairly porous which makes a clean surface requirement almost impossible due to gas /oil contamination. ( bleeds back out when heat applied) A good tig guy can likely stitch that back up . Difficult area as it looks to be real cramped quarters to get at the back side. look real carefully at the bore area behind the broken piece if it looks like there is a fine line ( crack) it's toast. sorry to be rather negative get this stuff in the shop every so often 40/60 shot at repair.
Thinking - (hard to do on one cup of coffee) in regards to JB. if there is enough material thickness in the block that it could be drilled an tapped or a self tapping #6 scew , a pair of them that might work as it would take the stress off the jb joint.

 

[altmartion]

Habor freight 6.5hp eng. on sale $100. Don't know if Jb will hold due to vibration and that being an un-supported area. Could try a welding shop in your area. there are a couple of low heat brazing products for alum and alum mix that might work they use a propane torch for the heat range. Problem here is alum and alum mix is fairly porous which makes a clean surface requirement almost impossible due to gas /oil contamination. ( bleeds back out when heat applied) A good tig guy can likely stitch that back up . Difficult area as it looks to be real cramped quarters to get at the back side. look real carefully at the bore area behind the broken piece if it looks like there is a fine line ( crack) it's toast. sorry to be rather negative get this stuff in the shop every so often 40/60 shot at repair.
Thinking - (hard to do on one cup of coffee) in regards to JB. if there is enough material thickness in the block that it could be drilled an tapped or a self tapping #6 scew , a pair of them that might work as it would take the stress off the jb joint.

for a hundred bucks i would even try to cobb it up. buy this hf motor and then epoxy the old one and maybe you will have a spare.

 

[Fifelaker]

Any good welding shop should be able to tig that up. Also check a community college they may have a welding program sometimes they will take on small projects like this. I highly doubt that the low temp aluminum brazing rod will work on that. Be aware tig is not cheap. By the time you clean, groove, clean, brush, clean, heat, clean, weld then machine flat there is going to be some time involved.

 

[Jags]

Cut your time and losses and get another motor. As much as I like fixing things, that break will probably always be a source of further irritation. Fer a hunert green stamps for a new one, it will be hard to beat.

 

[shmodaddy]

Thanks guys I figured it was toast.

 

[BrotherBart]

I replaced my old five horse Briggs on my 1988 splitter with the Harbor Freight engine in 2005 and wish I had done it years before.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

JB Weld would hold that thing together for the life of the motor. Cheap fix but if you need or want a new motor, it would be hard to beat that HF price.

BB, we're still using the old 5 hp Briggs and it is doing well so long as we keep oil in it. Still think we'll have to change it out soon though.

 

[shmodaddy]

Thanks again guys! I really liked that briggs engine. It started on the first pull and idled really well. We have Honda engines on pumps at work that start easily and idle well also, but those are out of buget. I have tecumseh 6 horse that I took off of a chipper/shredder that starts easily but idles like crap. Contstantly hunting for idle and I don't like that so to the back of the shed it will go for now. I need to check out the Harbor Freight engines too.

 

[greythorn3]

you could tap the port itself if its close to 3/4 inch pipe then weld a flat flange to a pipe fitting and thread it in and attach the carb to that.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

I'm just a dumb new guy. But I'm a structural ironworker as well. GMAW (spray, short arc, pulse) FCAW, SMAW, GTAW, SAW. If you find the right guy at the right rate it'd be fixed in no time. You throw a gas lense on GTAW torch, bevel one side and make the other square-butt groove with a radius. After it's welded run a tiger paw on it and use gasket sealant/maker.

I looked at the images but don't remember if there's a bolt hole. If so, have the welder slug and plug the hole. Then lay your new hole out and dill it and tap it.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

Ergo; it's not toast.

 

[shmodaddy]

WHOA Now there's a ton of abbreviations! The only thing I understood other than gasket maker and tap. Which the latter is being used in a totally different context than I usually use LOL!. . That process sounds awesome and expensive! Metal working/machining has always been an Interest of mine but dont have anyone that I kno to "apperentice" from. Wish u were close!

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

If you find the right guy it's a simple fix. Aluminum isn't hard to weld at all. What makes it "hard" to weld is it's chilling effect. Aluminum casts heat off at an insane rate, but once ts hot it falls apart quick and it just needs to be brushed clean with a stainless brush that's not been contaminated with carbon steel deposits.

Really, it's not a tough fix.

 

[shmodaddy]

Sounds like I found the guy!

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

Wait...you're in southern Illinois. Depending on where I night know a guy or two.

 

[shmodaddy]

Chester...our claim to fame is the Home of Popeye....62233 zip code

 

[shmodaddy]

Hey we really arent that far away from each other

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

I'm in Bond County about an hour east of St Louis. Youre down by Cape right? That's a bit further south than my compass reads. But I'd bet there's someone in Cape that would do it.

 

[shmodaddy]

Im directly between the two. 1 hr to Stl. and and hr to Cape.

 

[Kool_hand_Looke]

I'll poke around. The welding community is quite small. I've only been doing sructural for about 3-4 years and I've bumped into this guys 2nd cousins twice removed who's 1st cousin married his sister whos brother, from another marriage, worked with so and so. actually, I guy i worked with was nicknamed Popeye and for his retriment our supervisor went down to Chester to get authentic Popeye stuff.