An.Idahoan

Oh damnit. I've got a crack.



As you can see from the photo, there is a hairline crack above the drain plug causing a leak of about 1 drop an hour. I'm not sure if it was there before I bought the truck last year or not. Not the end of the world and still functional for the time being, but I'd like to make my oil stay where I put it.

I'd appreciate any suggestions for handyman fixes. Of course pulling it apart and having it welded would work. But I'm more interested in your opinions on the JB weld, brazing, quick sort of fix. Things I can do in an afternoon with it still on the vehicle.

Thoughts? Anything you've tried that didn't work?

P.S. I'm not interested in advice on how to prevent this. 25ft/lbs with a new crush washer prevents this.

rpij137g

I would jb weld it or use epoxy.

zlathim

It looks like a brand new drain plug. Was it overtorqued?

If it was my vehicle, I would drain the case, clean the area to be repaired thoroughly, and then apply some jb-weld. I've used that stuff to fix a cracked motorcycle case, and it never leaked a drop again.

Clean it good first, otherwise you are wasting your time. Good luck with whatever repair method you decide to try.

85gijunk4x4

looks like it was overtorqued...whats the housing made out of, alluminum? if so it would have to be tig welded i beleive, and if thats the case it will be pretty costy, not to mention the whole removal, and dissasymbley, is a pita plus the cost of new gaskets and oil.

id say drain it out and like others said, clean it out very good. preperation is EVERYTHING, if its not cleaned good it wont last long at all. I guess clean it off with degreaser and brake cleaner, remove the plug and apply the j.b weld to the outside and smooth it into the crack with your finger. make sure you follow all the directions on the jb weld (i.e curing time, tempature and humidity warnings etc.) and wish for the best of luck.

bicklebok

Im with the others. I would sure give JB weld a try first.

badattitude

I used JB weld to stop a gear oil leak on an outboard motor's lower unit. It's been holding for 10 years. drian and degrease first.

An.Idahoan

@rpij137g, it was leaking after I changed the oil for the first time since buying the truck. So I bought a new crush washer and a new plug. After I drained, refilled, and torqued the plug, a drop formed again. Then I looked and saw the crack. When I removed the plug the first time, I had to REEF on it. The crack probably happened then.

JB Welding was my first choice. TIG Welding was my last. My plan is:
1. Drain
2. Clean w/ paper towels in the hole to catch fluids using Carb Cleaner, then isopropyl alcohol, then compressed air.
3. Install plug - in order to spread the crack open - to be removed before JB cures.
4. Apply JB Quick Weld.
5. Use heat gun and needle to drive it into the crack.
6. Wait until JB hardens to touch
7. Remove plug.
8. Touch up the crack at the edge of the plug seat.
9. Wait until cure.
10. Install plug and refill.

iselloil

JB wwld it. Clean up the metal first.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Do you plan to drill out the upper end to keep it from expanding in the upward direction .

Are you planning to vee out the crack to make sure you are down to clean metal.

Good Luck Trying to braze Aluminum sucks to put it mild.

Getting it clean is the hard part as you no doubt know.

aowRS

Sounds like a good plan. Remember that the transfer case is not under pressure, so you'd probably be just as successful draining/cleaning thoroughly/JB Welding over the crack.


Andreas

An.Idahoan

@Wyoming9, I thought of drilling the end of the crack, but it stops at an angle. There's no telling where the crack is at on the other side. And since I'm not taking the cover off, I don't want metal shavings in my transfer case anyway. I did sand the outside, but I did not groove the crack. I would have, had I read your post before I put the JB on. It's curing right now.

rpij137g

Nice !! Let us know how it turns out.

zlathim

Good plan. I expect you will be completely successful. If not, I'll act like I never heard of you or this thread

An.Idahoan

Mildly successful. I had a hard time getting the oil to stay out of the crack and a hard time getting the JB to push into the crack. My advice for anyone that stumbles on this thread with the same problem, do like Wyoming9 said and groove out the crack on the surface. Also, I used the quick set JB because I have to work in the morning and can't wait for it to cure. Use the 24 hour stuff.

There is currently zero oil on the plug since it blew it clean with the compressor an hour ago. I don't know what it'll look like after the first set of washboards I hit though.

Something I noticed about the plugs...they're too loose in the threads. Both the one that was in there and the new one from the stealership. The plug just wobbles around in there.

Alright, it's dollar taco night at the bar....better make like a condom and roll on ahead.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

I wonder now if someone put the wrong one in steel plug aluminum housing the steel would kinda cut new threads.

Then it might not have sealed like it should bring out the 4' pipe.

Just a thought .

I have a great relationship with my Toyota parts people it sure is nice to just pick up the phone and say can you get this.

zlathim

You might try wrapping some teflon tape around the drain plug threads next time you change the transfer case oil. It will help take up some of the slop between the plug threads and the drain hole.

85gijunk4x4

i'd give teflon tape a shot. Sounds like someone either put the wrong size bolt in (probably a little bit bigger) or just torqued the bolt down too tight that the hole went from this () to this ( ). the only "right" way to fix it, and pretty complicated would be to drill it out, re-tap it, and then throw some jb weld on there, but see how the jb weld holds up first LOL