Welding near stator - heat issue?

[Chaz]

Charlie is that anything like smoke testin yer wiring harness

Tex , It's kinda the same … just a lil mo amperage ..

HQ , If you are gonna weld it from one side shape the hole like a funnel . If you can get at it from both sides , then make it look like an hourglass . Go to the (middle or bottom) close the hole and work your way up and out of the hole going around the circle. Lot less chance of finding an air picket when you shoot the hole ..

Dead center drilling.. listen to what Uncle Bud said.. I'm just the stupid welder..

Transfer punch the hole thru the starter cap , make a "drill bushing" that fit's is the cap so you can drill it small , maybe one more step if there is a lot of wall material left . Final drill the hole to recommend size for tap . Keep the tap wet and send it thru .. I like to blow the chips out best I can before extracting the tap. My luck, I'll run over some chips on the way out .. and *&%$#^*& ^$#$8 the threads ..

[hq_]

Thanks again. It's a blind-end hole so funnel it is. Or whatever the mechanic buddy of mine chooses to do with TIG.

Techno-Weld resembles brazing and there's a nice oversize "cup" to fill so that might be easier and eliminate the risk of air pockets. I'll probably grab a couple of TW rods with me when I bring the motor and see what he thinks.

I should've been more careful inspecting the motor, it was absolutely filthy inside the cowling and more often than not that's a clear warning sign that something may be amiss. I'll probably install an auxiliary pull starter providing that I find a color-matched tall cowling, I only have Evinrude ones in various hues of blue right now. One of its three mounting screws goes to the electric starter bracket and reinforces the whole package even more.

[hq_]

FINALLY. The buddy of mine has been AWOL for several days so I went ahead with TechnoWeld. Not a chance. The rag on stator (flywheel is royally stuck, wouldn't budge with even a big puller) started boiling when the temperature of the boss was around 500°F and I didn't dare to heat it more.

So I experimented with a ghetto solution. I connected jumper cables to a truck battery, hooked one to a piece of scrap aluminum and another one to a TW rod. It arced and created a tough seam. To proof the concept, I welded two pieces of scrap aluminum together using this method and they held. I couldn't pull or even wiggle them apart with large tongs.

So here's the end result. I haven't sanded it all the way down yet but it seems more than solid enough to hold the starter.

Desperate times call for desperate measures...

[Chaz]

I would think that "desperate times" would be out on the water in the middle of nowhere with the starter laying in the pan ..

Not in the shop planning the "best fix" to keep you out of the above situation ..

[hq_]

Don't worry, I wouldn't have left it as it is if I wasn't pretty sure it holds. It was considerably harder to grind than the aluminum in the block and not brittle at all so if something gives, it'll probably be the block itself.

Then again, it'll be used by my youngest (teenage) daughters who drive it 3 miles to get ice cream and go fishing on fair weather so if something goes wrong, it's hardly a disaster.

[Chaz]

How did it feel when you drilled and tapped the hole ?

Little chips that sound brittle , long maluable curls , gummy .. ? Never used the stuff, just curious ..

The power feed drills holes a lot better then me ..

.015 - .020 … err .3 -.5mm curl is what I aim for when drilling aluminum ..

Dad .. come get us .. Just kidding , I'm sure it's fine ..

[hq_]

No long curls, just chips with a fairly steady resistance. What surprised me was that a bargain basement "TiN" drill bit had hard time biting. Switched to cobalt for maximum overkill, drilled just fine. Threads cut nicely, though. I wouldn't compare it to a proper TIG weld but it certainly seems to be close enough for the purpose.

As far as reliability and emergency propulsion are concerned, I'll probably have to get the girls a better paddle. And make it look like their brother is at fault when something breaks down.

[Chaz]

I think they make those TIN bits from the slag when they make alum brazing rods ...

I bought a set of tungsten carbide at an estate sale. best bits I have ever owned ..

It's bad enough for brother to live in the "hen house" .. but to get blamed for stuff he didn't do as well …

[hq_]

The worst part is that their brother is an engineer so it's automatically his fault when anything that he has ever touched breaks down. Hence I've made sure he has given a hand in fixing the motor. The best part is that he lives in another town now and knows instinctively when not to answer the phone when either of his youngest sisters call.

It's going back together later this week anyway. I hope it works, a small tree fell on the aluminum boat it's going on and there's some semi-serious dent pulling to do before I get to install it.