Need advice on welding a cast axle housing.

[Rebeldad1]

I broke my front axle housing on the LF. Can this be sucessfully welded back together? Any great advice on doing this? I have welded stick for years and was state certified but have never welded cast iron.
Would also be interested in taking this to a expert in the Washington state area. Anyone know of someone.
ALL help appreciated!

 

[dieselcrawler]

Having basically no cast experience, all I can pass on is what I've been told, and hope that experts like ShieldArc will set us straight.

Use cast rod, and pre-heat the cast piece. I've been told that if it's not pre-heated, it will just break again, at the edge of where the welding process heated the parts you are welding together.

Not to discourage your desire to want to weld the broken parts, but it may be worth checking with a tractor salvage yard, or new part even. Friend of mine broke the trans case on his L2850, there was talk of repairs, but a new case was $1300, and we found a used case for $800. Now there's no worries of 'if the repair holds'.

Good luck either way...

 

[Shield Arc]

Welding cast iron can be a crap shoot, there are so many variables.
Here are some sites I've saved, some good reading anyway.
Cast Iron Welding - Turlock, CA - LOCK-N-STITCH Inc.
4437 Prospect Rd ,Whiteford ,Md 21160
Cast Iron Flux and Filler Metals for Gas or TIG welding
Stick Electrodes - Welding Cast Iron

 

[Rob111]

Don't have it welded. Have it brazed. Make yourself a "jig" to ensure it dosn't move due to the heat if necessary, and have someone with brazing exp. do the job for you. Control the heat and don't move it until it cools. Welding cast is not an easy task and very often results in cracking beside the weld at best.
Rob

 

[Trials]

I welded a bell housing with stainless rod using an AC stick welder several years ago and it's still holding strong. Although I also added some steel plate and threaded rod structure to better support the FEL arms that originally caused the fracture. Sounds like your repair has to hold oil as well, so I assume you are going to need to completely remove the part and clean it really well before proceeding.

Best luck with the repairs.

 

[flusher]

I broke my front axle housing on the LF. Can this be sucessfully welded back together? Any great advice on doing this? I have welded stick for years and was state certified but have never welded cast iron.
Would also be interested in taking this to a expert in the Washington state area. Anyone know of someone.
ALL help appreciated!

Is the housing cracked or completely broken into two pieces?
If cracked, you need to drill a 3/16" dia hole at both ends of the crack to prevent the crack from propagating.
If in pieces, continue with the following steps.

Use the spark test to determine if it's cast iron or cast steel.

How to tell cast iron and cast steel apart? - Miller Welding Discussion Forums

If it's cast steel, you can use common stick welding rods like 6011, 7018, 7024.
If it's cast iron, you need a rod with high nickel content.

Grind the edges of the crack to form a V-groove. Use a silicon carbide grinding wheel.
Don't use a metal grinding wheel that will contaminate the work piece.
If in pieces, fit the pieces together with minimum gaps in the contact areas.

I like Super Missile rod which is a high nickel material (similar to stainless steel).
I use a Hobart LX Stickmate AC/DC welder.
Settings for 1/8" rod: DC reverse polarity (DC positive), 100-130 amps
I've used this rod successfully to weld a cast iron flange that was completely broken off the engine block of my 1948 Farmall Cub.

Start at one end of the crack and weld a 1" bead. Let the work piece cool down to near room temperature. I use an inexpensive IR thermometer for Harbor Freight to measure temperature during cool down. I never exceed 350-400F and I let the piece cool down to 100F or so.

During cool down you need to peen the weld to relieve the thermally-induced stresses. I use an air chisel with a rounded end.

The second weld should be started at the other end of the crack.

The skip weld from one end to the other.

Take your time.

Good luck

 

[Stimw]

As stated, see if it is cast iron or cast steel First.
If cast iron I like brazing better. I brazed a completely broken kick peddle housing on a 1950 Harley when I was 16 years old (no experience!) and it held for 8 years until I sold it!
How ever it is repaired have a bag of Kitty Litter ready to cover it for cooling. Makes a perfect (cheap) insulator for slow cooling. Make a cardboard form to hold it if necessary.

 

[4570Man]

As stated, see if it is cast iron or cast steel First. If cast iron I like brazing better. I brazed a completely broken kick peddle housing on a 1950 Harley when I was 16 years old (no experience!) and it held for 8 years until I sold it! How ever it is repaired have a bag of Kitty Litter ready to cover it for cooling. Makes a perfect (cheap) insulator for slow cooling. Make a cardboard form to hold it if necessary.

Ashes work well to.

 

[Rebeldad1]

After looking at all the welds people have done on their cast iron projects i was disappointed how this may come out.
I have welded steel for years professionally but never touched cast iron. I have learned from years of experience..... If you want it done right take it to someone who knows.
\
I found a cast iron specialist and shipped my broken axle housing off . I got it back in a very short time. It was BEAUTIFUL!! finished and sandblasted ready for paint. If you didnt know it was broken in half you couldnt find any sign of a repair.
I am happy and shortly my little Mitsubishi will be back to work. Thanks for all the advice.

 

[yomax4]

I would have enjoyed fixing that part. Good for you to send it to a pro. Sometimes that's the best.