Repairing Crack in Engine Case

[ThinktwiceZ71]

i got a 85 ATC 200S right after i got it i noticed a small leak of oil on the engine case on the bottom , upon further review i noticed that the engine case cracked right in the front of the motor where the engine support to the frame bolts with the 4 bolts and the 2 metal brackets . It's a hairline type crack about 3 inches long. it only leaks oil when the engine is on. I was told i could have it tig welded. Will tig welding this fix it ?

I tried jb welding it , i tipped the machine on it's back wheels , cleaned it to the point you could eat off it , i ground it down some and put a V in the crack all the way up and down and i even roughed up the surface really well around it. It was fine for a week and today i noticed that the whole spot i put the jb weld on the crack cracked through the jb weld.

Can i grind all the jb weld down , clean it all up and have it fixed the right way with a person tig welding it ? And will it come back again like this time if it's Welded ?

Thanks for the help , Bummed out in Ny :cry:

[SWIGIN]

in had many cases welded and its the best way to do it but you need to tear the motor apart to do this unless the crack is not near a gasket.

if the welder goes slow i have had cases welded with the motor together but not near a gasket.

[daniel_250r]

i was in the same boat, a few months ago i never got it welded but the welder said the engine would have to be taken out and the case treated

[ThinktwiceZ71]

damn , it is close to a gasket too at the ends of the crack , prolly an inch. how hard is it to get the cases apart ? the engine has 145psi compression , doesn't burn any oil either. this sucks , i will see if harry can try welding it in the engine , and if that doesn't work , i will buy another case and then tear into it.

can some1 explain to me how i would go about getting it that far down so that i can get the case out of the machine ? thanks

[Blown 331]

When I bought my 1982 ATC200 it had a cracked case from the chain coming off. My dad welded it with the engine together and it's close to the seal, no probs. You could always chance it, we did and it paid off. This was 13 years ago, still no leaks, I rode it last week.

[ThinktwiceZ71]

/\.....thanks man .....i think that is what i am gonna try , i'll have a guy i work with do it for me , i am an Apprentice in the pipe and steamfitters union out of oswego ny , UA Local 73 , and my buddy harry has been welding for about 35 years , i think he should be able to do it , i'll just tell him to try to control the heat if he can.

[madmel777]

depending on how bad the crack is driling a small hole at each end keeps it from growing any further when the heat is put to it from the tig torch ...in my experience it also needs to be REAL clean an pre-heated depending on the thickness ...it can also be stick (arc) or mig welded depending on the welders preference ... i like tig its a much cleaner looking weld ... good luck with it ...nice to see a fellow pipe and steamfitters union member here im local 777 from ct (20yrs so far)

[ThinktwiceZ71]

thanks alot - i am going to try to get it done tommorow , it's not a bad craks , just weeps a lill oil out of it when it's running only , nothing comes out just sitting there

[ThinktwiceZ71]

well i got it done , it burned the gasket up tho cause it leaks right out at the gasket now , so hence in my other post i am tearing it all apart and putting new gaskets in , and i am going to have the guy weld the inside as well. - thanks guys