Hi Folks,
Have a 2000 Lakota 300. The oil drain boss that the oil drain plug screws into is cracked and leaking. This boss is part of the crackcase. Big money. Anyone know if this is repairable without replacing the crankcase assy? If repairable by some sort of welding do the cases need to be split? Any info would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

To weld it, it must be free of contaminates, or the weld wont do any good. This means disassemble, and careful cleaning. Jb weld might work too, but needs a clean surface to grip.You might have to drain the sump, and then clean with solvent, where you want the JB to stick.
There is an alternative, its an epoxy that cures in the presence of oil. La-co epoxy tabs type O

 

like hondabuster said, jb weld works real good but you need to file and clean the surface

 

It can be welded without dissasembly, but care MUST be taken to not get it too hot, and as stated before, it must be free of contaminates. I have been welding this type of thing for 22 years with 100% success rate

 

Much thanks to all those who repsonded. I'll look into JB weld and also try and find someone in SE NH that has experience in this type of repair.
Has anyone used Alumalloy? You can check it out at http://www.aluminumrepair.com/.
Thanks
ChipHead

 

i forgot all about alumiloy, i have some my self but i never have got to use any of it yet because i dont have a torch. it seemed like it held up excellent when i saw the demo. if you do that, it should be almost as strong as a weld. i would try the alumiloy

 

Whatever you use, make sure all of the oil and gas is out of the quad, then turn it upside down. Spray the area liberally with carb cleaner and blow it with an air hose. Repeat these steps until it's clean

 

I've talked to a couple of fabricators in my area and they all state that the cases will have to be split to do the repair. The center seam on the crankcases is about 1.5 inches for the cracked oil drain boss. Heat from the process will destroy the case seal. Alumiloy needs to get to about 760 degress to work and I don't think the sealent on the center crankcase seal will withstand that. What's your opinion?
JB weld seems like the only viable option without splitting the cases. Customfabandweld, you recommend using carb clean instead of Brakekleen. Any particualr reason? I always thought that Brakekleen left less of a residue than carb clean.
Because the crack runs vertically on the boss that the drain plug screws into and will be subject to stress when unscrewing and tightening the drain plug, I'm thinking of sealing the crack externally then coating the threads of the drain bolt near the head with JB weld and screwing permanently into place. This will give me a seal from the outside and inside. Of course if it works, from that point forward to change the oil I will have to tip the machine or use some sort of a pump. What do you think? Am I out of my mind?
Thank you.

 

Auto parts stores have a drain plug in a drain plug. Its normal size on the outside thread, but its kind of a sleave that tightens on, then theres a threaded hole in the middle of it, which is the new drain hole. You can go ahead and tighten the outside thread more or less permanetly, and still be able to drain oil.
Jb weld isnt such a good thread sealant, i think id use teflon tape, for pipe fittings which will lubricate and seal the threads, and then just goop up around the head of the bolt with jb weld. It shouldnt leak after that.

 

call greg@cwr and ask him if the seal will brake and what your options are to fix it because even thou JB weld holds up good and it is strong, i wouldnt use that unless i had no other option. gregs web site is www.cycleworksracing.net