Hi Yall-
I snapped the front part of my aluminum fuel rail when I was trying to get the banjo bolt off to check fuel pressure. ( My Geo Tracker ) I'm really not up for spending $250 + for a new fuel rail.. The truck is more for around the property and not used on public roads.
So, my question is any ideas on Gel glueing or J/B welding this break back together? Its a real clean break. Is J/B weld my only option or maybe you guys know of some other superior aluminum glue that will work exceptionally well?
If I do decide to JB weld, how should I prep the part?
marlinh wrote:My own personal opinion would be to find a used fuel rail.
ditto. even if the tracker is just used on your land, it could be a serious situation for you if a fuel leak were to turn into a fire, or worse yet, an explosion. i watched my friend's bus burn after he dealt poorly with a fuel leak so i'm pretty wary.
I'd remove the rail and take it to that guy in town' who welds aluminum and have him do the 10-minute job. It will take far less time than JB and probably not cost much more if he is reasonable.
If you are going to fly in the face of danger and JB it anyway (and install a remote CO2 engine-bay extinguisher), I would say that your strength will come from the sides of the repair and not from in the joint. I would be roughing up the outside of both halves as far back as practicable and making a nice thick mound. JB is runny, so I would be building a masking-tape dam around the repair so it doesn't run off. Of course, cleaning the parts is very important for the bonding (Brake-cleaner to remove grease/oil, oh and please sign this waiver of liability...)
If you have one inch of unobstructed tube on either side of the break, then use a rubber fuel line whose ID matches your rails OD and a couple of hose clamps. Use Permatex "The Right Stuff" as a sealant if you use any sealant at all. Do not use a Silicone sealant on gasoline.
If you opt to weld it, it will need to be TIG welded, a MIG welder will just melt the tubing. Even TIG welding will require a very skilled welder for anything that thin.
If you don't have the 1" clear tube on each side, you might try a copper plumbing union from a hardware store and solder it in place. If you don't want to solder and the union is a good fit, then you could use either The Right Stuff or the JB Weld to hold it on place.
When you have an unusual repair to do, often the hardware store is better than an autoparts store to find stuff. I would not use JB Weld by itself, it doesn't provide structural support.
Thanks for the reply's. I have considered the safety aspect whereas this could get ugly fast if not done right...
Its the end of the rail, all the fasteners are further up. Its an end snap with diaphragm / hose included. I was going to clean up both sides and use 3M 5200 elasometric heat resistant poly-rubber compound on the innards of the crack to bond the 2 parts, then go around the whole thing with J/B Weld and let it sit for a week. However, Keith - I hadn't even thought of your idea with the fuel line hose / clamps.. Excellent idea!! I also like the idea about using a copper plumbers fitting. I can solder well enough. But, will copper solder to aluminum with 95/5 and plumbers flux? Or, did you mean using silver solder and brazing it together Thanks
the only thing strong enough, short of welding, is epoxy but it will not last. The problem is with any adhesive will be that it will expand/contract at different rates than aluminum, so the joint will eventually fail. DO NOT DO IT!
Consider that EFI has as much as 50-55 psi in the fuel rail, having it leak, or worse, the end comes off, would be really bad news. These are the only two repairs I would consider, and only if you can not find a good used replacement at a wrecking yard: 1) a good quality weld by a skilled and experienced aluminum welder (you will want to bake the repaired part in an oven for 4 hours at 400 deg to normalize the metal after the repair), and than you will have to seal the inside of the weld with epoxy in case of any porosity. 2) If possible, cut the end off square and thread a new pipe thread into the end and install a new plug. It will make it a bit shorter but if you have the extra length this would be the best repair possible.
That vehicle has the 1.8 or 2.0 Suzuki 16 valve all aluminum engine if I recall, they are common to a lot of Suzuki and Geo vehicles, you should be able to find a fuel rail for it in a wrecking yard. I may even have one, I have a lot of spare parts from my daughter's 2001 Suzuki Esteem that uses the 1.8 L version of that engine. Post a picture of your fuel rail and I can compare it with what I have (it may be identical), I will be happy to sell it to you if you can use the one I have.
It can be silver soldered, copper to aluminum. There is another type of solder for this purpose, we used it at the transformer manufacturer that I worked for before retiring but I don't remember what it was, but it wasn't much different than standard plumbers solder, if any different at all. They did use an oxy-acetylene torch, (with a really tiny tip) but that was just for speed. You can braise it with a propane torch or a MAP torch.
( My Geo Tracker ) I'm really not up for spending $250 + for a new fuel rail.. The truck is more for around the property and not used on public roads.
So, my question is any ideas on Gel glueing or J/B welding this break back together? Its a real clean break. Is J/B weld my only option or maybe you guys know of some other superior aluminum glue that will work exceptionally well?
