Repairing Castiron Sediment Bulbs

[Steve Plucker]

So you find that your Castiron Sediment Bulb has a small crack in it.

Did you repair it with success and just how did you do it or not?

Did you use:

Silver solder, Brass, JB Weld, Chuck it or other?

Thanks.

Pluck

[Brentwood Bob]

Steve, I would look for a good replacement.

[Purdy Swoft]

I first drill a small hole at the end of the crack to keep it from running any farther . I slightly V out the crack . I grind the metal around the crack for a better bond , I heat the area to be repaired, cherry red and use a brass rod to fill -repair the crack . I quickly put the sediment bowl in a box of sand and cover it up with sand to keep it from cooling too fast . This has worked well for me .

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Steve, where is the crack? Is it in the outlet threads or elsewhere??

[Werner]

Hello Steve,


I made it like Bob. But I took a welding wire as a mix brass with silver with a lower melting point. Goes easy.

[Steve Plucker]

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Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Steve, where is the crack? Is it in the outlet threads or elsewhere??

Brent,

It is at the very bottom where the drain is...about 1/2 inch long.

I have another I can use...though.

Pluck

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Since you have another one to use, that is fine however I can tell you from experience that good units that have good threads are getting hard to find.


As mentioned above, pin the end of the crack, grind a minor Vee in the crack, preheat, then use an Aluminum Bronze rod and TIG the crack. Cover with a heat blanket and allow to cool and you should be OK. Something else to consider is that we have found rusty sediment bulbs to be a source of problems in a carburetor. We now use gas tank sealer and coat the insides of the bulb during restoration.

[Steve Plucker]

Thanks Brent...

Yes, I am even finding that soaking the bulbs in Evaporust does not really do an inside job justice!

Pluck

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Steve Plucker

Thanks Brent...

Yes, I am even finding that soaking the bulbs in Evaporust does not really do an inside job justice!

Pluck

Yes, my experiences are that Evaporust does not do well with crusty rust. We use stainless shot in a Rotoblaster to knock it all loose, but the problem is that once it is in bare metal, you then have the potential for rust to form again.


If you need a specific product for the cast welding on something other than an exhaust manifold, look for a brand called Muggy Weld that can be TIG welded.

[Benson]

We don't have much problem here in the Great Desert with water in the gasoline but I still remember the humidity problems from when I lived in Michigan, Rhode Island, NJ, Houston and Dallas.

And the Capitol of Humidity ... anywhere in Vietnam where "The Vietnamese National Bird" is a "B-52 Mosquito" that weighs more than 16 Oz and has a payload that exceeds a Huey UH1-B.

I check the sediment bowls, gas tank, Carburetor bowls regularly for water just out of habit.

[Steve Plucker]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Yes, my experiences are that Evaporust does not do well with crusty rust. We use stainless shot in a Rotoblaster to knock it all loose, but the problem is that once it is in bare metal, you then have the potential for rust to form again.


If you need a specific product for the cast welding on something other than an exhaust manifold, look for a brand called Muggy Weld that can be TIG welded.

Good thought...And that is where a can of Deisel Oil comes in handy.

Pluck

[Mad Mac]

The problem with my cast iron sediment bowl is that the thread is very short - its only holding on by a couple of turns. Is it a design fault to have so few threads? It is otherwise in good condition.