Need advice on broken part...

[luckynumber0]

Hi all,

So the previous owner obviously overtightened the heck out of this bolt (which applies pressure via spring to the neutral detent assembly, as I understand it) and busted the engine casing. You can see in the photos how big a chunk's been taken out...My question is what to do and how best to do it? The bolt actually screws in just a couple threads on the case, as you can see in some of the photos, though I obviously haven't tried to run it with the bolt in.

So far I've considered using HTS2000 on it but I only have a propane torch which doesn't seem to get hot enough...and I don't have any experience with anything hotter. If I could tack it up with HTS it'd be perfect because it only adheres to aluminum so by just tacking it on with the steel bolt in i'd just have to unscrew the bolt to tap the new weld for thread. Has anyone used HTS2000 before? What are my other options? Could i just tighten it up and JB weld it? I'd be happy with something impermanent so long as it kept the bolt from flying out on the highway. Any advice would help!

Thanks in advance!

 

[xjwmx]

Screw it in till it seats on what's left, and weld it. Fill in the gaps with jb weld for looks. When it comes time to rebuild the engine get a replacement case.

 

[gggGary]

If you can snug it even a little I would make sure it's clean (brake cleaner, scrub, repeat) and jb weld it in place, cut some pop can shape into a cylinder and hose clamp it till the JB weld sets?

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Seen your pics before, luckynumber0, and been thinkin' on it since.

The approach I would take requires some finesse, steady hand with a dremel. Wish I could describe with pics, but it would be kinda like a half-timesert. Keeping the bottom threads intact, carefully auger-out the inside of the remaining upper section. Get a bolt of same thread, at least 1 1/2" worth of thread. Make up a thin-wall threaded barrel the length of the broken upper half, knurl the outside.

This threaded barrel (like a short timesert) will be jb-welded into place atop the remaining threads, inside the augered-out (clearanced) upper remainder.

The procedure would be: Sterilize the work area. Thread the barrel onto the substitute bolt, almost all the way up. Apply thin coat of release agent to the bolt threads, and the remaining case threads. Thread the bolt down into remaining good threads in the case. Apply jb-weld to inside of augered-out hole, and to outside of the threaded barrel. Then, unscrew the threaded barrel down into the augered-out recess.

The bolt threads guarantee that the threaded barrel and the case threads remain in phase and aligned.

Make a confinement shell that fits over the case protrusion, shaped on the inside to match the missing protrusion, like a female mold. Fill this cavity with more jb-weld.

Don't use jb-kwik, too brittle. Let it cure 24-48 hrs in warmth. Carefully remove bolt. Trim/cleanup to suit.

Hope this makes sense, just kind of an outline, trying to translate the pictures/voices in my head, without too much arm-waving...

 

[jetmechmarty]

Do the JB Weld fix, but first put a thin coat of Vaseline on the bolt. Now, you'll be able to back it out when you need to.

 

[luckynumber0]

These are all excellent replies.

The other day my friend called me up to ask which kind of bike to get for his first build. I told him that an XS would pay for itself a thousand times over because it comes standard with plenty of wise fellas on xs650.com that can always help you figure out any hiccup.

Thanks a ton! Off to try this stuff out...