98 S70 Leaking Trans... best epoxys? tig?

bau321 · Post by **bau321** » 19 Nov 2014, 20:59

All comments/ advice/personal experiences greatly appreciated. I have a small crack in my transmission case.. my mechanic had never used the stuff before but said if I picked some up JB weld he would throw some on. I do not think he cleaned the area or anything and I think this is why it lasted only a few days before I noticed it dripping again.

What have you all found to work well for sealing leaks as far as products like: permatex grey vs quicksteel vs jb weld (aluminum) etc etc.. ?

I know someone who has recently(maybe a bit too recently) purchased a tig....I will get a feel for what kind of work he has done with it when I talk to him, but would really value some input from all of you here.

I apologize if this has been answered but I searched and couldn't find anything similar, only other forums which were not specific to Volvo aluminum trans cases.

A product called Durafix looks to be like a good option-- though I know nothing on the topic and would seem like to perfect of a solution http://durafix.com/how_to_weld_aluminum.html

Thanks in advance

Post by **northernlights** » 19 Nov 2014, 22:51

JB Weld is usually very good, so if that isn't holding it might be tough to patch up.

However, something different I have used before is called Seal All. You should be able to find it at Wal-Mart. It is the only stuff that I have found that reliably works on gasoline, and gasoline is about as tough as anything to seal. By reliably I mean, if you can get it to stick it will seal up a dripping gas tank while it's dripping. But you only get one shot. If you apply new Seal All to old Seal All it falls apart and you have to clean it up and start over.

Your case may flexing a bit in the vicinity of the leak which is why it keeps leaking.

bau321 · Post by **bau321** » 20 Nov 2014, 09:18

Thanks for the quick response. The Seal All seems like a better option vs the JB. I'm thinking to give it a nice clean with Simple Green foam degreaser first and then apply the Seal All to a thin square sheet of aluminum, and stick it on the case??
---^Comments, concerns, suggestions please and thank you.

I also read somewhere a crayon is good to line the crack with after cleaning the surface as much as possible to keep fluid from coming into contact w/ anything.

Hoping the previous, poorly applied JB will be easy enough to remove so that I can clean the surface before applying the Seal All...I'd prefer it to not look like hell under there but if the car shifts like it was before, and stops dripping trans fluid I wouldn't complain a bit

Post by **tryingbe** » 20 Nov 2014, 12:39

Weld or replace are your only real option.

I really doubt any epoxy will stick with a greasy aluminum surface, no matter how well you clean it.

bau321 · Post by **bau321** » 22 Nov 2014, 08:19

Is this a pretty easy job? About how much would I offer afriend to take care of it ? I've looked for welders in the area and couldn't find much. I would rather pay someone who does this all the time, and with aluminum.

But I would trust my friend to know how to follow instructions on doing it the right way. If anyone here has used a tig to seal a transmission leak it'd be a huge help an peace of mind for me if you could lay out some guidelines

thanks