oil pan

[sparkplug]

I need to weld a pace of 6061 t6 to cast aluminum, it an engine oil pan, for a race car, any suggestions

[WookieWelding]

4043 for filler has the pan been holding oil ? or is it new

[sparkplug]

ha Wookie, the pan has been hulding oil, I have had it steam washed, and the weld joint well all be fresh, not like I am pluging a hole.

[WookieWelding]

reason i asked is it is hard to get out the oil in the pores of the alum prior to welding i would heat it up with some heat after its steam cleaned to make sure then prep and wash the weld zone with acetone and weld away

[tigqk]

Their was a post on ww that a welder had recently done. Get this! While it was still in the vehicle.It looked to be a mess but I would never have thought it possible without serious warpage, Took a whole day.Trouble with aluminum is it absorbs so much heat and you have to know when to stop and let things cool down.
That welder deserve credit for his perisistance.

[SICFabrications]

there are 2 schools of thought when it comes to welding cast to 6061 aluminum the first school is heat, the constant heat that an engine sees, therefore you should use 4043 filler.... the other one is a 5356 has an "as welded" stronger weld (unless you post heat treat) but the 5356 cannot handle the sustained temps... hmmmm......


steam cleaning alone is still gonna make yer head hurt trying to weld the funk nasty oil filled porous cast aluminum... steam it, then soak it in caustic soda then water rinse, then clean with acetone and hit it hard with a handheld stainless wire brush.... that is a clean and brand new stainless wire brush...

the thing about the cast is it does absorb heat and holds it too, and you are also going to get to a point where you will start to "blow holes" regardless of how lil ya push the pedal if you have alot of welding to do... sometimes its best to weld a lil, let the interpass temp cool and hit it again