17prospective buyer

So i was working on the motor today, and when i was rotating it around on the engine stand (T-style stand) to get at something, the whole motor slipped from my hands and wanted to find it's own spot to sit at because of it's center of gravity, so it rotated far enough over for the intake to fall off the top, which was just placed there (i took out the studs so nothing to hold it) and a piece cracked off right where one of the bolt holes for the side covers is.

Saw the intake lying there on the ground, grateful that the motor itself didn't tip the whole stand over and break something off. I was hoping that it landed on a side cover and maybe just one of the side covers cracked, but nope... whole new intake.

So... anyone got an S4 32V intake? Would a good two part epoxy work? Since the piece cracked off fairly clean. I built a boat with my Dad and we used West System epoxy, that stuff was literally like concrete once cured. In fact it was so strong you couldn't get it off concrete without chipping the concrete itself off!

Rob Edwards

Unless there's some contraindication to using it on Al-Mg alloy (or whatever the S4 intake is made out of), I'd have the intake utterly degreased and then JB-Weld it.

Tony

WHAT!!!! JB weld!!!!

Rob Edwards

Yep. It's a miracle drug.

the flyin' scotsman

I have a spare S4 intake but the shipping may kill you!

Id exhaust the repair option before looking to replace.

James Bailey

Glue it, it sees little load. And that is trying to suck it IN !! .

jcorenman

Matt, have you got any pictures? I think the only danger would be if something came loose and got ingested.

GregBBRD

Actually, pretty easy to weld. You should be able to find someone locally that has a TIG and knows how to do it.

docmirror

I found the intake to be pretty porous and kind of potty. I wouldn't try to heat weld it, just JB weld, and grind the excess. There's JB weld on my 928, but I' not telling where.

17prospective buyer

JB-Weld then? It's already been media blasted inside and out and ready to paint so i really want to keep it. Will get some pics today.

the flyin' scotsman

media blasted? how many times was it flushed after blasting?

depami

I recall you posting about blasting equipment. Did you hire blasting or DIY?

17prospective buyer

Farmed it out... didn't have a good compressor or blast pot at the time, plus to do it right with aluminum oxide costs alot. $200 bucks well spent, i told them to do the inside as well. It hasn't been flushed yet as painting weather isn't really here in Canada yet... still have about two feet here in Singhampton, plus the frost still has to sweat out and that'll take at least till May.

Bought an industrial unit for $650 bucks, 2 stage 2 cylinder inline, 5HP 80 gallon, should be about 20-25CFM. I built a pressure pot out of an old 8 gallon Cambell Hausfeld air compressor tank that i garbage picked, unit was close to brand new. Cut some holes, welded some fittings, and fabbed up a nice durable stand for it out of steel, with nice big wheels.

GregBBRD

I occasionally "find" holes and thin spots, in these intakes, which we weld. Anyone that has welded magnesium and knows the tricks can easily weld up the problem.

"Cleaning" a manifold isn't adequate. You need to "attack" the inside corners and passages above the "bell openings" with a set of scrapers/dental tools. The amount of media that "hides" up in those areas is enough to "kill" 4 or 5 engines.

Scrape, high pressure wash. repeat 2-3 times. If you don't spend 3-4 hours, up in those corners, you aren't done....

Pistons/ring manufacturers are now warning people to not use silicon beads/sand on both aluminum cylinder heads and the tops of pistons, when removing carbon. The silicon beads/sand get "impacted" into the surface, only coming loose during heat cycles, ruining rings, pistons, and bores.

Think about how you are going to get that crap out of those ruunners that you can't reach or see.

This is a very real and common problem. We've used nothing but baking soda to clean heads and pistons for quite some time. Unfortunately, the coating in the intake manifolds "laughs" at baking soda.

the flyin' scotsman

Matt........Im in Canada also so your weather gives lots of time to do what needs to be done.

Read what Greg posted and follow to the T otherwise you'll be calling him for an engine.