Bristol 400 - weeping rear diff. casing

[Marcus]

I am losing rear axle oil from the rear side of the diff. casing. There are some old welds in this area and it looks as though a minute fissure has 'opened up' in one of the welds but this is by no means certain as it is very difficult to determine this whilst 'in - situ'. The axle breather is not a feature as slight oil traces are evident when the car is left for a few days in the garage.

The remedies available are to remove the rear axle, disassemble and have the whole casing re - welded - some job! I could try to source a replacement axle to replace mine but mindful these axles are some 70 years old, I could end up with a similar problem.

I am seeking advice on using ceramic or other high tech. sealing epoxies that can be applied with the axle in position.

Is there any helpful advice available out there?, Thank you gentlemen.

[GREG]

JB weld works okay but this is probably better for cast engine blocks etc

Belzona 1111 Super Metal

Probably best to cut a v with a Dremel to make a good key and making sure all very clean -- worth a go ..

[Hydroglen]

Suggest you contact Loctite and their tech people will have a solution. There are new things being developed and I have had much success with them.
Dorien

[GREG]

The Belzona is about as high tech as you can get and is even on the dreaded eBay :-). BELZONA 1221 SUPER E.METAL. | eBay

[GREG]

If all else fails , I have a complete rear axle for a 400

[Geoff Dowdle]

Marcus ,
Belzona and other similar products will work well if the parent metal is perfectly cleaned (eg bead blasted , where there is no trace of oil ) .

I suggest you locate accurately the position in the original weld where it is leaking , if it is only one or two small holes ,drain the oil from the diff, grind the weld back and "V" cut into the holes then reweld the areas as necessary.
This will give a permanent fix .

If there are many holes , there is a possibility the housing could distort , so just do a little at a time to let it cool .

Regards
Geoff Dowdle

[Marcus]

As I expected these replies all answer my query fulsomely and I will initiate a start within the next couple of weeks - short two week break away from home restricts an earlier start.

Thank you for the posts received.

Regards - M