Title: Need advice on a Honda 300 that I bought.Help please !

[southerndude]

I bought a 1993 honda 300 4X4 yesterday so I could have something to deer hunt off of and when I got it home and went to unload it I seen it was leaking oil.I checked the plug and it felt lose so when i tried to tighten it the oil would poor so I stood the 4wheeler up and took out the plug and were the plug goes it is cracked.There 2 cracks there right were the plug screws in and one is tiny and the other is about half inch long and all of the threads is gone were the plug goes in.One of the cracks kinda runs into the motor casing a little bit also.I went back to the dude i bought it from and he swore up and down that he had no ideal that was like that and he would not give me any of my money back to help fix it.Now I'm out $1,275 and stuck with 4 wheeler that I can't really drive.My question is how would i get this fixed ?? I was told the motor would half to be tore down to get to it and have it welded back but this is going to cost me about another $ that I really can't afford.Does welding like this really work and will it last over time.The dude doing the welding is supose to be a awesome welder from what i hear

Can jbweld take the heat from that spot ?? I read jbweld is only good for up 250 degrees .Not sure how hot it gets down in the cracked spot.

.Any advice please let me hear it ?Thanks!

[GPracer2500]

That's a tough one. If getting your money back is not an option (are you sure?)--what else can you do besides fix it? It's a wasted $1275 if it won't hold oil.

But it's hard to figure how to fix that "the right way" without splitting the crankcase.....either replacement of that case half or welding a repair onto the old case. When it comes to welding, in general I think most anything can be repaired by welding. It just depends on how good the welder is. So if he's got a good reputation, I wouldn't worry about a weld repaired case failing down the road. However, if you can't or won't do the tear down and assembly work, it might be cost prohibitive.

Is there a chance the welder can make a repair while leaving the engine in place? I mean, "the right way" may not make sense when things cost more to fix than they're worth. If I was in your shoes (and I was sure I'd never get my money back), I'd be willing to try some crazy repair ideas. There'd be nothing to loose.

How about a Helicoil and JB weld? If you can be reasonably sure the oil can't unexpectedly gush out, the quad still has some usefulness. But talk to the welder first.

$0.02

[southerndude]

I went back to the dude I bought it from and showed him the problems and he swore up and down he did not know that it leaked oil and he also said those was not cracks and thats how the mold is which i know is not.All I was able to get back was $50 and that freaking sucks! The dude is kinda a redneck dude and kinda out spoken so I don't want to get into a fight or anything like that with him.He said a Helicoil would fix the problem with the threads which it may but there still the cracks there that I got to deal with.I just want to get it fixed without getting robbed again by someone else.I should have knowed better then buying a 93 model but the thing is a sharp looking 4 wheeler and looked as if it had been very well taken care of.

[bwamos]

My friend overtightened his oil drain plug and stripped and cracked the case just like you're talking about.

JBWeld and a helicoil worked just fine. He's been running with that repair for about 2 years now with out any problems.

The bottom of the motor there will be a lot cooler than the top half since it is bathed in oil and at the furthest spot from the ignition chamber.

[cmpearce]

i would take it to the welder first to see what he says . if he can't do it then jb weld it and heli coil it. take a small dremel tool and roughen the cases up first and get all that oil off with brake cleaner .i don't think you will have any problems. if the rest of the quad is in good shape then i think you got a pretty good deal cracks or no cracks

[John451]

The helicoil wouldn't work too welll in your case because of the cracks. And just because its a 93 doesnt mean its crap. But anyways.. It's safe to weld it in the frame. I stripped my countershaft and had the sprocket welded on about 4 times in the frame and it was fine. But yea what i would do is weld the cracks and fill the hole where the oil plug was after draining the oil, then drill another hole in the weld and tap it to a similar size as it was and you should be good. I'd stick with metric. But for the weding i think it would only cost around $20 if you do the drilling and tapping yourself, but if u have the welder do it id charge $25 or 30..