Club 80-90 Forums

Not a T25 question but for a T4 - not had much response on the T4 forums so thought I would ask the knowledable (and more active!) people here...
Part of the housing for the starter motor has broken off the gearbox, where one of the 3 bolts that hold the starter on goes through. The casting is part of the gearbox itself, so replacing the casting means replacing the gearbox.

Can this be welded? I assume so, (TIG welded) but will it be difficult and, probably more important, expensive?


I've heard/read good things regarding JB Weld (epoxy)... cheap too...

Yes it can be welded but needs somebody experienced in this work.

Not a great pic hard to see what it is, sometimes a plate can be made to replace the fixing point depending what it is.

Yep, TIG welding can be done, though the availability of skilled labour will vary with location. Loads in my part of the world, probably less available in yours. Price can vary a lot too.

You can effect a decent repair with chemical metal too. I repaired a cylinder head on a compressor with it about 4 years ago. Not a lot else you can do with cast iron. unless you know someone with knowledge of the old trades (best place would be West Midlands)

If there's three bolts for the starter, then I would try chemical metal first. Go for the standard / 24 hour stuff, clean up the joint / extremities, and then bond together after the epoxy has had a little time to go off, probably using the other two of the three bolts to hold components in place.

In fact, now I remember that I did a similar exercise on a starter motor about 4 months ago. Only two bolts in this case, one had worn threads in the starter, the other had a snapped flange as a consequence. I bonded it together just to get the car mobile which worked. I've not moved it since.

I'm coming round to the idea of trying the epoxy - if it doesn't stick it cant make it much worse (apart from I'd have to grind it off before a 'proper' fix could be done). The starter works ok at the moment with just the 2 bolts, but I can see it going the same way the last one did - that siezed up as it gradually twisted and wore unevenly until the van turned over like molasses in winter and wouldn't fire. Current expected starter life 2-3 years (had a replacement engine fitted 3 years ago, so it was probably broken then). And it'll only cost me £20 + 48 hours of time if it works... but I accept it is a 'bodge fix' and may not be permenant.

Southern pricing I pay about a fiver for my JB weld.

I think you are much better off doing the repair job now, as it will only get more expensive. You will have to decide whether doing it in the van or off is easier /more likely to give a better repair. Be aware the gravity will play its part as the epoxy will still flow even when quite well set, just like a glacier. That worked for me when doing the compressor cylinder head.

Good luck

937carrera wrote:Southern pricing I pay about a fiver for my JB weld.)

£20 includes solvent to clean it with, putty to help hold a shape while it's wet and a s/s M8 bolt to fix the starter to (not going to try drilling/tapping it!)

Have a look at LUMIWELD. I have used this to repair a fin on my Triumph Bonneville rocker box.

I have a similar issue on my T25. One of the bolt holes on the gearbox has sheared off and it's causing gearshifting to be extremely difficult (and impossible to get in reverse). Trying to find an aluminium welder able/willing to fix it is proving elusive and it's been suggested I may need to remove the gearbox entirely.
The lumiweld sounds promising as a DIY job but requires a torch flame and i don't fancy having one under the van near fuel lines.

So I wanted to know what people's experience of JB Weld putty was? It seems too good to be true and I'm concerned it will ultimately fail. Does it last the course or will it become brittle / fail under pressure?

JB is good if used correctly. Look at JB weld-ing a stud in place of your missing bolthole ?

syncroandy wrote: ↑16 Jul 2025, 19:55 JB is good if used correctly. Look at JB weld-ing a stud in place of your missing bolthole ?

Thanks, that's reassuring. Yeah I was going to apply it around the bolt and washers so they end up being fixed in place. Currently I can get them in the right position with the gear linkage plate but after a couple of shifts it drops out and the gears end up out of wack.
It's been such a pain so seems ridiculous that I might be able to fix it for the grand sum of £6.

Walrus wrote: ↑27 Dec 2018, 11:51 Not a T25 question but for a T4 - not had much response on the T4 forums so thought I would ask the knowledable (and more active!) people here...
Part of the housing for the starter motor has broken off the gearbox, where one of the 3 bolts that hold the starter on goes through. The casting is part of the gearbox itself, so replacing the casting means replacing the gearbox.

Can this be welded? I assume so, (TIG welded) but will it be difficult and, probably more important, expensive?


I've heard/read good things regarding JB Weld (epoxy)... cheap too...

Can you not just use a slightly longer bolt with a heavy duty washer and nut on the back .There is still a bit of material left for a decent penny washer to tighten onto . I know it’s not ideal but it may get you back on the road .

I've resurrected an old thread here. The original post is from 2018 so guessing he sorted it. I just have a similar issue.
For me that would not work as I need something to stop the bolt slipping out when I tighten it. There is nothing there to get good purchase.

Not sure the thread is relevant then. Sound like you need to fit a helicoil

Basilakios wrote: ↑16 Jul 2025, 21:26 I've resurrected an old thread here. The original post is from 2018 so guessing he sorted it. I just have a similar issue.
For me that would not work as I need something to stop the bolt slipping out when I tighten it. There is nothing there to get good purchase.

To be clear, I was visualising just a thread sticking out (held by the JB weld), so the attaching part would be held on with a nut/washer, and be removable just as before.
 

https://imgur.com/a/trjLp5u

The image isn't great but you might be able to see the bolt hole that should a O but is now a C (although from this side it's the mirror image of a C).  This is just to the right of the bolt and washer you can see in the centre. 

The problem is that as I tighten the bolt it starts to slip out of the gap.  I've temporarily got it to hold in place with a small wedge of wood between the washers but it ultimately slips out.

I'm going to try applying the JB Weld to the gap with the bolt in place but not tightened too much.  If the bolt gets stuck in place I don't think that will be an issue - if I have the nut at the right end the plate will still be removeable.