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Poked a hole in my Heat Exchanger!

7K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  gordonchaine 
#1 ·
Went up north last week riding, didn't go as well as we would have liked. My dad hit a tree at 13 miles into the trip, totaled sled out. I got a total of 60 on mine and somehow poked a hole in my heat exchanger at the very back. Got to a resort and the guy running the place was nice enough to try to braze it shut with some aluminum rod, but didn't work. So now I need to change it but really don't know how to go about it. It looks to me like I will have to drop the suspension down and probably take the seat off. Am I correct? Thanks in advance!
 
#3 ·
I've done this 2 times and it is much easier if you pull the track and the motor out, but you can get to the hoses with a long screw driver and the carbs off. See if you have about an inch between the track and the cooler, if you have enough try and get a grinder up in there and grind the rivets off. It's very tight so I would just take the track off.If you need one PM cause I have one that I took off of mine.
 
#4 ·
Clouse2411 said:
I've done this 2 times and it is much easier if you pull the track and the motor out, but you can get to the hoses with a long screw driver and the carbs off. See if you have about an inch between the track and the cooler, if you have enough try and get a grinder up in there and grind the rivets off. It's very tight so I would just take the track off.If you need one PM cause I have one that I took off of mine.
sounds like youre talking about the one in the front of the tunnel, i believe he put a hole in the rear one under the seat at the back of the tunnel on the aggressive chassis(yes i know some wedges had one there as well)
youll need to remove the seat and possibly remove the 2 rear bolts on ths suspension the remove rivets. im speculating though as i have not had to do this. but im sure youll need to remove the seat. as for finding a new(used)one im sure thatd be pretty easy. check on here or ebay.
 
#5 ·
Get yourself some dc alumimum welding rods and a dc welder. I did the same thing last winter, welded it up with no issues. I had a seep to it but added some automotive rad sealer and it hasn't leaked a drop since.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the replies guys! Yes,its the one at the very back right under the storage compartment. Had me wondering for a minute why I would have to pull the motor out to get to it! I'm probably gonna start tearing into it tomorrow.
 
#7 ·
xcr440 said:
Get yourself some dc alumimum welding rods and a dc welder. I did the same thing last winter, welded it up with no issues. I had a seep to it but added some automotive rad sealer and it hasn't leaked a drop since.
did you remove it fom the machine or do it in the machine? if removed from the machine a good welder can weld it up, if it aint bad. aluminum has to be clean and dry to get a GOOD weld. have seen several welded, some with good some with bad results. my opinion is if you have it out of the sled, might as well find a new one and just replace it. about 25 bucks for one on ebay. dont think i have any right now. have sold a few of the rear and front ones though. often remove them from drag chassis'. also i have never been a fan of the bars leak or automotive type radiator sealant. if it cant hold pressure after the actual repair is made, in my opinion its a failed repair, reattempt or replace. its not weorth a repair to fail out on the trail somewhere. this is just my opinions.
 
#8 ·
mine was a front, raised rear about 5' off the ground and welded her up.
 
#9 ·
Opps my bad. Sorry. I've also heard that you could use JB Weld. A friend used it on a oil pan on there car, so I think it would hold up on a sled.
 
#10 ·
doesnt for very long, to many solvents in the metal, unless you get it super clen, and by then, ya may as weel do the job right For jb weld that is, at least thats been my luck
 
#11 ·
I'm gonna start ripping into it in a few minutes, I've never been a big fan of Bars Leak either, plugs too much stuff up that you don't want plugged. I'm just gonna find a replacement and be done with it. I've never had good luck with trying to get by the easy way, usually just comes back to bite me later. Thanks.
 
#12 ·
It can be done without dropping the skid, but it's easier if you do. I didn't need to when I dropped mine, because I used a 90-degree drill to drill out the rivets and rolled the sled on it's side.
 
#13 ·
Took the seat off and took the angle grinder to the top side of the rivets and punched the rest through, got it off. Looks like the other side isn't in much better shape so if I can find both sides I'll probably do both. Looks like they have been hit plenty of times before, but I'm pretty sure what happened is it threw a stud out. I was cruisin pretty fast across the lake right before I noticed the anti-freeze leaking out. :)
 
#17 ·
Have it TIG welded by someone that knows what they are doing. You’ll have to drain some coolant and lift the rear of the sled up so there’s no liquid left in the area your welding. I’ve smashed a ton of heat exchangers, much cheaper/easier to weld them up.
 
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