slihp Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 I've replaced the seatbox ends due to the corrosion caused by the steel bolts onto the sill eating the aluminium over time. these now have rubber washers under the main washer. I have also noticed a fist size hole behind my seat pillar on the base. Just wondering how you guys would repair this? My thought was to cut patch panels out of aluminium sheeting and rivet it on on both sides and then seal it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickeyw Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 YRM https://yrmit.co.uk/ do repair pieces for all these common problems. They have some good articles on this kind of repair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vogler Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 YRM also have an assortment of plastic seals and tapes to isolate parts from another. I recently replaced rusty door bolts by stainless ones, added yrm plastic seals between the hinges and body and applied tef-gel, which should prevent galvanic corrosion and is resistant to marine environments. Silly expensive stuff, if you do a search here you'll likely find similar products. Joris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 I still think stainless fasteners are a bad idea because of their brittle nature, their tendency to gall, and their promotion of galvanic corrosion as they're more dissimilar than steel/ali. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigi_H Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 I have stainless screws in my motorcycle engines since decades. No problem. Galvanic corrosion is a problem, that corresponds with thickness of materials and an electrolyte. No electrolyte, no corrosion. Don't bolt aluminium sheet metal with stainless bolts, where salty water can be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 8 hours ago, Sigi_H said: I have stainless screws in my motorcycle engines since decades. No problem. Galvanic corrosion is a problem, that corresponds with thickness of materials and an electrolyte. No electrolyte, no corrosion. Don't bolt aluminium sheet metal with stainless bolts, where salty water can be. That's just it though - people are throwing stainless bolts around Land Rovers where you're sandwiching steel & aluminium that already naturally rot away, where salty water already gets in. Stainless bolts tightly holding two bits of nice hot aluminium engine together aren't so bad, but that's a very different application. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vogler Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 This is exactly why I used the Tef Gel and plastic seals between the components, so I'm not really 'throwing stainless around'. Anyway, if I'm not mistaken most parts concerned are steel (bulkhead, doors, hinges) since it's a 2nd gen Td5 (except for the body at the rear door hinges) I didn't know about stainless being brittle though, but I don't expect the hinges of the doors to be under thát much stress. Joris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 SS bolts tend to be brittle, and the galling is a big PITA when it decides to bite as SS is very hard to drill out. Wasn't accusing you specifically of throwing stainless around, just that it's generally to little or no benefit and can be detrimental if used without thought - and let's face it, most owners though process seems to be "Ooooohh, shiiiny!" Also, BZP is cheap, plentiful, and tough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigi_H Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 10 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said: if used without thought that's the problem not only with cars 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slihp Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 I separate everything with rubber washers gaskets now. Used YRM products before and are good but not applicable in this instance, its just best way to repair a hole in an aluminium panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam001 Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 Duralac i am told is very good stuff too. Personally I have galv'd basically everything, have stainless almost everywhere (ooooo shiny) and have either EDPM or PVC gaskets or shims between all areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 Duralac or Tef Gel are good products - but both work in essentially the same way. They fill the crevises between the metal parts preventing ingress of water (which acts as the electrolite, enabling ion exchange to take place). If you can keep water out, you won't get electrolytic corrosion. Duralac & Tef Gel 'creep' into all the crevises which makes them very effective but they are fairly expensive. Sikaflex is also good - but you have to ensure it gets into all the crevises as it will not creep in itself (messy & time consuming). For low strain applications, polymer fasteners are worth considering. There are some pretty good options these days though they can be expensive too. Of all the metal fasteners, Hot Dip Galvanised steel is the best option (closest together in their Anodic Index). Most fasteners these days are just electroplated with a very thin layer of zinc. While these are not bad, proper hot dip are much better. Copper (in the form of copper-slip) makes the corrosion much worse, even if it makes it easier to remove the nut. Thick grease (propshaft grease for example) is a better option. Si 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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