Im using my cheap flux core wire feed welder to weld up some mild steel charge pipes. Im having a slight problem with some pin holes in my welds. no matter what I do to try to grind them back down and use high heat to penetrate they are still there. Im testing the pipes with water and watching were it comes out. its a very small amount (maybe a drop ever 5 seconds or so) is this acceptable or will it cause a performance loss?

sorry if this is a new question.

also if it will negatively affect my setup does any one have any suggestions to get rid of the holes.

 

not to try and cob anything but if hey are going to be painted use some jb weld to seal up the holes... altho i doubt that the ammount of leak will lead to any noticeable effects

 

ya I was thinking about jb welding them before I paint them. I also think im going to get a roll of lincoln flux core wire as I read some reviews on how cheap flux core wire sucks and can cause porosity.

 

I had a flux core machine. They sell conversion kits to make it into a true mig. Look in to it and your welds will be alot better and your pipes will look better. I did mine for 65 bucks, some wire and a tank of gas. You will be happy with the investment.

Mike

 

jb weld

 

dun stamp

 

think about this, if your building 10 psi of positive pressure on the compressor side, you must be making pressure on the hot side, and remember nothing is 100% effecient.
What happens when you have small leaks is you lower the effective effeciency even more. yes it will make a difference, it will also probably get worse over time.

 

There will be a pressure drop, but it will be trivial.

 

not if every weld is leaking. I guess it really depends on the severity.

 

kick up the boost 1 lb to make up for it

 

Yes, even if every weld is leaking, as long as his original description (a few pin holes) is accurate. I'm not saying its ideal, but it won't prevent him from holding a moderate boost level.

I know this because I tuned a car like that a couple of years ago (poorly welded DIY turbo set-up). It annoyed me that it wasn't done correctly, but it had no real affect on the boost. It was a stock motor and I tuned it for 8psi, which it had no problem at all holding.

 

this is good to know before hand so I don't spend hours on end on each weld trying to get them perfect. I decided Im going to weld each pipe, smooth down the welds with a flapper wheel then run a coating of JB weld over each weld. then the charge pipes will all be painted and then heat wrapped.

 

Just take your time and do it right it really wont take much longer then the ghetto jb weld solution. Especially if you have a bench grinder to dress the welds down with.

 

i didn't say it wouldn't make boost, i was saying no to the trivial part.

do you know of the longevity of that build? i'll admit this is speculation but the lifespan of the turbo and possibly motor would be shortened

 

see thats the problem. Iv gone over the same weld 4, 5, 6 times and grinded the welds smooth each time but each time there is 2 or 3 very tiny pin holes that when filled with water drips out a drop every few seconds.Im sure a tiny dab of jb weld over the hole won't be "ghetto" especially when painted and heat wrapped.

 

while your solution will definitely work its more of a principal thing with me. That little spot would nag at me knowing it wasn't right. Plus if you keep having the same issue I would say you may be reinforcing bad habits. Normally If you just drop a tack over your pinhole and grind it down it will fill it. Perhaps you are not running hot enough and just laying a tack over top of the pinhole instead of filling it?

That said, If you have fine with the JB weld more power to ya, I'm sure it will work for now.

 

ya if was only as simple as just doing a tack over a weld it would already be done man.. its plenty hot I think its just the flux core being what it is. also metal Im welding is nice and clean so Idk what else it could be. I might just tack my charge pipes up then mig them all up at my work.

 

Also is that water just sitting in there casually with equalized pressure inside and out? Trying making a boost leak tester and actually putting 6 or 10 or whatever PSI you plan on running. Then you will see exactly how big of a deal it is (may be big, may be nothing).

I made mine out of some metal scrap tubing from a local tuner shop (just ask if they have any scrap 2.5" or 3" intake or exhaust tubing, only needs to be like 4-6" long. Then I capped it with PVC end from Home Depot. Bought cheap bicyle tire inner tubes at a sports store and cut out the shrader valves. Then JB welded it all together. Also stuck a cheap boost gauge I had lying around on one of the caps. Was extremely helpfull in diagnosing some issues I had.