Filling holes in Aluminium

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Smithy155

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51
I have a small hole that is slowly corroding and getting bigger on the seat box inside my truck which is letting water in and sound of course.

There is also a hole in my intercooler due to the past owner hitting into something and pushing the horn into it.

Does anyone know how i would go about filling these holes being that they are in aluminium?
 
You could weld more aluminium in there. Or rivet something over it, or buy a replacement panel.

I think I'd replace the intercooler though, rather than try to repair it. I'm not sure how much pressure they have to cope with.
 
I would cut out the corroded area with a dremel and treat it then rivet a new piece of plate over the top and seal it with silicone.

Intercooler will need welding or replacing.
 
Have you thought about using a 2-part Aluminium Epoxy Repair?

It don't work on intercoolers though.

OSD
 
Last edited:
Have you thought about using a 2-part Aluminium Epoxy Repair?

It don't work on intercoolers though.

OSD

I used Milliput (two part modeling clay stuff) on my intercooler two years ago and it's still going strong:)
 
Intercooler only runs at about 15psi on a TD5 and a bit lower on a tdi. No reason any of the above methods wont work. If you want it welded then make sure its done by someone who knows how to weld aluminium. Otherwise the hole will end up bigger than when you started.

If its a small hole in one of the end tanks consider using a blind aluminium pop rivet to seal the hole. Nice and neat and easy to do. If the hole is in one of the tubes that carry the vanes then easiest and cheapest thing to do is pinch off the affected tube either side of the damage and live with it.
 
Thanks for the replies

After reading comments i reckon i'll probably patch the hole on the seat box for now with a bit of aluminium plate, it isn't much of an issue because i'll soon be carpeting over it so it doesn't have to look anything fancy and i really don't think it's worth getting a whole new panel.

With the intercooler, the damage is on one of the tubes and ideally i'd like to avoid pinching it off entirely. just curious though, will soldering it up work? if not then it sounds like this epoxy stuff is the way to go.
 
When i bought my td5 it had taken a knock to the top of the intercooler. After about a minute of looking it was clear to see someone had slammed the bonnet down and the catch had gone right through the top of the intercooler.

I sanded the area down and flattened it out as much as possible and then used this stuff

Halfords | Plastic Padding Chemical Metal Small

Been on there for 6 months and still holding. Well worth having in your landy toolbox aswell.




PS. I also used it to bodge the outlet for the EGR valve when i removed everything and got a bolt stuck in it. Not a permanent solution but it got me home that night. :D
 
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