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Has anyone successfully used plastic welding to repair the front air deflector mounting tabs? I discovered the far left tab broken where it makes the 90 degree bend.
I did a "plastic weld" on a lawn mower gas tank last year and it has held. Not sure but you may need a little more reinforcement depending how much stress is on it.
Good luck.
Rich
Shortly after taking delivery of my GS in 2017 I noticed my right tab had broken. The break was about halfway into the tab which provided some surface to mount a piece of reinforcing aluminum. You can see from the photo how it fits and it has held up for almost four years. Being OCD I painted it black so it wouldn't be noticeable, as if anyone would notice it in that location anyway. I might've sandwiched a dab of epoxy on the surfaces but if so I see no remnants of it anywhere. If the break is further into the broad end of the tab (toward the air dam itself) you might need to go to Plan B, as there might not be enough surface to butt the repair piece to. Post a photo and we'll take a look.
Regardless, there should be a way to fix it even if you must fabricate a 90° piece of metal and bolt it to the air dam. Seeing where the break is located will help, but I don't think glue alone will be a good long-term fix, as one bump would likely break it.
Shortly after taking delivery of my GS in 2017 I noticed my right tab had broken. The break was about halfway into the tab which provided some surface to mount a piece of reinforcing aluminum. You can see from the photo how it fits and it has held up for almost four years. Being OCD I painted it black so it wouldn't be noticeable, as if anyone would notice it in that location anyway. I might've sandwiched a dab of epoxy on the surfaces but if so I see no remnants of it anywhere. If the break is further into the broad end of the tab (toward the air dam itself) you might need to go to Plan B, as there might not be enough surface to butt the repair piece to. Post a photo and we'll take a look.
Regardless, there should be a way to fix it even if you must fabricate a 90° piece of metal and bolt it to the air dam. Seeing where the break is located will help, but I don't think glue alone will be a good long-term fix, as one bump would likely break it.
Thanks for the reply. My problem is the break is in the radius just as the tab does a 90 degree turn and becomes the deflector. I was thinking plastic weld with reinforcement.
I did a "plastic weld" on a lawn mower gas tank last year and it has held. Not sure but you may need a little more reinforcement depending how much stress is on it.
Good luck.
Rich
I am planning to use some wire mesh material that comes with the kit as reinforcement. Hopefully that would be enough. If not plan B is to buy a new deflector.
I am planning to use some wire mesh material that comes with the kit as reinforcement. Hopefully that would be enough. If not plan B is to buy a new deflector.
Thanks for the reply. My problem is the break is in the radius just as the tab does a 90 degree turn and becomes the deflector. I was thinking plastic weld with reinforcement.
I didn't notice that the break was at the 90° turn. If there's some solid surface on the air dam end I think probably a similar cut of aluminum at a 90° angle and fixed with epoxy (e.g., JB Weld) might work. I would also add a couple of small bolts with washers on the air dam end. I've never used "plastic welding," so if you go that route please send us a report.
Has anyone successfully used plastic welding to repair the front air deflector mounting tabs? I discovered the far left tab broken where it makes the 90 degree bend.
this will sound crazy, but I googled it a while black and I worked for me. I broke a whole tab off my wife brand new Explorer and had to fix it. If it will not show this will work. Use superglue and baking soda. Use tape or something to hold it how you want it. Cover the break with super glue then sprinkle on the baking soda, you can build up as needed. The baking soda and super glue is a chemical reaction and gets hard fast. I fixed a number of tabs this way. My son had broke the tabs off his headlight and it worked on it also. The super glue will not work by itself. You can google it for better instructions and explanation of why it works. Cheap fix and works great. Hope this helps.
I've done a considerable amount of plastic welding to repair broken parts of all types on autos, tractors, appliances, lawn and garden equipment, etc. The keys to successful repair are: accurately identifying the type of plastic you are repairing (often more easily said than done), having the right equipment that applies the proper heat input for the type of material being welded and practice/patience. Links below are for the two pieces of equipment I use. Almost all of my projects involve use of the Polyvance kit with filler rod material and a process similar to stick welding, but broken tabs are often best repaired using the hot stapler because the staple provides reinforcement for the stress typically seen by attachment tabs. And with the hot stapler you are often repairing similar materials so that reduces material identification and compatibility issues.
I welded the tab back to the deflector yesterday. Easy. I used the $16 ish Harbor Freight welding kit for the repair. I welded the two parts together, melted the metal mesh into the tab on both sides and then added more material on the mesh to smooth the finish. We'll see how long the repair lasts. The entire process including removing and reinstalling the deflector only took an hour and a half.
Use a hot staple to repair it. It's a piece of metal that melts it's way into the plastic to reinforce the two pieces together. Then you can use a soldering iron to blend and melt the rest together.
Use a hot staple to repair it. It's a piece of metal that melts it's way into the plastic to reinforce the two pieces together. Then you can use a soldering iron to blend and melt the rest together.
Thanks for the suggestion. I've already done the repair using a plastic welding iron with metal mesh melted into the plastic on both sides and then additonal plastic added to smooth the surface. I've seen hot staples but decided to use the welding iron instead.
I have used a Urethane Supply Co Mini Weld Model 5 Airless Plastic Welder 5500HT for many years, I have found some things easy and some difficult. You need to match the rods well with right material.
Plastic Welding
