I think "A waste of your time" would be a great slogan for JB Weld.
:whistling:
for this application, perhaps... but, not always.
I had a coolant leak in my old Escort, and what they found was that a frost plug had blown out of the aluminum block in which the thermostat mounts. (why these frost plugs, or more to the point, the holes they plugged, were in this block is still in question...)...
anyway, the local auto parts store does not have the correct size freeze plug in stock (it's some wacky non-standard size, too, apparently), but Ford will gladly sell me a replacement block of aluminum, presumably with the correct freeze plugs installed, for only $380. If the engine were running without spewing all its coolant through an almost 1/2" hole, the car
might be worth $380... I'm thinking I don't want to spend that kind of money for a repair. Oh, I should also point out another inconsistency in the Ford labor manual -- it states this is a 4-hour job, at $75/hr. Just for grins, I had him look up in the book for the labor on replacing the thermostat -- that's a half-hour job, at $75/hr. (for those imagining this in their mind, the thermostat attaches to the block in question here, and the labor to do either task is
exactly the same!!)
Anyway.. the guy recommends I find an appropriate-sized steel bolt and let it cut its own threads into the aluminum block as it's screwed in, then coat the whole mess with JB Weld. Short-cut to the end of the story: worked like a charm, never had another inch of trouble with the cooling system in that vehicle, and the total cost of repair [including plenty of leftover JB Weld] was $1.87+tax.