Is the flashpoint of power steering fluid low enough that I need to
take the same precautions that were advised in a thread a while back
about welding on a motorcycle gas tank? The tank is steel, about a
foot long and 5 inches in diameter and the fill hole at the top and
the drain hole at the bottom aren't very large.

I'm contemplating a CO2 fill just to be sure.

In article ,
John Ings wrote:

Is the flashpoint of power steering fluid low enough that I need to
take the same precautions that were advised in a thread a while back
about welding on a motorcycle gas tank? The tank is steel, about a
foot long and 5 inches in diameter and the fill hole at the top and
the drain hole at the bottom aren't very large.

I'm contemplating a CO2 fill just to be sure.




It never hurts to approach something like this with an abundance of
caution, so I'd say to take any extra precautions that make you
comfortable.
In practice I've never found light oils such as power steering and
hydraulic to be explosive when I've welded around them, although they
will burn.
What I have found is that when you weld something like an oil
reservoir you have to thoroughly clean it out before attempting to weld
for best results. Use a soap or similar non-flammable solvent. If you
don't then oil wicks into the weld by capilary action as you are welding
and can contaminate the repair causing leaks.
A second point is about brazing as a repair in a mobile environment.
If this is a stress crack that you're trying to repair then I'd advise
you to weld rather than braze. The braze will almost always crack again
above the original crack in a month or two because of vibration. Been
there, done that.

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 12:34:46 -0700, inetcaster
wrote:


It never hurts to approach something like this with an abundance of
caution, so I'd say to take any extra precautions that make you
comfortable.
In practice I've never found light oils such as power steering and
hydraulic to be explosive when I've welded around them, although they
will burn.
What I have found is that when you weld something like an oil
reservoir you have to thoroughly clean it out before attempting to weld
for best results. Use a soap or similar non-flammable solvent. If you
don't then oil wicks into the weld by capilary action as you are welding
and can contaminate the repair causing leaks.

That sounds like good advice.

A second point is about brazing as a repair in a mobile environment.
If this is a stress crack that you're trying to repair then I'd advise
you to weld rather than braze. The braze will almost always crack again
above the original crack in a month or two because of vibration. Been
there, done that.

I think that's what's happened this time. The tank is mounted on a
farm tractor and the area where it's cracked is a brazed joint at the
bottom which is not only the outlet but also the support for this
foot-high hunk of tubular steel which is mounted atop the engine.

Maybe I'd better think about mounting the damn thing in a better place
than where the manufacturer put it...