Instrument casing repair

[Stephen Long]

Hi guys,

The oil pressure gauge on my 2007 has come apart, the case has cracked.

 

I have tried unsuccessfully to glue this back together a few times but after a while it comes apart.

Can anyone recommend a glue to stick this type of plastic.

All the best 

Longy 

 

 

 

[Jonathan Kay]

How good is the fit when you hold the bits together?

If it's very good I'd clean with isopropanol and then try cyanoacrylate (Superglue).

If there's any space that needs filling or a poor fit then I'd clean with isopropanol and then try epoxy (Rapid Araldite).

They would both work much better if everything is warm.

Whatever the adhesive I'd use something to hold the pieces together while it's setting... a cushion and some strips of masking tape might be enough. A clamp might be possible. 

Happy Christmas

Jonathan

Edited December 27, 2023 by Jonathan Kay

[Stephen Long]

Hello Jonathan, 

I would not say its going to be a perfect fit.

Perhaps a millimetre or so gap. I have tried superglue and that is not at all successful. 

Araldite sounds like a good option. 

I will give it a go.

 

Thank you 

[Wrightpayne]

Lots of people have converted to mechanical gauges so I bet a wanted advert would yield a cheap replacement.

Ian

[Golf Juliet Tango]

All credit to you Stephen in trying to repair it, repair is preferable to replacement.  

How you hold everything in place while the adhesive takes is critical (as JK mentions).

But after couple of tries, replacement is in order, whether like for like or something different (which means it won't match 😟) is your decision.

Edited December 27, 2023 by Golf Juliet Tango

[colindavies56]

After you've glued it use a soldering iron to melt both half together. Get a paper clip and make into a Z shape and burn it in to the  2 half's to make a staple. 

[7SW]

I had the same issue.

Using Superglue did fix but for a few time.

I did the repair again with bi-component blue epoxy and reinforced the result with ultra-violet resin.

Since, non trouble.

[John Vine]

I had exactly that problem on my 2008 car:

Superglue worked fine for me, but the trick (especially with non-porous materials like plastic instrument cases) is to ensure at least one of the surfaces to be stuck is moist, as cyanoacrylates require water to trigger polymerisation.

I didn't need to clamp anything as the glue sets very quickly.

JV

[John Vine]

2 hours ago, Stephen Long said:

I would not say its going to be a perfect fit.

Perhaps a millimetre or so gap.

I missed that earlier.  That gap may well prevent superglue from setting properly, in which case use a two-part epoxy such as Araldite (plus clamp).

JV

[Stephen Long]

Hello 👋 

 

This is very a interesting tip about making sure one surface is moist.

I may give that a go before I move on to the araldite. 

 

[John Vine]

A hint of moisture is all you need.  And doing it on a damp day works wonders.

More info here.

JV

[Wrightpayne]

I’ve made effective repairs with superglue on pottery by dampening the edges - didnt think about doing the same with other materials.

[ECR]

Just exhaling on the joint will give enough moisture. You don’t need a lot

[PlastererPete]

522 RC Tyre glue is great for plastics. As the name would suggest its good for sticking rubber tyres to plastic RC wheels. I’ve used it numerous times to fix flappy rubber over-moulding back on power tools. 
For god sake don’t get it on your fingers it’ll stick them together faster than you can blink.