Fix the leaky carb plugs

[DCgs450L]

I ran some carb cleaner through my 450 thinking I might avoid a reuild. One of the drain plugs started leaking and I realized that it was stripped. The other one started the other day (also stripped), probably because the bike was sitting in Earfor's barn for a year (that's one for the off topic)
I stopped at the local Suzi dealer hoping to get some parts and to price a new carb if available. I gave up on trying to get a set on Ebay that didn't need a rebuild. The service guy suggested permanently filling the drain plugs. Not being able to drain a few ounces without removing the bowl is a small price to pay when compared to buying two new bowls.
I stopped at Advance Auto Parts and picked up Quicksteel steel epoxy putty. It's designed for exposure to gas and sets hard in 15 minutes. I rolled a small amount into a small line, fed that through the plug hole, and then smushed it down on both sides to get it in the threads and seal it well. I worked it flat across the bottom of the bowl (about the size of a nickel) and left a rounded lump on the outside.
Here's the pics:

http://home.att.net/~mschwimer/gs/carb_plug.jpg
http://home.att.net/~mschwimer/gs/carb_plug1.jpg

I wasn't able to get the carbs back on and test, but I did test the plugs by pouring in some gas and letting them sit. The putty dried hard as a rock in 10 minutes and is watertight (or gastight).
Once I get the carbs back on and give it a little time I will update with whether or not they start to leak once being subjected to heat, vibration, and time. This was a great inexpensive fix for a potentially costly problem.

 

[MissFabulous]

Interesting... my buddy and I just used the same stuff to fix a corrosion hole in the bottom of the carb on a lawn mower I'm giving him that had been sitting for years. For us, the stuff didn't set up as quickly as expected until we let it sit in the sun. Hope it works well long term for us both. 450s are rare and with mine & Charlie's luck, the particular Briggs & Stratton in that mower is probably really rare too! Please update if you run into any problems with it - thanks!

 

[DCgs450L]

I am reassembling her now, so I'll post tonight. The putty has 2 layers in the packaging, a gray outer layer and a black inner layer that is the hardener. You cut off what you need and knead it together. I noticed that it started getting tacky immediately and it was hard to the touch within 5 minutes. After 2 hours I couldn't score it with my fingernail. Now after 24 hours it even rings like metal when you tap it with a screwdriver. It does state that ambient temp affects curing, it was 95 degrees here when I was doing this.

 

[DCgs450L]

works so far

works so far

Got the bike running great, took a spin around the block (first time she's been over 10mph in over 10 years!)
Plugs held and no gas seepage. I will post if any appears, but it looks like this one will work