Steel Spot And Plug Weld Nugget Size: Honda/Acura - UPDATE

Did you know that some OEMs specify nugget size for spot and plug welds? This information is typically found within vehicle-specific repair procedures or can be found under general welding guidelines. Let’s see what Honda/Acura has to say.

Spot Welding

Honda does not indicate a specific spot weld nugget size in their collision repair information.

Per Honda/Acura Body Repair Basic manual, Repair Overview - High Strength Steel Sheet Welding Overview: "Spot welding is the recommended and preferred procedure for the welding for high-strength steel parts same as for a mild steel plate welding. In areas that cannot be accessed by a spot welder, perform the MAG welding or MIG brazing as specified in the Replacement procedures."

Honda/Acura has numerous sections in the body repair manual (BRM) that address the various types of welding, as well as welding precautions. The following are the sections where you can find specific information on:

Per Honda/Acura Body Repair Basic manual, Spot Welding - Spot Welding Conditions for Ultra High-Strength Steel Parts (1180 & 1500 MPa): "For spot welds involving 1500 MPa steel parts, manual spot welder settings provided in the BRM (or a Honda-specific program) are recommended. Honda does not recommend using the spot welder’s AUTO mode for this steel grade because these settings may not achieve adequate weld strength."

Honda/Acura Spot Welding Requirement/Recommendation

Per Honda/Acura Body Repair Basic manual, General Welding Information – Automobile Body Welding: "Most of the body is welded using spot welding during mass production in order to achieve maximum strength and efficiency. Spot welding is also the preferred method for repairing body damage to ensure the same level of strength and durability as a mass production body. However, spot welding cannot be applied in every instance due to the way the parts are assembled or for other reasons. Use MAG (plug or butt welding) or MIG brazing (plug welding) as specified in the model specific body repair manual instead."

Plug Welding

Honda does not indicate a specific plug weld nugget size in their collision repair information.

Per the Honda/Acura Body Repair Basic manual, MAG Welding - Plug Welding - Body Basic: "This section provides a chart on what size hole will need to be drilled depending on the metal thickness. To determine the thickness of the parts being welded, refer to the "Body Construction" pages in the "General Information" section of the model specific body repair manual."

Where the spot weld and plug weld nugget size was not identified, refer to the Steel Spot And Plug Weld Nugget Size: UPDATE article. This article provides general guidelines.

Follow OEM welding requirements, including what nugget size is required, to help ensure a complete, safe, and quality repair.

For additional Honda/Acura information, check out the following pages:
Honda OEM Information
Acura OEM Information

Additional I-CAR Collision Repair News you may find helpful:

• Back-To-Basics: Destructive Weld Testing
• Collision Information Website Access: Honda/Acura
• Dressing Steel GMA Welds: UPDATE
• Honda/Acura: Body Repair Manual Welding & Sectioning Guideline Revisions - UPDATE
• Steel Spot And Plug Weld Nugget Size: UPDATE
• Step-By-Step: Accessing Honda And Acura Repair Information
• Weld-Through Primer Guidelines: Honda/Acura
• Welding And MIG Brazing Hotspot

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