question

[uncfan617]

hey guys, the hole where i drain my oil is stripped out, i kno the previous owner tapped it once, well it needs to be tapped again, there is already 19mm bolt in there, do they make any bolts that are big enough to put in? or do i go to the hardware store and buy a bolt, ur help is appreciated, thanks

 

[Bunya]

Best thing would be a Heli-Coil insert. Because the previous owner tapped it to a larger size, chances are you won't be able to go back to the original size. You'll need to determine what thread he tapped it to then get a Heli-Coil to match. Keep in mind there's a good chance it was tapped out to a standard thread instead of metric. Just take it to the hardware store and keep trying nuts till you find the one that fits. Also, I'd go with a fine thread as the housing is usually pretty thin. You should be able to find Heli-Coils at auto parts stores, good hardware stores, or fastener suppliers. The kits come with the proper tap, coils, and insertion tool. When tapping, use plenty of WD-40 on the tap (it makes a great cutting fluid on aluminum only).

Marc -

 

[Chili]

I did that years ago on my sons KX80, these were recommended to me instead of a helicoil http://www.timesert.com/ . We opted for the helicoil fix as I needed to fix it fast and couldn't find the timeserts locally. With the helicoil fix it always wept a bit and we had to wrap the threads with teflon tape.

 

[NWDirt]

Anytime I am tapping an aluminum part and the bolt is steel and the bolt will be in and out frequently, I use a steel or stainless steel insert. Thats said, I have found that helicoils are not is good as EZ-LOKs for the average joe.

Helicoils have special external tap sizes. Thats why the tap and pilot bit always come as a kit. They also are best installed using the install tool instead of needle nose to reduce the diameter while turning. They rely a lot more on a perfect tap job to seal. They are way more expensive than EZ_LOKS in the kit form.

EZ-Loks use standard external threads for the body insert. You use a wide flat blade screwdriver to install them and they come with red loctite on the external threads. They are very cheap.

I would install a stainless insert but you could just call one of the manufactures of thread inserts and ask them what they recommend doing for light weight aluminum gear cases.

IMHO.


Dave