enzand

Hi, I'm rebuilding a '92 3.0 and I stripped the threads out of the number one right bank cam cap. I guess I'll go back to my machinist, hate to have to pull the head again. Any one have any ideas b4 I go and do that? Something aftermarket to lock it in? Oversized bolt?
Also, says in the manual, sealer to be used on 1 and 3 bearing caps but I assumed they meant 1 and end caps(caps marked 2 thru 4 left alone).
And torque feels a little shaky(like too much) since that first mishap. Maybe a smaller torque wrench?
Thanks for any help!

abecedarian

If you're really careful you may be able to helicoil the stripped holes.
As for the caps, don't know.

enzand

got the helicoil idea after some searching. thanks. i don't know much about em'. they come with a new bolt or just use the old one?

abecedarian

Basically, you drill and tap the hole for the helicoil, thread the helicoil in and break the tang off- should come with the tool to do that. Then you use your old bolts. You may have to buy the proper sized drill bit for it, but what size you need depends on the size of the old bolt, and the packaging should tell you what size.

thook

A longer bolt for the bearing cap will work. The factory bolts are only so long, and so only thread down so deep. Which means the threads are stripped down only so deep. I had the same thing happen twice on mine, and I've read the same story in other threads, too. You can just use a longer bolt of the same shank diameter and thread pitch. Match up at O'Reilly, Lowe's, or some place and see if that will work first. It should, but if not, then helicoil. They're pretty easy to do. Just costs more having to buy the tools necessary....which you may not have much use for in the future.<<<<been there. And, use a 3/8's drive torque wrench. They're lighter and more sensitive for low torque applications......particularly on aluminum threads.

Sealer just on the end caps.

thook

The caps aren't threaded. Just the head/bearing cap bolt holes.

abecedarian

Silly boy, I was referring to the question about sealant on the caps.

thook

Yeah, I was up at 4:30 this morning. The brain was begging me to go back to bed. Did I listen? Obviously not.

abecedarian

Do you think it would be a good idea to helicoil and use longer bolts?

Yoda

We stipped 2 on a 22RE. The others felt "shakey" so we just helicoiled all the cam cap bolts.

Has to do the same with the exhaust manifold bolts.

Next time its just a new EB head

I use a 1/4" drive inch lb torque wrench (multiply the ft lb by 12 to get inch lb)

thook

Like Yoda, I've had to helicoil exhaust manifold holes on my 22re. They feel so much more solid than the aluminum threads......helicoils, that is. So, I don't think it would really be necessary, but certainly wouldn't hurt.

Blurr

longer bolt worked just fine for me.

91yota3.0

happened to about 5 of mine on my truck just used helicoils on them and there better than they were