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1G Stripped Hole in block

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Falcon91

Proven Member
33
5
May 14, 2018
Fredericksburg, Iowa
Hey guys, i have a 90' GSX i just got running a few months ago. have going through it trying to make sure everything is up to snuff. i took it down the road and had a bad steering wheel wobble so i pulled the tires and checked everything and it all seems to have been replaced recently. So i continued my search for the cause of the wobble and it led me to the motor mounts which also look to have been replaced recently (prothane front and back) But i noticed i was missing a tranny bolt (not sure how i missed it) and another was loose. so i got a bolt for the missing one and tightened it up but when i went to tighten the loose bolt it seems like its stripped out. The good news is it pretty much solved my wobble problem but I really don't want to pull the motor for one bolt, any idea on way to fix this? Also i noticed my front rotor wheel stud holes are larger than the wheel studs and have a lot of play. is that common? it doesn't seem like the lug nuts would center the rotor on the hub at all.
 
For the wheel issue you could get a set of hub centric rings. That should center up the wheel better.

For the stripped hole I would try to use a different bolt first. If that doesn't work run a tap through it and clean up the threads. Make sure the tap is straight and you take your time and use lubrication. That is... if you can get a tap in there.
 
Which bolt?
The tranny bolt straight down from the CAS, To the left of the bolt under the T-Stat housing if you're looking at the engine front the passenger side.

For the wheel issue you could get a set of hub centric rings. That should center up the wheel better.

For the stripped hole I would try to use a different bolt first. If that doesn't work run a tap through it and clean up the threads. Make sure the tap is straight and you take your time and use lubrication. That is... if you can get a tap in there.
The wheels are fine its the brake rotors. and I'll get a tap from the machine shop at work and try cleaning the threads out.
 
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The wheels are fine its the brake rotors. and I'll get a tap from the machine shop at work and try cleaning the threads out.

Yeah I would say a tap is the only option. And my apologies I read that wrong. The rotors should have some wiggle room, but not a ton. You may have the wrong rotors if something doesn't seem right. Pictures might help.
 
Damn, that goes right into the block. Not sure what to tell you about the wheels though. You sure it's a problem?
NOt 100%, but it just doesn't seem right LOL. To me it seems like if the Rotor isn't centered when installing the tire it would through the balance off a little. Maybe it won't LOL.

Yeah I would say a tap is the only option. And my apologies I read that wrong. The rotors should have some wiggle room, but not a ton. You may have the wrong rotors if something doesn't seem right. Pictures might help.
I'll try and get one asap.
 
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If the bolt hole is stripped retapping will not help. Inspect the bolt and see if the bolt is stripped rather than the hole. If the bolt is good & the problem is the hole you have a problem which I would fix properly. My opinion is each and every bolt holding the transmission is critical & you need them all. I don't know if you can repair this bolt without pulling the engine.
 
If the bolt hole is stripped retapping will not help. Inspect the bolt and see if the bolt is stripped rather than the hole. If the bolt is good & the problem is the hole you have a problem which I would fix properly. My opinion is each and every bolt holding the transmission is critical & you need them all. I don't know if you can repair this bolt without pulling the engine.

Unless the threads are completely wiped out, it could help. I would also try using a *slightly* longer bolt to see if there is a chance of grabbing some good threads. That is not a permanent fix though if it even works.

You would not have to pull the engine to fix it. You would more than likely have to pull the transmission out so that you could install a helicoil in the hole though.
 
You can properly repair a thread with helicoil to comparable to original strength without uninstalling anything. If the damage is really bad, you may have to jump up to a threadsert which will require transmission removal. Google search both of those key words to get a feel for which one best suits your needs and proceed as required.
 
You can properly repair a thread with helicoil to comparable to original strength without uninstalling anything. If the damage is really bad, you may have to jump up to a threadsert which will require transmission removal. Google search both of those key words to get a feel for which one best suits your needs and proceed as required.

I think you would have one hell of a time installing a helicoil with the transmission still on the car....
 
Unless you had a reeeeally long tapping tool which probably doesn't exist.

They make long reach taps, but I would think that drilling it out would hard. You might be able to get to it with an angle drill. Installing the actual helicoil I think is what would get you.
 
I think you would have one hell of a time installing a helicoil with the transmission still on the car....

He wanted an option for fixing without removing the transmission and a helicoil is the best bet if that is the desire. Thread sert or time sert are good, robust solutions, but would absolutely would require transmission removal. The other proposed solution, going up a size in thread with a bigger tap and bolt, is not a proper fix; the tolerances of the transmission thru-holes are designed for the original fastener sizes which you could fix by enlargening the thru hole diameter, but then you've lost bolt-head bearing area and it's just not the right way to do it.
 
He wanted an option for fixing without removing the transmission and a helicoil is the best bet if that is the desire. Thread sert or time sert are good, robust solutions, but would absolutely would require transmission removal. The other proposed solution, going up a size in thread with a bigger tap and bolt, is not a proper fix; the tolerances of the transmission thru-holes are designed for the original fastener sizes which you could fix by enlargening the thru hole diameter, but then you've lost bolt-head bearing area and it's just not the right way to do it.

Actually he said he wanted an option without removing the motor. Not the transmission. I suggested a helicoil, but also stated it may not be able to be done with the transmission in the car.

And I do not see any posts where someone proposed to go up a size in thread with a bigger bolt.
 
I think the tranny is will need to be separated from the block no mater which repair is selected. From my clutch jobs I think the tranny thru hole is a tight fit & diameter is smaller than any of the thread repair inserts outside thread sizes with Helicoils probably being the smallest. Time inserts would be slightly larger due to the flange feature. If I was faced with this problem my choice would be a Helicoil & would be twice times diameter long, in this case a M10 x .25, 20mm long.
 
I think the tranny is will need to be separated from the block no mater which repair is selected. From my clutch jobs I think the tranny thru hole is a tight fit & diameter is smaller than any of the thread repair inserts outside thread sizes with Helicoils probably being the smallest. Time inserts would be slightly larger due to the flange feature. If I was faced with this problem my choice would be a Helicoil & would be twice times diameter long, in this case a M10 x .25, 20mm long.

Well considering the transmission would still be bolted on, you would be drilling through it aswell. Which then it would fit.
 
I would try to avoid enlarging the mounting holes on my tranny, even if it's only one hole.
 
Do not half ass the repair please. Remove the transmission, install the repair properly. I ran into a few stripped threads after reinstalling a transmission. Its sucked.... but I pulled it out and repaired them correctly. Wouldnt do it any other way
 
I'm sure i'll end up taking the tranny out and re tapping the hole, (i work at a fab shop with a full machine show so i have access to plenty of taps). I'll probably go with one size bigger like a M12x1.5. But the company we buy tooling from suggested loctite thread repair compound. The guy swears by it apparently, any one ever used it?

https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/00250456?rItem=00250456
 
Stay away from your shops tool guy is my suggestion. According to Henkel Loctite Data Specifications this stuff torque recommendation with 10mm or 3/8 fasteners is 82 in lbs. Torques spec for this bolt is 35 ft lbs. The loctite stuff converted to "ft lbs" is 6.8 ft lbs.
 
Stay away from your shops tool guy is my suggestion. According to Henkel Loctite Data Specifications this stuff torque recommendation with 10mm or 3/8 fasteners is 82 in lbs. Torques spec for this bolt is 35 ft lbs. The loctite stuff converted to "ft lbs" is 6.8 ft lbs.

Yikes, well i don't think that's going to work.
 
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