So glad you said stripping the thread. Not I threaded it. I hate people that say they threaded something when the mean and should have said they striped the thread
Yessir, ROK strap FTW. The sling is supposed to apply tension between my clavicle and elbow to help pin the clavicle down while the ligaments heal, but the buckle kept slipping and the webbing had zero elasticity. Total shit design that I'm fairly certain was thought up circa WWII. Slapped a ROK strap on there and it was a huge improvement in comfort.
Been watching a ton of both your videos recently after getting back into motorbiking after a hiatus. Excellent top notch videos from both of you! BTW heal up fast Ari.
Hey Man Thank You Have Not Owned a bike in years! But you have saved me a lot of time and money on a damaged oil pan for my truck. I had a bolt seize in there and then finally broke loose but still spinning. When were able to get this out you have saved me man!! I really Appreciate it!!! :) :)
This was an extremely well done and informative post (as usual) - Bravo. Sorry to see that you clipped your wing, Ari, but that's why we love ya - you are the real deal. Great stuff.
Strangely enough, when people tear their ACL they say that it was a painful pop and then after a couple minutes stopped hurting and they felt like they could walk on it again, which is a bad idea because the ligament is torn lol.
Just goobered up one of my spark plug holes recently. Got a tap called a back tap. This tap chases the threads in reverse, reducing the potential for getting junk in the cylinder head like a normal thread chaser would. Extra cash but well worth it!
To keep shavings from falling into the cylinder, set the piston at bottom dead center and fill the cylinder with shaving foam. Once you're done creating shrapnel, turn the engine over to squeeze out the foam which will carry out the shavings.
@@RaindropConstruction Absolute no guarantee you won't lose a shaving. I've had freshly rebored cylinders ruined by a few grains of missed shot blasting media in the past. Let alone metal shavings. It's just not worth the risk with a cylinder.
@@tedmagnum6968 I'd rather risk some soft aluminum shavings in the cylinder that will get blown out within the first few cycles vs taking apart the entire top end, any damage they do is negligible
Great information! But!! A quick trick. Instead of a thread chaser he first showed.. you can cut grooves “flutes” into a bolt. And it works the exact same! I’ve done it several times! This only fixes holes that are cross threaded. Bonus tip! If you strip out a bolt hole, cut a piece of steel wire, and put it in the hole, and insert the bolt. This does work! Ari is showing the right way to do this. But if you need help in a pinch you can cut some corners.
You guys are blessed living on a 1st world country, I was sent from the US long time ago as a General Director of a NYC company out of the 500 fortune magazine. Long story short I got engaged with a native woman, then again and now I live here permanently. I do part time mechanic only in our cars. All the tools here are imported, kits like this or other high tech tools are imported as well. The trash they sell here is all made in China. Local shops are big scammers. Something sold in the US for 20 USD cost 60 here. The things is if they sent the wrong part you're screwed. I wish I had never left the USA.
The TimeSert likely pulled out earlier because it's designed to have the bolt head against it, for the correct depth. It likely would have snapped the head of the bolt off if used as intended to make a flush surface for the bolt head.
I second zdc590. Your production quality and content is truly excellent and that's coming from someone who spent more than 15 years in New Zealand and Japan being part of video and film productions. Thank you and stay safe.
Excellent comparison test! Thank you! As a machinist, I've only ever installed helicoils in aluminum aerospace parts. Always wondered why we never use timeserts but your video cleared that up for me!
Timesert is the shit! Used it to fix bottom drain plug on my vtx 1300. It has two drain plugs. Kept leaking. I called their customer service and they said it had to be tightened more. I felt like I was stripping it again just like Ari says in the video. But, after that it never leaked again and is more solid then a new bike!
Thank's for sharing that! I have the same problem now on my vtx 1300S :( i love that bike bro. I have been searching Timesert in mexican stores and have not found it, where did you buy It? Do you apply the torque that service manual says? If i am right says that is 22lb-ft for both drain plugs. I am thinking about to use heli coil as a posible solution becauase i can found it with a quickly shipping in my country, but if fails, i go with the timesert.
I've used an insert before that is like a time sert, but it has a knurled top edge and it comes with a special punch to flare out the top knurling to hold it into place once screwed in. Worked great on my kz650 oil drain plug.
If you don't have a thread chaser and you've done the thing that sometimes happens where you've somewhat mangled all the threads, but not totally removed them, taking a clean bolt of the correct size and driving it in 1 full turn at a time (i.e. 1 turn, back out, clean hole and bolt, 2 turns, back out, clean whole and bolt, and so on until you've done all the threads), it can save you in a pinch.
Ride safely everyone, I had this accident that have cost me a permanent injury on my right hand. Thankfully I can still continue to ride my bike daily. May we all stay safe all the time. Cheers
For non critical fixings you can wind a thin piece of copper wire around your bolt. The soft copper will fill in the spaces caused by the stripping. I used that trick on a sprocket cover where the thread in the engine block was stripped.
JB weld is great for fixing damaged sealing surfaces. Had a track drive on a 200T crane bearing come apart and gouged the sealing surface. A new output drive was 6 weeks out, so me and the other mechanic decided to buy all the JB weld the local parts house had in stock and we filled in the gouges then used fine emery cloth with oil to smooth it out. That was 8 years ago and it still hasn't leaked.
This was a good video. I stripped a plug thread once at the track. Tossed JB weld on it and let it cure overnight. It held for 2 seasons before I needed to change plugs and just swapped the head. Works in a pinch, but like the video isn’t a good repair option.
yeah last year bought a used sv1000s. had no major problems, went to change the oil. saw that they had a temperary rubber plug, which was working. Decided to use an insert and used the wrong Tap w/ Red locktite long story short had to rebuild the entire engine with an ebay crankcase, but hey she runs like a beauty though. Moral of the story, use your brain and stress less about getting your bike rideable within a day, spend the few extra bits of time to do it right :)
Had never heard of a thread chaser until this repair video. Good to know it exists rather than jumping straight to a tap-and-die system. Just used JB Weld for first time repairing a tail trunk - fiberglass tape plus epoxy. Not pretty but hopefully it'll hold.
I've seen a pro mechanic install a Timesert to fix spark plug threads with the head intact, they put the cylinder in TDC making sure valves were closed then they used grease to catch most shavings and after used compressed air to get all shavings out. So probably possible just have to be extra careful
I've used JBWeld to hold nutserts in place after drilling the hole out. This approach worked, but at the end of the day the JBWeld was holding in the nutsert, which acted like a time-sert. I used this approach on a Jeep Wrangler Brake Caliper. I think this could work for this application as well, but I also think the helicoil and time-serts would be the best approach.
As a professional mechanic and later a shop owner, I have used time serts since the 70s. I had a few real life run ins with helicoils which caused me to pull my hair out and vowed to never use them. Yes, I'm talking about failures. So yes time serts cost but they will work basically forever. So pay now or cry later. And yes, I fixed situations that would have cost a cyl head by using and slightly modifying time serts on a few engines and the fix was permanent.
Did the whole helicoil rigmarole a couple of months before this video, it was for one of the tank holes on the aluminium frame. Super nerve-racking procedure!!. Make sure you use cutting oil, will make everything go smoothly.
For the sparkplugs thread : a vaccum cleaner is very good at removing the bits that fall into the cylinder. Just adapt a hose of the hole diameter to it (Apollo13 style), turn the engine to have the intake valves open , check with a cheap borescope. Before starting work : have the piston near the top intake vale open, stuff the hole with a rag or adhesive tape. then vacuum what you can while working. Use some pliers to extract the rag or tape once finished. Ways faster than removing the head.
I was looking for comparisons on the Helicoil and timesert for another application, but this video was absolutely perfect even though I don’t ride motorcycles lol
Wishing you a fast recovery! Personally, I stripped out the drain plug on my V-Star. Another option, which I used, was to tap a new hole and use an oversized bolt with a crush washer. I wouldn't recommend this on areas where you have limited metal or bolt space, but for the drain plug it worked like a charm. Also don't use this on areas with a higher torque spec. I suspect the high torque on a larger-than-spec bolt could just lead to another stripped out hole. Then you're really f***ed.
I've the same problem on my cbr 250r oil cover.. I temporarily solved the problem by putting a little bigger bolt but the next time I open it I'll be needing helicoil. Thanks Ari.. Love you bro.
This is a great video, straight to the point and easy to understand. I just installed not one but 2 helicoils on my Versys 650 using this video as a tutorial. Overtightened a couple bolts on my new aluminum hand guard brackets and striped the threads. Lot cheaper than new brackets! Plus I have a new trick in the toolbox for next time… I’m sure this won’t be the last time I mess up some threads. Thank you Ari for the great video and helping me fix my mistake!
The JB weld makes a great pipe dope for sloppy pipe threads. I’ve even used it on the manifold of my California air tools compressor that is made out of aluminum, and it’s lasted more than two years.
Ive been told the time sert is the best option although it can be 5 to 10 times more than the helicoil kit. I just put a time sert on my Triumph after stripping a cam cover bolt. It was my first time doing it. Not too hard.
I've used a timesert on a spark plug hole without removing the head. No shavings ended up in the cylinder. I used a lot of grease and first made sure the exhaust valves were open. Once I was done installing the time setting I used compressed air to blow any shavings out the plug hole.
Excellent video. I actually remember pulling threads out of a magnesium fork when removing V-brake bolts. They put red loctite on them which pulled the threads right out. It was a crappy Rockshox fork on a 1995 Specialized Rockhopper A1 Comp (which I still have, with new fork, etc.).
I stripped out the threads on the bolts clamping the eccentric hub on a S2R800 Monster after adjusting the chain one time 😬 The recommended torque is something like 30 ft-lbs, but I had read on a forum that people were regularly torqueing theirs to 70 ft-lbs to make *sure* it didn't budge... yeah, it stripped out at 50 ft-lbs. It was easy enough to "repair" since the (formerly) threaded hole on the bottom half of the swingarm goes all the way through, so a longer bolt and a steel nut worked fine, but it wasn't exactly an elegant solution.
Lazy approach to spark plug shavings: bring the piston up to TDC before you start, use the grease on tools, but when done drop down a wide flexible tube into cylinder, attached to vacuum cleaner and suck away for a couple minutes.
I cross threaded one of the holes on the bottom of the fork where the caliper mounts to trying to bolt the caliper back on. Luckily the shop was able to fix it using one of these methods I’m sure. Now I just have one larger bolt and 3 stock ones. Better than replacing an entire fork!
JB weld does not hold on damaged screw heads. I mixed the two parts together, mixed them till an even grey color appeared, applied the mix to clean steel, the next morning I cut the slot for the screwdriver and let the JB weld harden somemore. Time to test it, crack.
i use both heli coil and jb weld smere the jb weld on the outside of the heli coil and install the coil wait 24 hours before you insert the bolt i did it to my 1970 el camino 350 sb starter bolt work perfectly. Larry B
I missed this one somehow. Just saw it. Man i messed up my right should about the same time you did but it was at the beach trying to be young and ride a weird board thing. I landed on it hard, heard a loud popping knuckle sound. Was on a mini vacation. Doctor said it looks like i dislocated it partially and it popped back when i stood up maybe. My clavical was partially torn. Its been nearly 8 months and i still get pain lifting weights a certain way. Tip for doing this on a spark plug hole. Get a DataVac with the small adapter for keyboards. It will fit inside the spark plug hole and isnpowerful. You could probably suck up nearly all of the shavings from from the chamber. Then blast air in to shake up anything stuck on the sides and hit it again with the shop vac. It will leave enough room in the hole to allow the air to vacuum in and pull the metal fibers out.
i just did this on my HD 2002 Softail whose Transmission pan drain plug is located in THE most awkward position up between the two rear shock absorbers so you need to attach the relevant socket to an extension of considerable length; I haven't measured it but maybe 4-6 inches. Ive done this successfully a 100 times BUT last time, i stripped the threads in the bolt hole. I have no hoist to get underneath it to repair so my other option is to lay it on its side. Please if you have the time tell me what precautions I need to undertake before laying the bike on its side. I cant seem to find this elsewhere. Thank you.
I think helicoils are used only in holes with a bottom and the timeserts are used for holes with no bottom similar to how rivet nut inserts are used. The timesert has a flared head & is also supposed to flare out at the bottom to prevent it from spinning around when you put drain plug bolt back. A timesert or rivet nut insert would be best for a stripped drain plug. If a helicoil was used, it'd spin around going a bit deeper into the hole each time you put plug bolt back in. Since there's no flared top lip or bolt hole bottom to stop it from spinning down into the hole.
For added information, that thread chaser is a form tap with a very short taper. You could do the same with any form tap that matches your threads It might be easier to use a tap with more taper to line up with threads that are still good. 15 dollars will get you a good form tap with a nice 5 or so thread taper. On top of that, thread forming is great on steels because it work hardens the steel and makes it more resistant to wear.
And if you want to use a helicoil, you can order whats called an STI tap. It's the standard tap for helicoil inserts. Also, straight flute taps are garbage if you can avoid it, they don't clear chips or have very good strength. Spiral flute taps push all that metal out towards the top of your hole so you don't have to back it all the way out to clear it. The downside is that spiral flute taps don't always like to straighten themselves out like straight flute taps and spiral point taps do. Having a lot of taper is a good thing if you're working with a thru hole. If you have a blind hole, or a hole that terminates within the material, you can always start with a taper tap and then finish it off with a bottoming tap. Machining knowledge is useful sometimes... only sometimes.
To pull out the shavings from a pistón use an adapted small long rubber hose to a high performance vacuum. It works perfect! Then you check with the snake camera.
I stripped the threads on a fender bolt. I"m just going to drill it all the way through the frame and put a 9.9 nut on the back side making sure I don't drill into the tire and the longer bolt won't hit the tire when it moves up and down..
Quick tip from a machinist here, DO NOT PUT HELI-COILS IN EVERYTHING! THEY DO NOT SEAL AIR OR LIQUIDS! So if something needs to hold pressure or liquid in it use a different insert to repair the hole. Something like a slimsert or a keensert.
Sometimes the stripped hole is located such that one cannot orient a drill or tap into the hole due to framework or other obstructions without removing the entire assembly; my Honda Accord's automatic transmission casing on a 1999 V6 is such an example. In that case I used an oversized self tapping plug with an O-ring gasket. So far it is working just fine --- not a drop of fluid. I did however have to go from an M14 to M18 (actually 18.1) diameter, but fortunately both sizes used the same thread pitch.
Some stripped threads are inside an aluminum engine block with a threaded bolt holing each ignition coil in place. Nearly no stress on the threads means a cheap epoxy with metal powder in it can be used to keep the bolt firmly in the epoxied hole ... Some threaded bolts are NOT under stress and just need something to keep them from backing out ....
Had the bolt snap on the clutch cover. Ended up sticking a helicoil in it as I’m pretty used to doing that at the machine shop I work at. Another awesome video. 🙌🏻
The J-B Weld you used, in the syringe is faster setting than the "original" in tubes and is also weaker, specifically 3960 psi vs 5020 psi per the J-B- Weld website. the "original" does take 24 hours to reach full strength at room temperature, but the time can be shortened by heating to not over 250ºF.
There is another that I find common in Australian fastener suppliers, a ‘Insert Nut Thread’ that screws in with a normal hex key, no special tools required.
I just repaired the exhaust on my Suzuki SV1000S. One of the plate was making a strange metallic noise and after checking it appears 2 of the 3 screws were screwed. helicoil was the solution. Because of the rainy weather and confinment, I didn't have a ride though
Thanks! Love your site by the way; always buy gears from you guys. I'm glad I watched this as I wasn't 100% sure if the JB Weld would actually hold...I'm going to use Helicoil!
To work on a spark plug hole, rotate the crank until the exhaust valve is open (or intake if the exhaust is in the way) and hook up the OUTPUT of a vacuum cleaner to the exhaust (intake). Any stray chips will fly back in your face, not foul the engine (You were wearing safety glasses, yes?). Way easier than pulling the head.
By intake manifold bolts and holes on my cx500 are almost totally shot from the previous owner, just enough thread to create a seal, so I will probably go the helicoil route when I take them off again.
I broke a bolt holding the rear rack in my new bicycle (probably cross threaded is and it was stuck) then I tried drilling it out and now the hole is misshapen and there is very little frame left above the hole. I want to fix it. I'm thinking about putting a thread insert covered in epoxy putty inside. does it make sense? or should I fill the entire hole with epoxy and then drill a hole for the insert? or is putting a threaded insert inside epoxy just a waste of time because it will strip just as easily as bolt directly in epoxy? I have to buy M5 tap anyway so I could buy a thread repair kit instead
I know that I am late to this but would like to say that you should check out "Keenserts". I have used many of them over the years, even installed thousands of them in new production work. No special taps required, stronger than the parent material and they are easily removed. If you dammage the thread in one they have a chart with removal drill sizes, jus drill through and it falls int two or four pieces(depending on the size) chase the threads and install a new one. Of course they are not cheap and as they are bigger than a heli coil, don't fit eveywhere. The spark plug version even has a soft metal gasket to prevent leakage around the threads. Regards.
haha shit... i crashed in jan and broke all the ligaments in my right shoulder, stage 5 AC seperation.... had to have a hook plate screwed in for 3 months, its been out now for a couple weeks and i am so happy to be on the bike again. get better ari...
Gee, that's a telling failure of the TimeSert, compared to a dramatically less expensive (patent expired) Helicoil. I wonder why, and I wonder if that is a reproducible result. Brilliant summary, best comparison I've ever found on the 'net.
he probably didn't use the flaring tool to seat the time-sert also they are thin walled, with finer thread so you can still use a helicoil after a time-sert fails helicoil will be stronger because it is wider and coarser threads so has more penetration but time cert makes an even bigger version if you already tried a helicoil that is stronger ez lock comes next, it thicker than both with coarse thread, ezlock and timecert can use red thread locker without danger of it getting on the original bolt and can be removed with red locktite by the drill bit in their kit thread sealant seeps thru heli-coils and are not as good for thru bolts that go into the water jacket
Awesome video. Glad I found it. Recently stripped the thread where the clutch cable goes into the primary cover. Thread is completely gone. My question is, which method would you recommend to fix that thread? The primary cover is aluminum. And of course there’s an o-ring which seals the fluid. Thanks in advance.
This was a great vid covering something we’re all bound to encounter at least once. Looking forward to another one covering rounded & broken off bolt heads!
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So glad you said stripping the thread. Not I threaded it.
I hate people that say they threaded something when the mean and should have said they striped the thread
This video needs an update to include the locktite form-a-thread option.
That neon sign is lit. Also - did you customize your sling with ROK straps? That's peak motorcyclist right there. ~RF9
Hey Ryan!
Yessir, ROK strap FTW. The sling is supposed to apply tension between my clavicle and elbow to help pin the clavicle down while the ligaments heal, but the buckle kept slipping and the webbing had zero elasticity. Total shit design that I'm fairly certain was thought up circa WWII. Slapped a ROK strap on there and it was a huge improvement in comfort.
Been watching a ton of both your videos recently after getting back into motorbiking after a hiatus. Excellent top notch videos from both of you! BTW heal up fast Ari.
ROK straps are trash. On mine the buckles don't grip the straps so they slide loose.
imagine if the neon sign is actually a vfx...
Ari repairs a bike with only one arm 👍
I'm not sure which hurts more: Ari's shoulder or his soul from intentionally stripping that drain thread. I hope both get a speedy recovery.
It will be a sad day when Ari & Zack retire.
I literally got into motorcycles because of these 2 & their bromance!
You bet, luckily that ain't happening anytime soon I'm sure!
Hey Man Thank You Have Not Owned a bike in years! But you have saved me a lot of time and money on a damaged oil pan for my truck. I had a bolt seize in there and then finally broke loose but still spinning. When were able to get this out you have saved me man!! I really Appreciate it!!! :) :)
Grease on the tap to catch the metal filings.
Good trick! I learned something today.
Stop hurting yourself, man. This community can't afford to lose you.
The job he is doing for this community kind of involves hurting himself from time to time. Have to respect it.
Could you imagine having to rely on Yammie Noob for entertainment? 😓😓🤢
@@AndrewDasilvaPLT That dude still exists? I thought he was launched into orbit?
@@zdc590 We can only pray. 😓🙏🙏
Bruh why the hate??????
This was an extremely well done and informative post (as usual) - Bravo. Sorry to see that you clipped your wing, Ari, but that's why we love ya - you are the real deal. Great stuff.
I hope you're ok. I've heard that torn ligaments can hurt pretty bad.
Love that you're still doing videos though, this series is incredible.
I'm outta the sling and mostly recovered, thanks!
@@AriH211 That's great to hear! Hopefully you get out for some nice riding again soon.
@@AriH211 VERY glad to hear that, Brother!!!
Strangely enough, when people tear their ACL they say that it was a painful pop and then after a couple minutes stopped hurting and they felt like they could walk on it again, which is a bad idea because the ligament is torn lol.
Just goobered up one of my spark plug holes recently. Got a tap called a back tap. This tap chases the threads in reverse, reducing the potential for getting junk in the cylinder head like a normal thread chaser would.
Extra cash but well worth it!
To keep shavings from falling into the cylinder, set the piston at bottom dead center and fill the cylinder with shaving foam. Once you're done creating shrapnel, turn the engine over to squeeze out the foam which will carry out the shavings.
Interesting idea!
Nah, id rather just take the head off. Much less messy
@@HvV8446 why? All that work
@@RaindropConstruction Absolute no guarantee you won't lose a shaving. I've had freshly rebored cylinders ruined by a few grains of missed shot blasting media in the past. Let alone metal shavings. It's just not worth the risk with a cylinder.
@@tedmagnum6968 I'd rather risk some soft aluminum shavings in the cylinder that will get blown out within the first few cycles vs taking apart the entire top end, any damage they do is negligible
Great information! But!! A quick trick. Instead of a thread chaser he first showed.. you can cut grooves “flutes” into a bolt. And it works the exact same! I’ve done it several times! This only fixes holes that are cross threaded.
Bonus tip! If you strip out a bolt hole, cut a piece of steel wire, and put it in the hole, and insert the bolt. This does work! Ari is showing the right way to do this. But if you need help in a pinch you can cut some corners.
You guys are blessed living on a 1st world country, I was sent from the US long time ago as a General Director of a NYC company out of the 500 fortune magazine. Long story short I got engaged with a native woman, then again and now I live here permanently. I do part time mechanic only in our cars. All the tools here are imported, kits like this or other high tech tools are imported as well. The trash they sell here is all made in China. Local shops are big scammers. Something sold in the US for 20 USD cost 60 here. The things is if they sent the wrong part you're screwed. I wish I had never left the USA.
The TimeSert likely pulled out earlier because it's designed to have the bolt head against it, for the correct depth. It likely would have snapped the head of the bolt off if used as intended to make a flush surface for the bolt head.
Oversizing the hole to next level by drilling and tapping has worked for me well.
I've seen JB Weld used to fix a cracked block on an 120 Mercury Outboard. That's when I realized how JB Weld can be used and how great it is.
I second zdc590. Your production quality and content is truly excellent and that's coming from someone who spent more than 15 years in New Zealand and Japan being part of video and film productions. Thank you and stay safe.
Excellent comparison test! Thank you! As a machinist, I've only ever installed helicoils in aluminum aerospace parts. Always wondered why we never use timeserts but your video cleared that up for me!
Timesert is the shit! Used it to fix bottom drain plug on my vtx 1300. It has two drain plugs. Kept leaking. I called their customer service and they said it had to be tightened more. I felt like I was stripping it again just like Ari says in the video. But, after that it never leaked again and is more solid then a new bike!
Thank's for sharing that! I have the same problem now on my vtx 1300S :( i love that bike bro. I have been searching Timesert in mexican stores and have not found it, where did you buy It? Do you apply the torque that service manual says? If i am right says that is 22lb-ft for both drain plugs.
I am thinking about to use heli coil as a posible solution becauase i can found it with a quickly shipping in my country, but if fails, i go with the timesert.
I've used an insert before that is like a time sert, but it has a knurled top edge and it comes with a special punch to flare out the top knurling to hold it into place once screwed in. Worked great on my kz650 oil drain plug.
If you don't have a thread chaser and you've done the thing that sometimes happens where you've somewhat mangled all the threads, but not totally removed them, taking a clean bolt of the correct size and driving it in 1 full turn at a time (i.e. 1 turn, back out, clean hole and bolt, 2 turns, back out, clean whole and bolt, and so on until you've done all the threads), it can save you in a pinch.
Can you do a video about how to get a stripped phillips head screw out?
Ride safely everyone, I had this accident that have cost me a permanent injury on my right hand. Thankfully I can still continue to ride my bike daily. May we all stay safe all the time. Cheers
I'm getting very good ryanf9 vibes from this video. I want more.
For non critical fixings you can wind a thin piece of copper wire around your bolt. The soft copper will fill in the spaces caused by the stripping. I used that trick on a sprocket cover where the thread in the engine block was stripped.
JB weld is great for fixing damaged sealing surfaces. Had a track drive on a 200T crane bearing come apart and gouged the sealing surface. A new output drive was 6 weeks out, so me and the other mechanic decided to buy all the JB weld the local parts house had in stock and we filled in the gouges then used fine emery cloth with oil to smooth it out. That was 8 years ago and it still hasn't leaked.
This was a good video. I stripped a plug thread once at the track. Tossed JB weld on it and let it cure overnight. It held for 2 seasons before I needed to change plugs and just swapped the head. Works in a pinch, but like the video isn’t a good repair option.
yeah last year bought a used sv1000s. had no major problems, went to change the oil. saw that they had a temperary rubber plug, which was working. Decided to use an insert and used the wrong Tap w/ Red locktite long story short had to rebuild the entire engine with an ebay crankcase, but hey she runs like a beauty though. Moral of the story, use your brain and stress less about getting your bike rideable within a day, spend the few extra bits of time to do it right :)
Had never heard of a thread chaser until this repair video. Good to know it exists rather than jumping straight to a tap-and-die system. Just used JB Weld for first time repairing a tail trunk - fiberglass tape plus epoxy. Not pretty but hopefully it'll hold.
What size timesert should I buy for oil pan? Any help would be appreciated maybe a link to what I should buy
Wishing you fast recovery man so you and zack can do more CTXP videos!
We're filming another CTXP this week!
I've seen a pro mechanic install a Timesert to fix spark plug threads with the head intact, they put the cylinder in TDC making sure valves were closed then they used grease to catch most shavings and after used compressed air to get all shavings out. So probably possible just have to be extra careful
Also boroscope + microvacuum tube
I've used JBWeld to hold nutserts in place after drilling the hole out. This approach worked, but at the end of the day the JBWeld was holding in the nutsert, which acted like a time-sert. I used this approach on a Jeep Wrangler Brake Caliper. I think this could work for this application as well, but I also think the helicoil and time-serts would be the best approach.
As a professional mechanic and later a shop owner, I have used time serts since the 70s. I had a few real life run ins with helicoils which caused me to pull my hair out and vowed to never use them. Yes, I'm talking about failures. So yes time serts cost but they will work basically forever. So pay now or cry later. And yes, I fixed situations that would have cost a cyl head by using and slightly modifying time serts on a few engines and the fix was permanent.
Godspeed on healing!!!!! As always, the best videos on the subject avail ANYWHERE today!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼
Did the whole helicoil rigmarole a couple of months before this video, it was for one of the tank holes on the aluminium frame. Super nerve-racking procedure!!. Make sure you use cutting oil, will make everything go smoothly.
For the sparkplugs thread : a vaccum cleaner is very good at removing the bits that fall into the cylinder. Just adapt a hose of the hole diameter to it (Apollo13 style), turn the engine to have the intake valves open , check with a cheap borescope.
Before starting work : have the piston near the top intake vale open, stuff the hole with a rag or adhesive tape. then vacuum what you can while working. Use some pliers to extract the rag or tape once finished.
Ways faster than removing the head.
This is so useful. That what i said to the mechanic to just rethread or something but he told me to just get a new engine case. never came back
Finally! I know the right way to do this! Thanks for all the great knowledge Ari! Get better soon!
Well this settles the debate on whether or not helicoils are weak!! Awesome video
Have previously raced a CBR600 with helicoiled front brake calipers. I was dreadful, but not because of the brakes; they were fine 👍
Phenomenal video, the insert comparison at the end was great.
I was looking for comparisons on the Helicoil and timesert for another application, but this video was absolutely perfect even though I don’t ride motorcycles lol
Wishing you a fast recovery!
Personally, I stripped out the drain plug on my V-Star. Another option, which I used, was to tap a new hole and use an oversized bolt with a crush washer.
I wouldn't recommend this on areas where you have limited metal or bolt space, but for the drain plug it worked like a charm. Also don't use this on areas with a higher torque spec. I suspect the high torque on a larger-than-spec bolt could just lead to another stripped out hole. Then you're really f***ed.
I've the same problem on my cbr 250r oil cover.. I temporarily solved the problem by putting a little bigger bolt but the next time I open it I'll be needing helicoil. Thanks Ari.. Love you bro.
This is a great video, straight to the point and easy to understand. I just installed not one but 2 helicoils on my Versys 650 using this video as a tutorial. Overtightened a couple bolts on my new aluminum hand guard brackets and striped the threads. Lot cheaper than new brackets! Plus I have a new trick in the toolbox for next time… I’m sure this won’t be the last time I mess up some threads. Thank you Ari for the great video and helping me fix my mistake!
The JB weld makes a great pipe dope for sloppy pipe threads. I’ve even used it on the manifold of my California air tools compressor that is made out of aluminum, and it’s lasted more than two years.
Ive been told the time sert is the best option although it can be 5 to 10 times more than the helicoil kit. I just put a time sert on my Triumph after stripping a cam cover bolt. It was my first time doing it. Not too hard.
I've used a timesert on a spark plug hole without removing the head. No shavings ended up in the cylinder. I used a lot of grease and first made sure the exhaust valves were open. Once I was done installing the time setting I used compressed air to blow any shavings out the plug hole.
Excellent video. I actually remember pulling threads out of a magnesium fork when removing V-brake bolts. They put red loctite on them which pulled the threads right out. It was a crappy Rockshox fork on a 1995 Specialized Rockhopper A1 Comp (which I still have, with new fork, etc.).
Wishing you a fast recovery.
This was a really well done video. Awesome video with no time wasting and just pure knowledge. Thank you!
I think it would be fair to mention the option to make a thread for a bigger bolt. Not as neat, but better emergency repair then JB weld.
Thanks for the video! I always wondered what I would have to do in case I ruin the oil-plug threads.
Wishing you a fast recovery from your injury!
I stripped out the threads on the bolts clamping the eccentric hub on a S2R800 Monster after adjusting the chain one time 😬 The recommended torque is something like 30 ft-lbs, but I had read on a forum that people were regularly torqueing theirs to 70 ft-lbs to make *sure* it didn't budge... yeah, it stripped out at 50 ft-lbs. It was easy enough to "repair" since the (formerly) threaded hole on the bottom half of the swingarm goes all the way through, so a longer bolt and a steel nut worked fine, but it wasn't exactly an elegant solution.
Just overtightened my drain bolt. This couldn't have come at a better time.
Thanks Ari for the video... Get well soon Ari...
Lazy approach to spark plug shavings: bring the piston up to TDC before you start, use the grease on tools, but when done drop down a wide flexible tube into cylinder, attached to vacuum cleaner and suck away for a couple minutes.
nice to see I'm not the only one who is heavy into the gospel of Rok Straps, never thought of using them on a shoulder sling though. Get well soon.
It was a huge improvement for the sling, which is supposed to hold down the clavicle while the ligaments mend.
I cross threaded one of the holes on the bottom of the fork where the caliper mounts to trying to bolt the caliper back on. Luckily the shop was able to fix it using one of these methods I’m sure. Now I just have one larger bolt and 3 stock ones. Better than replacing an entire fork!
JB weld does not hold on damaged screw heads. I mixed the two parts together, mixed them till an even grey color appeared, applied the mix to clean steel, the next morning I cut the slot for the screwdriver and let the JB weld harden somemore. Time to test it, crack.
i use both heli coil and jb weld smere the jb weld on the outside of the heli coil and install the coil wait 24 hours before you insert the bolt i did it to my 1970 el camino 350 sb starter bolt work perfectly. Larry B
I missed this one somehow. Just saw it. Man i messed up my right should about the same time you did but it was at the beach trying to be young and ride a weird board thing. I landed on it hard, heard a loud popping knuckle sound. Was on a mini vacation. Doctor said it looks like i dislocated it partially and it popped back when i stood up maybe. My clavical was partially torn. Its been nearly 8 months and i still get pain lifting weights a certain way.
Tip for doing this on a spark plug hole. Get a DataVac with the small adapter for keyboards. It will fit inside the spark plug hole and isnpowerful. You could probably suck up nearly all of the shavings from from the chamber.
Then blast air in to shake up anything stuck on the sides and hit it again with the shop vac. It will leave enough room in the hole to allow the air to vacuum in and pull the metal fibers out.
i just did this on my HD 2002 Softail whose Transmission pan drain plug is located in THE most awkward position up between the two rear shock absorbers so you need to attach the relevant socket to an extension of considerable length; I haven't measured it but maybe 4-6 inches. Ive done this successfully a 100 times BUT last time, i stripped the threads in the bolt hole. I have no hoist to get underneath it to repair so my other option is to lay it on its side. Please if you have the time tell me what precautions I need to undertake before laying the bike on its side. I cant seem to find this elsewhere. Thank you.
I think helicoils are used only in holes with a bottom and the timeserts are used for holes with no bottom similar to how rivet nut inserts are used. The timesert has a flared head & is also supposed to flare out at the bottom to prevent it from spinning around when you put drain plug bolt back. A timesert or rivet nut insert would be best for a stripped drain plug. If a helicoil was used, it'd spin around going a bit deeper into the hole each time you put plug bolt back in. Since there's no flared top lip or bolt hole bottom to stop it from spinning down into the hole.
For added information, that thread chaser is a form tap with a very short taper. You could do the same with any form tap that matches your threads It might be easier to use a tap with more taper to line up with threads that are still good. 15 dollars will get you a good form tap with a nice 5 or so thread taper. On top of that, thread forming is great on steels because it work hardens the steel and makes it more resistant to wear.
And if you want to use a helicoil, you can order whats called an STI tap. It's the standard tap for helicoil inserts. Also, straight flute taps are garbage if you can avoid it, they don't clear chips or have very good strength. Spiral flute taps push all that metal out towards the top of your hole so you don't have to back it all the way out to clear it. The downside is that spiral flute taps don't always like to straighten themselves out like straight flute taps and spiral point taps do.
Having a lot of taper is a good thing if you're working with a thru hole. If you have a blind hole, or a hole that terminates within the material, you can always start with a taper tap and then finish it off with a bottoming tap.
Machining knowledge is useful sometimes... only sometimes.
Ari single-handedly testing the repair methods.
To pull out the shavings from a pistón use an adapted small long rubber hose to a high performance vacuum. It works perfect! Then you check with the snake camera.
In a situation like that especially where oil will leak you should use a 1-2-3 block so that the angle of the tap is 100% true and straight.
I stripped the threads on a fender bolt. I"m just going to drill it all the way through the frame and put a 9.9 nut on the back side making sure I don't drill into the tire and the longer bolt won't hit the tire when it moves up and down..
Quick tip from a machinist here, DO NOT PUT HELI-COILS IN EVERYTHING! THEY DO NOT SEAL AIR OR LIQUIDS! So if something needs to hold pressure or liquid in it use a different insert to repair the hole. Something like a slimsert or a keensert.
Sometimes the stripped hole is located such that one cannot orient a drill or tap into the hole due to framework or other obstructions without removing the entire assembly; my Honda Accord's automatic transmission casing on a 1999 V6 is such an example. In that case I used an oversized self tapping plug with an O-ring gasket. So far it is working just fine --- not a drop of fluid. I did however have to go from an M14 to M18 (actually 18.1) diameter, but fortunately both sizes used the same thread pitch.
Some stripped threads are inside an aluminum engine block with a threaded bolt holing each ignition coil in place. Nearly no stress on the threads means a cheap epoxy with metal powder in it can be used to keep the bolt firmly in the epoxied hole ... Some threaded bolts are NOT under stress and just need something to keep them from backing out ....
Had the bolt snap on the clutch cover. Ended up sticking a helicoil in it as I’m pretty used to doing that at the machine shop I work at. Another awesome video. 🙌🏻
The J-B Weld you used, in the syringe is faster setting than the "original" in tubes and is also weaker, specifically 3960 psi vs 5020 psi per the J-B- Weld website. the "original" does take 24 hours to reach full strength at room temperature, but the time can be shortened by heating to not over 250ºF.
There is another that I find common in Australian fastener suppliers, a ‘Insert Nut Thread’ that screws in with a normal hex key, no special tools required.
I just repaired the exhaust on my Suzuki SV1000S. One of the plate was making a strange metallic noise and after checking it appears 2 of the 3 screws were screwed. helicoil was the solution. Because of the rainy weather and confinment, I didn't have a ride though
Timesert is what you’d want if you strip a engine head stud. Common repair on old aluminum blocks
We call that an all allthread I made brass ones for my old bandit rocker cover screws m7x1 wtf ?
wishing you a speedy recovery mate. Get well soon.
Hi Ari hope you get better soon brother, I got in an accident and injured my knee, but its all good! Get well soon
🤲
I always learn something from you.
I hope your shoulder heals quickly.
Thank you
Ouch! Hope you recover quickly and well, Ari! Thanks for another great video!
Thanks! Love your site by the way; always buy gears from you guys. I'm glad I watched this as I wasn't 100% sure if the JB Weld would actually hold...I'm going to use Helicoil!
To work on a spark plug hole, rotate the crank until the exhaust valve is open (or intake if the exhaust is in the way) and hook up the OUTPUT of a vacuum cleaner to the exhaust (intake). Any stray chips will fly back in your face, not foul the engine (You were wearing safety glasses, yes?). Way easier than pulling the head.
By intake manifold bolts and holes on my cx500 are almost totally shot from the previous owner, just enough thread to create a seal, so I will probably go the helicoil route when I take them off again.
This is the best video on this subject that Ive ever seen.
I hope you get well soon , please take care of you self Ari. And keep up the good work , really apriciat the video thanks
Here's another method. Use Aluminum "solder" to fill the hole, then re-drill and tap. This can be stronger than the base Al.
We can't afford to lose you sir😣😣😣😣
Im from Philippines sir your biggest fan👋👋👋👋👋👋👋👋👋👋
The best mechanic i only rely on my motorcycle.
Excellent video.
I've started using a 1/4" drive more often to counter my He-Man strength. lol.
Good move to counter the "tighter must be better", "I wouldn't want it to loosen" 😉
Sounds like me!
I broke a bolt holding the rear rack in my new bicycle (probably cross threaded is and it was stuck) then I tried drilling it out and now the hole is misshapen and there is very little frame left above the hole. I want to fix it. I'm thinking about putting a thread insert covered in epoxy putty inside. does it make sense? or should I fill the entire hole with epoxy and then drill a hole for the insert? or is putting a threaded insert inside epoxy just a waste of time because it will strip just as easily as bolt directly in epoxy? I have to buy M5 tap anyway so I could buy a thread repair kit instead
Wishing you a quick recovery.
We use both the Helocoil and the TimeSerts great products.
I know that I am late to this but would like to say that you should check out "Keenserts". I have used many of them over the years, even installed thousands of them in new production work. No special taps required, stronger than the parent material and they are easily removed. If you dammage the thread in one they have a chart with removal drill sizes, jus drill through and it falls int two or four pieces(depending on the size) chase the threads and install a new one. Of course they are not cheap and as they are bigger than a heli coil, don't fit eveywhere. The spark plug version even has a soft metal gasket to prevent leakage around the threads. Regards.
haha shit... i crashed in jan and broke all the ligaments in my right shoulder, stage 5 AC seperation.... had to have a hook plate screwed in for 3 months, its been out now for a couple weeks and i am so happy to be on the bike again. get better ari...
Gee, that's a telling failure of the TimeSert, compared to a dramatically less expensive (patent expired) Helicoil. I wonder why, and I wonder if that is a reproducible result. Brilliant summary, best comparison I've ever found on the 'net.
he probably didn't use the flaring tool to seat the time-sert
also they are thin walled, with finer thread so you can still use a helicoil after a time-sert fails
helicoil will be stronger because it is wider and coarser threads so has more penetration but time cert makes an even bigger version if you already tried a helicoil that is stronger
ez lock comes next, it thicker than both with coarse thread, ezlock and timecert can use red thread locker without danger of it getting on the original bolt and can be removed with red locktite by the drill bit in their kit
thread sealant seeps thru heli-coils and are not as good for thru bolts that go into the water jacket
Very important topic...i myself had ripped off engine oil drain thread on my FZ...took 1 min and $1 to fix by a professional...
Awesome video. Glad I found it. Recently stripped the thread where the clutch cable goes into the primary cover. Thread is completely gone. My question is, which method would you recommend to fix that thread? The primary cover is aluminum. And of course there’s an o-ring which seals the fluid. Thanks in advance.
This was a great vid covering something we’re all bound to encounter at least once. Looking forward to another one covering rounded & broken off bolt heads!
Yup, it's on the list.