cam seal retainer bolt hole stripped

[dltrial]

Changing the cam seals, I was tightening the bolts on the retainer. I forget the proper torque, something like 6 or 7, but using a torque wrench to set the torque, one bolt on each cam tower never reaches the set torque, they just turn. I removed the screw and looked in the bolt hole; the threads don't look bad, no aluminum filings inside and bolts do get fairly 'tight', but I'm worried that they might work loose. What should I do:

 

1 Tighten them as far as they will go and call it good.

 

2 Use some thread locker. How hot will the cam tower get when engine is running?

 

3 Use thread inserts.

 

I don't really feel like going back to the junk yard for some cam towers, and who knows they could have the same problem?

[BirdMobile]

Remove the cover. Put a few pieces of small (26-30 gauge) solid copper wire into the hole parallel to the bolt, with enough length to bend into a "L" over the edge of the hole. Get the bolt started, then snip the wires flush with the top of the hole. Screw the bolt almost all the way in, then remove it. Put the cover on, and tighten all bolts to spec.

This trick has saved me many times with questionable threaded holes.

[somick]

I remember grossgarry said that you can use a longer bolt since there are some threads left in there.

 

I hope it will work as well.

 

Good luck,

Sam

[idosubaru]

I remember grossgarry said that you can use a longer bolt since there are some threads left in there.

 

I hope it will work as well.

 

Good luck,

Sam

 

this, i've done it countless times including on those exact same cam cap bolts.

 

ideally you do this:

1. clean the threads in the hole with a tap and the threads on the bolt with a die.  obviously you'll skip this step if you don't have a tap and die set.

2.  get a longer bolt - there are threads below the depth of the original bolts, you want to grab those.

3.  if the bolt it too long - cut it and use a die to clean the cut end - or just use washers under the bolt head.  use the washers if you don't have a die to chase the cut bolt.

 

it's the standard subaru bolt - there's a billion bolts with that thread pitch on a subaru - 10mm head and M6x1.00 bolt thread diameter.  If you go to a hardware store or auto parts store get M6x1.00 bolts the size you need.  of course just take one of the original bolts with you to verity thread and length of the bolt you need.  the timing cover bolts, valve cover bolts, many power steering pump, fender hold down...are all 10mm with M6x1.00 thread pitch.

 

you can stick a nail down the hole to judge how deep it is.

 

the copper wire trick sounds nifty too.

[opus]

Longer bolts or copper wire.  Thats saved me a few times.  Weed whacker string works too.

[scoobiedubie]

Get another cam tower at the junk yard.  You can replace a cam tower faster than you can fix a stripped hole that you can never put enough tension on to stop the oil leakage.

[Craigar]

Well I JUST DID THE SAME THING! I didn't realize I was reading the torque for a different bolt having to do with the cam.. Man - kinda like "measure twice cut once"... = in my case "read trice and maybe I'll really understand.."  and my new HF click torque wrench was set at 13 and it really felt too tight to me as I was turning them (each one a 1/2 turn towards the end) and the bottom one one busted loose - of course the wrench never clicked - should be at 8~9lbs.

 

well I'm GLAD I READ THIS TOPIC THREAD? cause I was  thinking about how a M7 is just barely bigger than a M6 , so went back to Harbor Freight and looked at their deluxe $15 tap set and it has M7 - just about the thickness of a set of threads bigger than M6! - so I bought it - But Autozone DOES NOT have any M7 bolts! Neither does HF.  SO I WAS thinking about tapping at and using M7, but I guess it looks like there is enough good thread left beyond the original bolt, so that should be a good way to go. Here's a stick that I stuck in the threaded hole (up to my thumbnail) - much longer than the bolt! Man talk about a "second chance.."

 

 

Edited November 1, 2018 by Craigar
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[Craigar]

Good advice about longer bolt - I also ground off the tapered tip of a tap

 

and went down into the bottom of the hole cause the correct length of longer bolt wouldn't go all the way (without forcing it) - and it cut the threads deeper in the bottom of the hole (I think..)

here's the first time I backed it out, got a littl more on 2nd pass and bolt went in smooth & torqued properly

 

 

[jono]

Huh, wonder if Haines manuals had this spec higher than should be ?

[Craigar]

No, this was  MY FAULT,  I saw "Cam Housing.." which is probably what we call "cam tower" and I half a** let my brain jump to the fabled land of conclusions thinking "of course it's the "housing" that supports the cam on the end where the sprocket is .. if only I had looked at the next line - which starts with "cam.." - and the next 3 lines also... then I would have seen "cam seal retainer" for sure. Being 62 years old & feeling kinda spacey & tired at least half the time don't help either. For Christmas I'd really like a brand new brain! (at least a good rebuild

Edited November 3, 2018 by Craigar

[DaveT]

Since the engine is all aluminum,  it pretty much is all the same temperature once it's been running for a while.