NorthWet Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 (edited) I am looking to borrow an M11x1.25 Helicoil kit from a local. I was just about to reassemble my XT's EA82 when I discovered a stripped headbolt hole. There will be one M11x1.25 Helicoil kit shipped into the county tomorrow morning, but it will set me back $69. As this is intended to be my last ever foray into headbolted EA82s, I am loathe to spend $69 to fix one hole so that I can save a little gas by driving my more fuel-efficient XT. I am already plenty peeved at the misadventures this emergency short-block swap has caused me... I don't want to spend another couple weeks deciding between a stop-gap helicoil kit, the ultimate-goal of an EJ conversion, or the ego-expression of my EA82T SSE (Super Sow's Ear) project. Somebody save me from myself, please! Edited September 4, 2010 by NorthWet Prevent wasting people's time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capn_r Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 Could you do that hole with a 7/16 14 Helicoil instead? There should be lots of that size around. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted September 3, 2010 Share Posted September 3, 2010 I have a tap set that could have the correct size, unfortunately no helicoils, let me know if that is any help to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 Could you do that hole with a 7/16 14 Helicoil instead? There should be lots of that size around. Just a thought. 7/16-14 isn't particularly close to the right thread (-20 is closer) so I couldn't use my headbolt. Using some other bolt opens up a HUGE can of worms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 I have a tap set that could have the correct size, unfortunately no helicoils, let me know if that is any help to you. Is that a general purpose tap set, or some weird helicoil tap set? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capn_r Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 7/16-14 isn't particularly close to the right thread (-20 is closer) so I couldn't use my headbolt. Using some other bolt opens up a HUGE can of worms. I guess I'm confused, a 7/16 fastener is somewhere in the area of .0025 smaller than an 11 mm fastener if my math isn't messed up. (about the thickness of a human hair) So if a helicoil for that od (go with 20 treads per inch rather than 14 for the sake of the discussion) and a 7/16 fastener is used in that location, what is the HUGE can of worms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 I guess I'm confused, a 7/16 fastener is somewhere in the area of .0025 smaller than an 11 mm fastener if my math isn't messed up. (about the thickness of a human hair) So if a helicoil for that od (go with 20 treads per inch rather than 14 for the sake of the discussion) and a 7/16 fastener is used in that location, what is the HUGE can of worms? Using a fastener with a different tensioning force than all other fasteners securing a head to an engine that is known for having head gasket issues. Headbolts are not hardware store fasteners. They are proprietary, and thus nearly impossible to match by arbitrary selection by size. If there were a lot of tolerance built into the EA82 design this might not be an issue, but frankly the head joint is a piece of crap. I just want to make my piece of crap work a little while longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 regular tap sizes won't work - thread repair taps are never standard tap sizes so you need the actual tools that come with a kit. drill bit isn't necessary as they are nice enough to allow that to be standard and there's variability, a few sizes will work since the tap does some final cutting as well. i've got M6, M8, and M10's....no M11's otherwise i'd gladly mail it to you to borrow. someone has to have it. you could look up stripped head bolt threads and personally contact someone that's done it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 I have a standard tap and die set, not a helicoil set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 Well, it looks like I am SOL (Sorry, Out of Luck) on the Helicoil front anyway. I am unable to find any listing for an insert other than 16.5mm in length in our favorite threadsize... hardly adequate for a headbolt. Helicoil does sell 30mm inserts in 11x1.5 for other headbolt apps. Sigh... Unless a different thread repair system, such as TimeSert, has longer inserts in 11x1.25, I will have to set aside this block and go to plan C or D. (I am running out of plans.) Plan C would be to disassemble my original bottom-end-knocking block and hope to identify and correct all issues quickly and on a shoestring budget. Might be possible. Plan D would be to yank the pistons out of one of the 2 currently-accessible NA MPFI blocks and put them into an available turbo block. I haven't pulled pistons on Subarus before, so some trepidation. The only thing worse than doing either is to continue driving my wife's Mazda sedan... 1.5L with automatic. I will never call a Subaru underpowered again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 you essentially "make" whatever length you want. you can "stack" them in the bolt holes. i've only had to do it once, but was successful. insert one coil then insert another one on top of it. can't recall if you cut to length before or after inserting it, it was a couple years ago. i feel like the directions in the package mentioned that process? probably google it too? if the lengths are close, i wouldn't worry too much about it, the helicoil threads are stronger than the originals anyway - it's a completely different material, and not aluminum so it's different in quite a few ways. my guess is that one helicoil insert is still more resilient and will take a higher torque than the original aluminum threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted September 4, 2010 Author Share Posted September 4, 2010 (edited) EDIT - Gary is correct. They can be stacked. The tang that i mention below is designed to be removed. Thanks, GG!!! - endedit you essentially "make" whatever length you want. you can "stack" them in the bolt holes... From what I could tell, they have a cross-tang on them that the install tool engages, so that a second, stacked insert would have the tang sticking across the hole part way down. Maybe I am misperceiving this (I hope so!) but that is the way they looked. (Its been forever since I actually used one.) Edited September 4, 2010 by NorthWet I am stupid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted September 4, 2010 Share Posted September 4, 2010 yeah they have a tang at the end that engages with the threading tool. once the insert is in place you knock the tang out of place, it does not stay inside the insert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted September 5, 2010 Author Share Posted September 5, 2010 *bump* C'mon, locals! SOMEBODY must have taken the plunge in better times! Don't really want to spend $69 for a stinkin' helicoil. If I do get it, I will feel obligated to start helicoiling EVERYTHING... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobywagon Posted September 5, 2010 Share Posted September 5, 2010 Well, lets face it...if you start helicoiling everything, you'll be the only kid on your block with a helicoiled alarm clock. Or toilet. Toaster. VCR (you still have one???). Whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted September 5, 2010 Author Share Posted September 5, 2010 H311 yes I still have a VCR. I still have the first computer I bought back in 1980... ...somewheres... $69 would buy an awful lot of hardened threaded rod (backwoods stud-stock), but i really didn't want to start by stud attempts yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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