Stripped overdrive pan bolt
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Joined: Jun 2007
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Stripped overdrive pan bolt
I did a fluid change on the overdrive unit and after putting the gasket, pan, and bolts back on, I found out that one of the bolts wasn't grabbing and spun when I tried to torque it to specs. The bolt is located right in front or near the piping that goes from the overdrive to the front of the car. I've used a re-threader and to no avail it spins when torqued. It seems like there's no extra room to make the hole a little bigger and use a bigger bolt so is there any other option or should I just try to make new threads and use a slightly bigger bolt? This is the only spot that leaks very little but I just don't want it to leak at all. Thanks.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
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I did a fluid change on the overdrive unit and after putting the gasket, pan, and bolts back on, I found out that one of the bolts wasn't grabbing and spun when I tried to torque it to specs. The bolt is located right in front or near the piping that goes from the overdrive to the front of the car. I've used a re-threader and to no avail it spins when torqued. It seems like there's no extra room to make the hole a little bigger and use a bigger bolt so is there any other option or should I just try to make new threads and use a slightly bigger bolt? This is the only spot that leaks very little but I just don't want it to leak at all. Thanks.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,614
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From: Davis CA
I just did this repair over the weekend. First advice is ignore the torque specs. That is how I stripped two of mine, too. Just turn wrist tight/snug after using TheRightStuff. When I removed my pan from the last use of TheRightStuff it was clear that the bolts were doing nothing -- I am confident that I could have taken them out and driven for years without the pan leaking or coming off. Just saying that the bolts don't have to be very tight at all.
You might get lucky and be able to use a slightly longer bolt. I found one at the hardware store and it worked in one instance. For the other, I had to step up to the next size. Original is 6mm. If you can find a 7mm tap and bolt, that's good. I had to go to 8mm. I don't understand your saying that there isn't room to step up in size. I think that you could go to 8mm at any of the locations.
You might get lucky and be able to use a slightly longer bolt. I found one at the hardware store and it worked in one instance. For the other, I had to step up to the next size. Original is 6mm. If you can find a 7mm tap and bolt, that's good. I had to go to 8mm. I don't understand your saying that there isn't room to step up in size. I think that you could go to 8mm at any of the locations.
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Thanks for all your inputs. I checked under the car today after work and saw no spots, so it might actually be holding up. If anything, I'll try to find a slightly longer 6mm bolt and if that doesn't I'll try the heli coil. Thanks again.
