Helicoil kits - any experience?

[Jeff N.]

Killed some threads on the project car (damn Martin, can you believe it!? Normally that's *your* job!) - need to repair in place as the part won't come out. Not an engine part...part of the shifter linkage.

Looks like this type of kit is the answer. Anyone have any specific experience with these kits or can suggest a better alternative?

Thanks,

Jeff

[Bill R.]

It depends on which threads you killed....as to whether the helicoil is the best solution. There's about a zillion other solutions depending on where the damaged thread is... Besides helicoils lookup keenserts and timeserts etc etc.

Killed some threads on the project car (damn Martin, can you believe it!? Normally that's *your* job!) - need to repair in place as the part won't come out. Not an engine part...part of the shifter linkage.

Looks like this type of kit is the answer. Anyone have any specific experience with these kits or can suggest a better alternative?

Thanks,

Jeff

[Jeff N.]

Visualize the transaxle, where the shifter linkage bar connects.

...killed the threads where the shifter linkage bar connects to the transaxle selector. The linkage bar has a bolt that pins the bar to the transaxle selector. That bolt sheered and I had to drill it out.

The linkage bar is steel. The drill out killed the hole so I think I will need to dill an oversize hole, tap it and sleeve it. Depth of the sleeve is likely ~ 3/8s of an inch.

Good news is that with the tranny out there's a fair amount of room to work.

I'll poke around on the Keenserts and Timeserts.

It depends on which threads you killed....as to whether the helicoil is the best solution. There's about a zillion other solutions depending on where the damaged thread is... Besides helicoils lookup keenserts and timeserts etc etc.

[ryan roopnarine]

i like the insertion tool that comes with the autozone coil inserts better, but you get the name brand with helicoil....

i just had my slave labor (brother of a friend) install multiple ones into my auto transmission case (because i was too chicken #$it to drill into my own tranny, perhaps i'll do the same for them one day). didn't comfort me when he said "give me two minutes, i need to smoke a cigarette to steady my hand first." they are pretty idiot proof so long as you aren't intentionally trying to drill into the hole crooked. if it is something non-critical like that, should do well for you. iirc, they use helicoil brand inserts to repair blown out sparkplug threads on ford f150s that popped their plugs out. i don't think it is a weak repair, even with the "worst/cheapest" coil inserts available. maybe you need a different brand, with a shallower "hole" for your application.

[shrike071]

HeliCoil inserts are approved for use in jet engines by the FAA. Don't give using them a second thought.

[indierthanthou]

part of my training at the tec center was using heli-coils. make sure you use loctite on the coil or it WILL back out on ya. other than that heli-coils are great, i would use them on anything i couldnt get a replacement part for cheaper than the kit

[Bill R.]

Which one is it here?

Visualize the transaxle, where the shifter linkage bar connects.

...killed the threads where the shifter linkage bar connects to the transaxle selector. The linkage bar has a bolt that pins the bar to the transaxle selector. That bolt sheered and I had to drill it out.

The linkage bar is steel. The drill out killed the hole so I think I will need to dill an oversize hole, tap it and sleeve it. Depth of the sleeve is likely ~ 3/8s of an inch.

Good news is that with the tranny out there's a fair amount of room to work.

I'll poke around on the Keenserts and Timeserts.

[Jeff N.]

Just for grins, maybe I can pry the camera from my wife for a bit tomorrow and take a pic.

Which one is it here?

[Bill R.]

Its not a blind hole then. A helicoil should work perfectly fine then. The helicoil kits are much cheaper on ebay than locally. or at least here anyway. On a lot of applications like the headbolts that pull out on a mercedes v8 with an aluminum block the helicoils even pull out if the engine is overheated bad. On these you end up using a keensert or timesert or even a casesaver on some really bad ones. But on a steel linkage a helicoil will be fine or just tap the hole oversize and use a larger bolt instead. I gather its this one then

Just for grins, maybe I can pry the camera from my wife for a bit tomorrow and take a pic.

[Jeff N.]

..what's not shown is the end of the bolt - it has a special pin end that locates in a hole on the gear selector. I have to fabricate a new bolt or fix the hole; I'll going for the later.

I have a local supplier here that can get me the helicoil kit. I'll likely pay the premium as a need to get this fixed pretty quickly. Whole job's stuck because of it.

Gee...while we are talking the Audi...er..Porsche 944...got any practical experience with measuring clutch wear? I'm not too keen on going after the clutch on this car (I'm sure you know why)- my measurements suggest it's OK. If you've done this before, I'll run by you what I did and the measurements I'm getting and see what you think.

Jeff

Its not a blind hole then. A helicoil should work perfectly fine then. The helicoil kits are much cheaper on ebay than locally. or at least here anyway. On a lot of applications like the headbolts that pull out on a mercedes v8 with an aluminum block the helicoils even pull out if the engine is overheated bad. On these you end up using a keensert or timesert or even a casesaver on some really bad ones. But on a steel linkage a helicoil will be fine or just tap the hole oversize and use a larger bolt instead. I gather its this one then