928drvr86.5

tonight i started removing front suspension components in anticipation of my Bilstein/Eibachs arriving on Monday. When Removing the bolts from the Passenger side lower control arm I noticed one of the bolts on the Front end of the control arm came out of the chassis a little more difficult than the others. With the control arm out of the way i began to thread the bolts back into the holes for safe keeping. Low and behold.. the bolt that came out rough would not go back in... it kept cross threading. As i rolled under to have a look up into the hole i found half of the threads gone and the remaining threads are in poor shape. Apparently SOMEONE at some point in time used a rattle gun to start the bolts in the hole and didn't get it quite right inspite of a noble effort i am sure. Anyway i guess i will buy a tap tomorrow and try to chase the threads, and maybe save them.

If my thread chasing does not werk, would it be possible to drill it over size and put a Time cert in there like those air cooled guys do with all of the pulled head studs they suffer? Do those Time Certs come in Various sizes? I would assume they do.

Ben Burris

86.5 Indischrot AT #1459

928drvr86.5

i just realized my title for the thread is messed up. Just ignore the word "Upper" when you read it. I guess i am tired.

Chris

One of my threads stripped on the lower control arm too, I helicoiled and so far its held up fine.

Chris

928drvr86.5

Chris, sorry to hear that! i do feel a little bit better though knowing someone has had sucess with repairing the same problem. Any ideas where i can get Helicoils or Time Certs, is that something a run-of-the mill auto store would carry?

Chris

Yeah I nearly had a heart attack, someone must have really cranked on it in the past, 12mm (I think) thread is pretty difficult to strip.

I got the helicoil kit from the local Napa store.

Chris

aguk928

Hmm,

Yep I had to do this last week also.
Helicoil worked a treat and from everything I have read they say that helicoils produce stronger threads than the original material.

Only hint I have is get plent of space under the car so thaqt you can drill the old thread out straight.

cambria

I had a simular problem on a 944 and I finally re bored the hole one step larger and retapped.

928drvr86.5

The threads are M12 1.50, i actually went to Sears and bought a tap and die and chased the threads on the bolt and in the hole. Things look pretty good now but i guess i will find out for sure when i put in the new Bilsteins and start to torque the arm back down. I guess if it doesn't torque correctly then the next step will be helecoil.

928drvr86.5

It's going to be a few days before the arms go back on, i am doing motors mounts also.