Stripped bolt hole

[Hasdrubal]

Today I was under my M1009 lubing u-joints and steering components. Noticed the front 15/16 bolt that attaches the brace to the transfer case was protruding 1/4". Went and put a wrench on it..it came right out!. The shop that had taken apart and resealed my transfer case last fall obviously had a complete #*&^ reinstall the brace and had stripped it. Needless to say I am *#$$%*! off. Will be seeing them on Monday for a serious dressing down. I want this fixed. Can this be heli-coiled?

When I got the truck, the braces were missing, so I sourced some from a wrecker. Took a bolt out of another truck and went and bought 2 new bolts from a fastener shop. Bolts wouldn't thread in by hand, so borrowed a tap from a heavy duty mechanic and chased the threads. Threads were perfect. This moron had obviously never learned the lesson to start all bolts by hand, not using an impact gun, Well he's certainly going to hear about it now.

 

[Artisan]

I think I see an NP205 yes?

 

[acmunro]

I see a NP208. Unless you mean now would be a good time to put a NP205 in.

 

[steelandcanvas]

I see no reason why a heli-coil would not fix the problem. I think I would provide some adult supervision while they make your repair.

 

[acmunro]

I agree with steelandcanvas on both points.

 

[Cletus09]

Aw, come on. I hate to be the guy with feelings, but don't just go in there and ream that guy out. It might make you feel better, but its probably not going to improve him or his career. I'm sure you don't like being torn apart after making a simple mistake, even if you did something you shouldn't have. Give the guy a second chance, I'm sure you would appreaciate one if you were in his position. I know I would. Its gonna take more of a man to do that than to go in there and tear the guy down.

 

[wayne pick]

Hansdrubal, Other than chasing the threads, the Heli-coil repair is the way to go. They should not have used an impact on an aluminum housing in the first place, so I would be leary about letting them do the Heli-coil repair. Taping aluminum is far easier than cast iron if you want to DIY. Here's the Heli-coil kit # 552110. 5/8 NC. You will need a 21/32 drill bit.

 

[Hasdrubal]

This shop does good work, I've had my transmission rebuilt there. Its a transmission and differential specialist, came highly recommended. I believe the person who did the majority of the work was not the same one who "buttoned it up." They have a junior newb that I suspect as the culprit. As for feelings, get a grip on yourself, man. As an employer I would never have tolerated this sort of thing, this person would be terminated immedietley, for not owning up to their mistake. The correct course of action would be to notify his superior, the problem rectified and then explained to me when I picked it up. I'd still be pissed... but not as bad as finding this out now.

In this manner he would be reamed out by his boss and would come to an understanding regarding the matter. There was no lesson learnt here. By the way, I learned this lessson way back in automotive class in high school. Not in a shop working on a customers car for $90/hr. A newb like this must be constantly supervised and his work checked over, before he is allowed to work on his own all day. Leaving something like this hoping the guy would never notice is something I find utterly unnaceptable.

Bolts are supposed to be hand started until you are absolutely positive that you haven't cross threaded, before putting a ratchet or impact to it. Thats why I like to do most of my own work. Also I would put neverseize on these bolts, but most wouldn't bother. This shows a complete lack of basic mechanical knowledge, a callous disregard for somone elses property, no respect and a poor work ethic.

 

[MakersTeleMark]

Or just a simple human mistake. It's not capital murder.

 

[wayne pick]

First of all, your welcome for the Heli-coil info. Second, if you are such an experienced mechanic, why would ask if a Heli-coil repair would work? Third, that brace is missing on most of these trucks anyway, not a big deal. And BTW, your crossmember should not be spaced off the frame like that. The spacers belong on the bolts on the inside of the frame. If it was some kid that stripped the bolt, cut him some slack, he may become a great mechanic some day, a thankless job.

 

[Cletus09]

I see your point, and your anger. Just don't act on it.

I am that newb that works in the shop. True, I don't work on stuff like transmissions, differentials, or TC's, but I do work with higher-end wheels and tires upon occasion... When I mess up, I know it, when I "get in trouble" over it, its doesn't help anything, I still just know I messed up. Tell me you did your first job perfectly the first time around... or the second.

 

[steelandcanvas]

I've managed a few people in my work-life, and have learned a couple things through the years. A big concern of how to handle this is attitude, and how the person that made the mistake responds to bringing the problem to his attention. If he gets angry or blows the customer off, then there is some serious discussion required between employer and employee. If he has any character, he should man-up and apologize for the mistake and be willing to fix it post haste. When I councelled my people, I always praised first, chewed second, and praised again with a handshake. You don't have to take someone down to make them understand their error, but there needs to be some discussion about how to perform the task correctly, and an understanding the mistake won't happen again.

 

[Hasdrubal]

I dont plan on having any words with the young mechanic at all. Thats the owners job, to address this issue as he sees fit. This is a shop with some 10 mechanics. I've sent the owner an e-mail outlining the situation. I will speak to the senior mechanics I know there about the repair.

Wayne ; First, thanks for the info, but I planned on letting them do the repair. Second ; I asked about the heli-coil becasue I've never done one. I was in auto restoration, I just do my own mechanical work. A long time ago I became disillusioned with having someone else work on my vehicles. Too many instances of finding out something wasn't done properly. I dont mind paying a professional to do jobs like rebuild my transmission etc. Third, I went to the effort to source the braces and bolts because my CUCV knowledgeable friend told me he broke the back of his transmission off withought it. It seemed a perfectly sound diagnosis. Yes, I know the cross-member spacers are in a different position, never seemed to make a difference, so I've left it.

 

[wayne pick]

I understand your frustration. I had a shop that is owned by a now not so good friend of mine replace the oil pan on GFs Chevy Tracker, which is a miserable job for $800.00. I just didn't want to do it. I know the mechanic that did the work, the torch and hammer guy I did not want touching the truck. He managed to render the horn usless and got the air bag light to come on somehow. As far as the Heli-coil goes, If you haven't done it it's better left to someone who knows how to do it. The first time I did it, I had a qualified person right next to me showing me each step. It's kind of a one time deal. If it goes bad, the next step is to drill and tap to the next standard thread size. Good luck.

 

[Cletus09]

I like steelandcanvase said...

 

[Warthog]

Okay as a moderator let me step in here.

You are gripping about a newb mechanic screwing something up and want to rip him a new one. I understand that.

What I see is you have been here for a long time and should know and follow the rules. We talk about them all the time and they do change from time to time. One of the things we talk about all the time is that this is a family friendly site and to keep the curse words at a minimum (really not needed anyway) and not to substitute abbreviations in their place.

Closing Points:
• Keep it CLEAN. Watch your language because lots of families visit this site together.

In your first post you used the "abbreviations" twice to vent your frustration.

So as a moderator what should I do? Rip you a new one? Give you an infraction? Ban you for a few days? Talk to you offline? Delete this thread entirely?

At this point I have choosen to do nothing.

*** for everyone information, using the F-bomb, in any form WILL get the moderators attention ****

 

[Castle Bravo]

Isn't the transfer case cross member supposed to be flush with the frame?

Those spacers in between the frame and cross-member are supposed to be in the frame, I think.

Or mine is way wrong!

 

[wayne pick]

The spacers belong on the bolts inside the frame.

 

[o1951]

Perhaps, the shop mechanic is not at fault??

In 1960's, GM made an all aluminum 215 Cu inch V8. When they were repaired, the threads were chased with taps, like on cast iron engines. On reassembly, the aluminum threads sometimes stripped out before correct torque was attained, or afterwards while on the shelf, or in service.
The thought was that the sharp edges of taps designed for iron & steel were cutting into the thread root and weakening it, causing the failures. Taps designed for aluminum were then used.

The failure on your truck may have been initiated by the tap used and the incorrect positioning of the spacers. It is possible that the bolt was correctly tightened, and the threads failed afterwards. It is also possible that the bolt was excessively torqued to specs for steel, not aluminum..

 

[wayne pick]

Good point o1951. the galling or stripping of the housing threads was probably a result of not starting all the bolts loosely by hand, and then tightening them, or using an impact gun on them. Impact guns of today can produce increadable torque values, and using them for anything other than disasembly can cause damage if care is not taken. As you are well aware, there are torque specs for every nut and bolt on the chassis and drivetrain on any vehicle, but they are rarely adhered to.

You can go to any tire shop and watch them blast lug nuts on with an impact gun, not good. It's all about speed today, get it in, tear it down and repair it, and get it out. A guy working on his own vehicles is more likely to use a torque wrench than most shops. Even though the bracket did not pose a safety concern, the truck really should not have left the shop like that. It could have been something more critical like over looked steering linkage. The wrongly placed spacers were pre exisitng to the repair, and probably had little or nothing to do with the housing damage.