Turbo Housing Thread Fooked :(

[LuPix_S15]

Ok guys...

Major PITA going down my end at the mo... only had the turbo gaskets all re-done with new braided lines last autumn and not even 8 months down the line, it seems my turbo to elbow gasket, the top two nuts are always coming loose.

So... I've managed to re-tighten one closest to me ok but the one nearer the block far side is spinning on the thread. Took it to local garage thinking they could snap off the nut and I'll put new one on but it seems the stud is spinning which means the turbo housing thread is fooked!! arrgghhh

My question is does anyone have good experience of re-threading?? Can I just get a garage or find a kit to help create a new thread in the housing?? Someone mentioned tap and dye but I have no idea how all this works

Gonna spend tomorrow getting the whole lot off but at least I have a new Japspeed rad to fit so there's a bit of excitement about a new item being upgraded at the same time

Cheers,

J

 

[DeanS15]

a tap and die kit is worth buying if you can see yourself using it often, if not then get a local machine shop to drill it out and re-thread it. basically a die is to cut or chase a thread back on to a bolt or rod and a tap is to re cut a thread into something. it involves drilling the hole to the right size for the tap and then carefully and evenly bit by bit chasing it in. it has blades that will cut its own thread to take the new bolt or stud. because yours is stripped you will have to go a bit bigger or a coarser thread on the new stud and may have to slightly enlarge the hole in the elbow but i doubt that as they are normally a bit oversized anyway.

 

[Dan H]

If you're taking it off, you could get it helicoiled so that it is still the same thread as the rest of the holes.

Or maybe try and get a longer stud so that it might grip on some good threads deeper in the hole?

 

[Dazz0i]

yea, helicoil is the way i'd go.

 

[DeanS15]

i thought you still have to drill the hole out bigger to fit a helicoil? if thats the case i'd still have a go at tapping it first.....

 

[tooley]

if the thread is spinning then your going to have to drill out the old stud.

Sorry to here man thats a bugger!

it will be time consuming since those stuts will be high tensile steel. Let me know if you need any help.

 

[craig8585]

Yeah, we use those helicoil/wire thread inserts at work. Normally in alloy though so the thread doesnt get worn and stripped.

If you drill and tap it you'd need to get a larger stud/nut and drill out the elbow slightly. If you get an insert in it, then there would be no drilling and you could use the standard diameter stud and nut. Both opinions will work well though.

 

[LuPix_S15]

Thanks for all the advice guys... ok I'm starting today (Wednesday) in the morning so will see how it pans out!! Cheers Tooley for the offer - might need your help if I do get stuck. At least I've got till Tuesday next week to sort this all out lol...


How does the insert work? Basically I've ordered a new stud just in case - feck £10 from Ni$$an the bastids!!! grrrrr!!!


Cheers

 

[LuPix_S15]

THANK THEE LOOORD FOR YOUTUBE DAMN DIDDLY DOODLE

I'm sure Ned Flanders was doing this video hahaha!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFYa6sjhh_E


Ok I'm pretty clear on two options which I think I have:

1. Use a dye of slightly larger than original housing hole size to re-thread without use of helicoil insert after - just screw in new larger stud straight into housing hole after dye has cut new thread.

2. Exactly as the video above - drill a larger hole (will standard drill be powerful enough on a turbo exhaust to elbow flange (??) and then use dye, screw in helicoil insert and finally screw in new stud of original size?


Final question - where's best to get helicoil and dye set like video above or at the very least, option 1 which means all I need is larger dye and matching sized stud??


Thanks!!

 

[LuPix_S15]

Well the good news is that the stud came out ok form the turbo housing. I ordered a replacement stud anyway but totally forgot two of the holes fixing the turbo to elbow were fitted with old bolts I got from somewhere else and not studs etc :wack:

So... when it came to putting all back together the bolt tightened in ok but then seemed to be too long as it wouldn't tighten anymore so as I tried to take it off it got tighter and tigher then... SNAP!!!! Man am I pissed... the fookin bolt snapped clean off and I've got 10mm of bolt stuck in the turbo housing!!!! So a mate of mine is gonna try and use a removal tool tomorrow but if this doesn't work then we'll just get a machinist to drill out the sh*tty bolt, re-thread a larger stud size and get this sorted once and for all!!!!!!


Progress pics:


Rad out, fans and shroud out!!

Andy helping me out as always

This was when I realised that two of the turbo to elbow nuts had dropped clean off their studs since who know's when and I'd been drifting and driving around like that?! :wack:

Rad, turbo, maniford... OUT!!!

My little Josh having a nosey from underneath... he likes the bling!!

James

 

[Dan H]

My elbow was missing the same 2 nuts when I changed it at the weekend!

 

[LuPix_S15]

haha there's a mysterious S15 turbo/elbow nut thief about!!!


I'm fed up and just want to get the whole set of flanges welded... da bitch lol!!!!


And yes, I noticed I spelt 'dissappeared' wrong :wack: It's been a long day

 

[richy200]

Did you sort this mate? i have just done mine as i snapped a stud at pod last year and lost all the other nuts lol.

use dw's or nissans locking nuts when refitting. There are engine places you can take the tubby too. Around by me they are called swansea fasteners, they skim heads do machine work to engines etc. They wanted £26 to helicoil the thread and get the snapped stud out

hope you didn't pay over the odds mate!

here's my thread dude it's on sxoc though

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=442824&page=4

 

[LuPix_S15]

Cheers Richy

I couldn't find anywhere local that does this kinda thing (take out studs/bolts and fit helicoil) so that's why I've been doing it myself... oh well learning experience I guess!! :wack:


Well the latest is that I've broken 3 drill bits grrrr... the last one being 4mm HSS item which snapped when I tried to drill deeper hole for extracting tool to get bite into. The damn ****ty broken bit pinged off into my eye which is now really, really sore But I'm not blind yay!!!!

So I got pissed and just used bigger drill bit to pretty much drill out about half the bolt that was stuck in the hole on the housing. Then used M8 tap tool which turned out to snap as well!!!! *YES I'M MAD AT THIS POINT* But at least it had recut new shallow thread so I've hacksawed a stud and fitted this. Enjoy the pics of all the broken tools... long ass evening!!!

...

 

[craig8585]

Wow, you've not had much luck with this mate

How far have you got with it? Have you reassembled the system? Its rubbish when simple jobs turn into a nightmare and take forever to complete!

 

[tooley]

reminds me of the time 3 of 8 turbo studs snapped in my rx7 turbo pack!! i was not a happy bunny!!! took me nine hours in a proper garage with a bench drill, blow torch and massive mole grips!! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I feel for you dude!!!

And as i said helps here if you need it!

 

[LuPix_S15]

lol cheers fellas - it's all sorted now finally. I think in total I've worked on the car nearly 18 hours since I started on Wednesday morning. Had a nice break up in Manchester on Fri/Sat to see Peter Kay with the missus but straight back into the nightmare on Sat evening!!!

So in all I've managed to fit new rad and coolant hoses, remove the carbon canister and loop the hard lines with silicone vacuum, half drill out the stuck bolt in the turbo housing and then re-thread with tap, put everything back together to include complete coolant and oil change


Maaan I've never worked so hard on the car till this week lol :wack:



PS - after getting the sodding braided coolant hoses back on which took forever (at this point another 2 mates were helping), put everything back together, fired her up, no probs until we noticed a small oil leak *arghhh*!!! I only hadn't tightened the oil line banjo to the block tight enough so that was an half hour getting everything off (intake pipes) and then tightening the banjo etc :wack: :wack: