[coxster]

Hi all - I believe I have cross threaded where one of the oil pan bolts screws into the engine. I'm going to try to correct with a tap, but I can't find the specifications for the bolts themselves, so I don't know which tap kit to buy. Can anyone help me out? I need the size (M8?) and the thread pitch.
Many Thanks,
-j

[9krpmrx8]

take a bolt out and go to any place that sells fasteners and find out.

[coxster]

Thanks for replying - yeah, I planned on doing that if no one had the specs handy - just trying to get the right kit ordered and hopefully delivered by the end of the day to save some time and money.
-j

[ckev70]

O'reilly's has free rental and should have a tap and die set (assorted)

[Pladi]

Originally Posted by coxster

Thanks for replying - yeah, I planned on doing that if no one had the specs handy - just trying to get the right kit ordered and hopefully delivered by the end of the day to save some time and money.
-j

all you need to know is get a metric tap and die set...

[coxster]

Thanks, I'll probably go that route.

[9krpmrx8]

And unless the threads are really messed up, you should be using thread chasers (cleaners) not taps.

[coxster]

OK I'll try thread chasers first. Just need to figure out the proper pitch.
Thanks,
j

[Efthreeoh]

My research shows the bolt is an M8 x 1.25 pitch. To retap the hole you'll need a blind-hole, or bottoming M8x1.25 tap. A through-hole tap, which are the most commonly sold, will not fully tap the hole in the block. A thread chasing tap should be a blind-hole tap configuration.

The bolt set P/N is 11132210959. FCP Euro shows the bolt size as M8x1.25 in several lengths. As stated, use a chaser not a tap unless it is a bottoming tap. You should have the old bolts to check against. I recommend that any good tool set have a bolt size gauge kit. Hint hint.

[coxster]

Thanks for the specs and the additional knowledge!

[3s4u2]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

And unless the threads are really messed up, you should be using thread chasers (cleaners) not taps.

This is the way I would go if you have already tried WD40 and compressed air.

Edit: with Eye protection!!!

[9krpmrx8]

I mean really anytime you remove bolts you should use thread cleaners. It's not a problem until it is but when you don't and shit goes wrong it sucks. All it takes is a bit of debri to make a simple job into a nightmare. Been there, done that.

[Joebie]

When I had my engine on a stand and was replacing the oil pan bolts, the threaded holes that the bolts go into had crap in them, not sure if it was loctite or what.

Anyways, my point is that before I installed the new oil pan gasket and bolts, i took an old bolt, and dremeled a slit along it to act as a kind of ghetto thread chaser and ran it through each hole.

It made the new bolts go in much easier and you could actually feel when the bolts were bottoming against the oil pan instead of feeling them gum up with whatever crap used to be in those threads. In some cases, my torque wrench would click well before the bolt actually seated against the oil pan, purely from the threads being all gummed up.

I was "lucky" enough to have my motor on a stand for this so I'm not sure how much room you have underneath, but if at all possible, I agree with the guy above me, run a chaser through there if you can before reinstall.

[coxster]

Thanks for all the tips folks. Lots of good info and advice here.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by Joester

When I had my engine on a stand and was replacing the oil pan bolts, the threaded holes that the bolts go into had crap in them, not sure if it was loctite or what.

Anyways, my point is that before I installed the new oil pan gasket and bolts, i took an old bolt, and dremeled a slit along it to act as a kind of ghetto thread chaser and ran it through each hole.

It made the new bolts go in much easier and you could actually feel when the bolts were bottoming against the oil pan instead of feeling them gum up with whatever crap used to be in those threads. In some cases, my torque wrench would click well before the bolt actually seated against the oil pan, purely from the threads being all gummed up.

I was "lucky" enough to have my motor on a stand for this so I'm not sure how much room you have underneath, but if at all possible, I agree with the guy above me, run a chaser through there if you can before reinstall.

The factory pan bolts come loaded with white thread-loc from what I remember when I replace the pan gasket on my engine.

[Joebie]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The factory pan bolts come loaded with white thread-loc from what I remember when I replace the pan gasket on my engine.

They do. I think this is what I was feeling, leftover thread locker.