Stripped a Bolt... Stupid Mistake... Ideas??

[foxstang9050]

So i FINALLY got my transmission back up after changin the fliexplate and converter.... put a new filter in... new pan gasket... then while i was tightening the pan bolts down.... i ended up stripping out two of the bolts because i over tightened them....I twisted the torque wrench handle while i was tightening them and torqued them at like 15ft/lbs.... anyways heres the problem... i stripped out the hole where the bolts go in...(the two in the rear corner on the passenger side... The problem now is it only holds 11 out of the 12 quarts before it starts leaking... is it gonna hurt my car if i run with the 11 quarts??? Also how could i fix that??... i was thinking i might be able to take a little bit thicker of a bolt and thread that in and make new threads.... but im sure thats a terrible idea.... i just need some opinions on what to do

 

[Roland69]

tap them to the next size bolt and install the new oversized bolts

 

[rdharper02]

2nd the tapping.

 

[FORCED2DV8]

You could tap it, then use a heli coil to resize it back to the original, The all your bolts will match again.

 

[RYC CUKR]

tap new threads for a larger bolt, you will probably also have to open up the bolt holes in pan flange to accomodate the larger bolts or you can helicoil them and use the same size bolt.

 

[foxstang9050]

Well i just wanna take it for a test drive for like 5 to 10 min how bad will it be if i only run 11 quarts for that 10 minutes.... ill fix the leak later

 

[Daggar]

I second the Heli-coil idea. Either way though... it's something that needs to be fixed. Of all the responses so far, there's not a single one that says, "Aw hell... good enough. Ride on!". Rightly so.

 

[foxstang9050]

Im not disagreeing i am gonna fix it right away im just asking if its ok to take it around the block a couple times to see how it runs

 

[vristang]

I have never owned an auto so I don't know, but do those things really hold 12qt of fluid?
No wonder auto cars are heavier
Maybe that is supposed to be pints?



It is not even worth taking it out on the road yet.

Besides you could re-tap those holes and have it back together in what an hour or so?

Do it right the first time.

jason

 

[dragnazz5.0]

I have never owned an auto so I don't know, but do those things really hold 12qt of fluid?
No wonder auto cars are heavier
Maybe that is supposed to be pints?



It is not even worth taking it out on the road yet.

Besides you could re-tap those holes and have it back together in what an hour or so?

Do it right the first time.

jason

they do hold about 12 quarts...the only difference is the dipstick. from the low mark to the full mark is 1 pint on a transmission dipstick and from the low mark to the full mark on an oil dipstick is 1 quart. kinda wierd. but they do measure how much a tranny holds in quarts not pints. dont know why

 

[RYC CUKR]

I have never owned an auto so I don't know, but do those things really hold 12qt of fluid?
No wonder auto cars are heavier
Maybe that is supposed to be pints?



It is not even worth taking it out on the road yet.

Besides you could re-tap those holes and have it back together in what an hour or so?

Do it right the first time.

jason

If you drain all the fluid out and drain the converter then they hold about 12 quarts.

 

[stang&2Birds]

Heli-Coil!! Works great on that POS metal that has the strength and integrity of hot butter, better known as "aluminum".

It's important to make the tap for the Heli-coil as STRAIGHT as possible. For a bolt that will hold on a pan, the hole doesn't have to be "super straight", but keep it as straight as possible!

Here is what I did on my Olds Quad 4 POS aluminum block when the bolts stripped coming out for the cam cover.
http://www.veryuseful.com/GM/tech/heliCoilInstall/index.html
(I also have the instructions for the two most popular "heli-coil" kits.)


You can even see the half-**s tap that I did on a hole that was close to the timing cover plate.
http://www.veryuseful.com/GM/tech/heliCoilInstall/heli-Coil-CloseTap.JPG

It's been fine for many years, no leaks, no problems.