msumms

New to me bone stock '96 XJ auto. Not my first jeep but really well kept interior and exterior, new motor, and had to take it home.

Dropped the trans oil pan and some of the bolts are stripped at the beginning of the thread, 23 years old, and one of the holes in the trans base has 3-4 stripped threads inside that i can see towards the front. Either by me upon removal or previous owner, not sure.

Problem is this hole is just above the exhaust near the front so very difficult to get in there with a drill/tap but i haven't tried yet. tight clearance. What's the first order here? I would like to start with all new bolts. then maybe just try pushing that one cross threaded hole through and see if it holds. I think I can get it in straight. maybe RTV on that screw. 1 out of 19 bolts and hopefully doesn't cause a major leak/problem. Any suggestions? Ideally I'd helicoil but worried about getting a drill in there, I may have to go get a 90 degree angle attachment and then hope it clears the exhaust. I'll try to get a pic later today or tomorrow. Thanks all, have learned a lot here already.

dzywicki

If you disconnect the downpipe from the exhaust manifold, the pipe will move quite a bit and should make getting a drill in there much easier.

PatHenry

I'd at least start with trying to RTV it or maybe some blue loctite on the threads if it catches at all. Then keep a close eye on it to see if it leaks.

If that doesn't work, you can get a little bit of play in the exhaust if you disconnect the front pipe from the manifold. Easier said than done, of course, especially if it's rusty. It's not a whole lot of play unless you also remove the tranny mount, but it's a thought at least.

msumms

This little bugger has me really annoyed, and working under that exhaust/crossmember is a nightmare. if i did push that one bolt through with some rtv or locktite I could at least i could fill it and get it to a shop since this will take some time/patience that I may not have right now. Would you put a dab of RTV on the bolt itself? around the bolt hole on the gasket? Don't want to contaminate the oil with RTV shavings

PatHenry

If you're taking it to a shop, I wouldn't put anything on the bolt at all - it's just going to get in the way when they do the helicoil or drill/tap.

awg

there are thread sealers that are supposed to "repair" stripped threads

never tried one

you can get a pretty good idea whether the bolt will hold by try it in the hole,
it cant wiggle

purple loctite I would try, fairly easily undone with light hand tools

jordan96xj

The stripped thread epoxies are pretty notorious for not working well. Some of them are hard to find because the manufactures have moved away from them.



To get a near-spec torque on a moderately stripped bolt, simply find the smallest plastic zip-tie you think you can get away with and insert the small end it into the hole. Then run your fastener/bolt in. The plastic/nylon that the zip-tie is made of will deform and provide a lot of lateral pressure on the bolt which helps it to bite into the remaining threads. If it is a bolt you don't have to work with often, and if it is not structurally critical (pan bolt is good example of something not structurally critical), this fix can be close to a permanent repair.



For example, I ran this fix on a totally stripped cross-member bolt until I could get the correct heli-coil to repair the hole. I was able to reach factory torque spec on the bolt with the zip tie in there. I could spin the bolt by hand without it.

awg

Excellent answer mate!

done similar with wood screws, never even thought of it for vehicle fasteners..like a nyloc

could save yr *** out on the trail, I carry zip-ties

Oswalla

I was going to mention something similar I have done in the past. I have wrapped and excessive amount of silicone pipe thread tape on bolts that have held up to light torque like a trans pan bolt is.

Another option is to drill hole all the way through and use a longer bolt and nut in that hole.

BillyBoy

It's not a head bolt. Locktite, ziptie, whatever, scree it in and check it when u do oil. I think everyone's worrying about nothing. Also, I'd be damned if I took it to a shop for 300 before at least TRYING locktite or something else.