K series sump plug threads stripped - how do you repair, is fitting a wire insert reliable ?

[Steve Waite]

Help, the threads have stripped on my K series sump plug hole.

Has anybody experienced this & fitted a wire insert, if so what size & has it proved reliable ?

Is it best just to purchase a new sump & how much are they ?

 

Thanks

 

Steve...

 

Red 1.4K

[Grubbster]

I have never needed one but a properly fitted helicoil should be at least as reliable as the original thread - I used to fit them in aircraft components so they must be OK.

[oilyhands]

Helicoil..

 

Oily

[Bricol]

We fit helicoils as a matter of course in aluminium components - not for strength, because we proved to ourselves that just about any size bolt torqued up into a properly engineered lump of ali will snap before the aluminium thread strips.

 

The problem is corrosion, galling and simple wear and tear on frequently used tapped holes - and our machines are rotating at a fair old whack, with quite some loads on and no problems with helicoiled threads. So if helicoils are alright on a $3m machine, I reckon they'll be okay on a sump . . .

 

Just get it done properly by someone who knows how to do it, otherwise it can be pretty easy to make a bigger mess than before.

 

Bri

 

[Tony Whitley]

I took mine to a local bloke called the Thread Doctor - he simply cut a larger thread and gave me a bigger sump plug Charged £40 IIRC.

[Nifty]

I ran with a helicoiled sump plug for years on the 1400.

 

You can use the same sump plug if you drill and fit the correct sized helicoil.

Seem to remember that when Jason did mine he had to order the right sized helicoil because it wasn't one of the standard sizes in his kit.

 

Keep off the straight and narrow 😬

[Nifty]

Steve,

 

In the event that you decide to go down the "new sump" route I have a spare one that I'm tripping over at present. It is battle scarred underneath but perfectly functional.

 

Keep off the straight and narrow 😬