DesertEagle50 Posted September 20, 2014 Report Share Posted September 20, 2014 Engine Diagonal Brace: one of the two metal bars that are attached to the strut tower with one longer bolt (actually just outside it) and to the front of the engine compartment with two smaller bolts. These are the braces that must be removed to access the coolant overflow tank on one side and the washer fluid reservoir and battery on the other side. So I guess I removed and reinstalled the engine diagonal brace one two many times because one of the smaller bolts on the front of the engine compartment just keeps spinning and never gets snug. The threads on the bolt are fine, but most of the threads in the hole came out with the bolt. The damaged threads are M9x1.25. So what to do? (1)I have a tap and die set, but I've never done this sort of work before. Will I get good threads if I jump up to the next largest size (M10x1.25)? (2)Can I use a helicoil? I am hesitant because the bolt only threads through metal that is about 3/8" thick, but the bolt is at least an inch long. I thought helicoils need to bottom out in the hole. Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartbeat1991 Posted September 20, 2014 Report Share Posted September 20, 2014 I'd just drill it out and tap it again at a larger size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitzel Posted September 20, 2014 Report Share Posted September 20, 2014 I agree, just drill it out and throw a new bolt in there after re-tapping it. Or forget about it altogether as those braces really don't do anything (I drove a few thousand miles with the upper bolt (the one that protrudes into the wheel well)) broken -- their only role seeming to keep the battery and coolant reservoir restrained from vibration and chafing against vacuum lines and wires. Trust me, no car inspector is going to check those bolts for torque either. Even if there is a force applied to the brace, it won't generally put the two surfaces into any sort of tension. And you still have one bolt that is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertISaar Posted September 22, 2014 Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 there were actually w-bodies that came without them. i imagine they effect how the front end of the car reacts when it runs into a large object, in addition to how much things flex underhood under normal circumstances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intern8tion9l Posted September 28, 2014 Report Share Posted September 28, 2014 Anyone ever tried those thread repair things at all? Mine have been stripped out for years but I never fixed them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted September 29, 2014 Report Share Posted September 29, 2014 P.O. of my TGP stripped out almost all of mine. I just tapped them out to M10x1.25. Not a perfect fix. I'd rather use the proper M8 hardware. But its not a perfect world. Just find the proper drillbit for a m10 tap and then use a good amount of oil while tapping to preserve the tap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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