jBolts on oil screen plate partially stripped

I have 3 out of 6 of my bolts to the bottom plate on the sump that seemed to be stipped. They don't tighten down like the other three and just about a turn away from getting tight they just get loser again. Best solution???? temporary loc-tite next oil change

oversized replacement bolts or new replacement sump to get rid of problem altogether

You have a couple of choices available to fix the problem.

* Weld the bolt holes closed and retap them.

* Tap the exsisting holes to the next size either metric or SAE

....I wouldn't loc-tite the stripped bolts, if they were to work their way loose, by the time you noticed a problem it would be to late.

Steve; what about JB Weld? I used to work at a VW machine shop and we used it extensively for major repairs. Works like a charm.

I heil-coiled a couple of mine. It's way better than epoxy, you don't have to weld and then drill out your new weld (hopefully in the right place), and you can use the stripped hole as the guide for the slightly bigger hole you will need for the heli-coil. You can reuse your studs, and everything's standard and happy.

I've heard the term heli coil, but don't know what it is???

picture unscrewing the threads off a bolt, remaining in a coil shape.
instead of a "male" bolt you would now have a "female" (steel)
thread. This "female" thread gets wound into a resized hole giving you
a new stronger set of threads to bolt into.

a silly Q.
are you sure its the bolts and not the capped nuts?
sorry for the stupid Q, but if you are using the capped nuts
they might be bottoming before tightening.

I agree that JB Weld etc would work but would have concerns about the rare possibility of it not holding up then by the time you notice it the engine is on it's way "south".........
retap and replace the studs to be 99% safe is the way I would go

In that case Heli-coils are the way to go....we used them a lot in the machine shop.

No question is a dumb one with me learning to be my own mechanic. I don't know what I have they are standard pattern 10mm head bolts with copper washers. I didn't have new copper washers at the time so I reused the old ones.......could this be my problem?? When I take them out the oil starts coming out the hole where the bolt was.

Can I put a second washer in and if that makes it tight call it good? I like the sound of the heli coil for a long term solution, but wouldn't mind putting new washers back on if it would help or adding a second washer to make it tighten up sooner?

On a positive note I got my carb sync gauge today and it went perfectly and now I have a really smooth engine again.

Well Steve, I was just reading some older articles on VW Trends and they were talking about how the thinner washers in some gasket sets would let some of the oil seep out as compared to the thick copper washers in some other sets. They recommend the thick washers.

steve, again, i'm thick. the stock vw nut is an acorn type nut
where the sump stud threads do not come through is this what you have or standard nuts (you said bolts). Also are you sure its the stud
turning in the sump? You can put two nuts on one with the plate removed to check. One other issue is (but probably nothing to due with your problem) that over time the stock stamped steel plates
get dimpled under each nut so they don't lay totally flat against
the gasket. they should be checked and hammered back flush and
flat for a good sealing surface. the reason i'm asking all the Q's
is years ago i was a pion in a vw eng. build shop and remember having
numerous issues with the acorn nuts but not very many with the studs.
good luck.

Its just a 10mm normal looking bolt the thread directly in to the sump with no nut on the other end. The sump itself is threaded and when you back out the bolt the oil flows out the hole. Does that make it clear??????

If I understand correctly Steve, your setup is not the stock one as previously mentioned by Bruce, so maybe you're talking about the sump itself, right? Could you post a picture?

Steve, the stock set up is made up of "studs" (not bolts with heads)
that are threaded into the "block"(sump/case) and stay that way.
the screen, gaskets and cover plate are placed onto the studs and then
secured with washers and nuts. you have a different set up. studs are
the better method due to each time you removed/tighten you "bolts"
into the case the bolt are harder than the case and if forced the bolt
wins.damage to case.

exactly and in this case a low profile sump is what is damaged.........I am going to have someone helicoil them for me as I think this will be the best permenant solution

Make sure they Locktite (red) the helicoils when installing them to prevent oil leaks...........then locktite the studs (red or blue) when you put them in, too.

Couldn't get anyone willing to do the helicoils because they weren't convinced they would stay in without taking the sump off. I considered taking the sump off, but you can't get to one of the bolts without tearing down the engine and I wasn't about to do that.

My end solution was to put bolts with lock washers on the bolt and drop them in from inside the sump to get as close to having studs as I could without removing the sump. Then I put the plate back on and with copper washers and then a lock washer and nut on the outside of the sump. The result seems to be really good as I don't have to worry about stripping the bolt and I don't have any leaks.

Steven-

I'm glad you found something that will work for you.

You CAN get the sump bolt in question off... someone had to put it on. The case splits right down the middle of the sump, and the sump goes on after the case is put together. SOMEBODY put it there with the engine together. I would imagine the bolt in question is the one that has a nut on the back-side and holds the oil pick-up in place. I've loosened and tightened this particular bolt a couple of times now with a ground down wrench, and a lot of patience, something that seems to be in short supply with your mechanic.

The idea that you can't heli-coil a piece unless it's on a bench just proves that the shop you are going to just didn't want to do it. That's just wrong.

I recommend that you buy yourself a book and a set of tools, and learn to do this kind of stuff yourself. There isn't anybody in Peoria or Des Moines that remembers these cars. Out here- we're on our own.

I know a guy who needed an alternator for his air-cooled car. He took it to the VW dealer, and after begging, convinced them to put it on. It took them all day- every "tech" in the shop worked on it. They charged him several HUNDRED dollars in labor. I did this in an evening in my garage this spring, and replaced the dog-house, added a 356 pulley and a welded/ balanced fan while I was in there.

I'm not some hot-rod mechanic- I pay to have somebody figure out my "check engine" light in the various other cars. My point is- these cars are simple, and pretty easy to work on- but it's a skill that doesn't have any financial value for a shop in the midwest, so nobody has these skills here any more. You'll have to aquire them, or spend a lot of time and money being dissapointed. Good luck.

The VW "Idiots Guide" is the absolute best manual for the buck! It gives many heads up and the text is interesting with the author's hints and warnings ...before you screw something up!

Stan, as usual you are absolutely right. These guys are idiots and except for my VW guy who is very hard to get because he does mainly restorations, they dink around forever doing something I could do myself.

I have already started syncing my carbs myself and I do a lot better job at it then even the local VW guys. Oil changes I do myself now also because I am willing to take my time and not smash the fresh air tube coming off the heater box while removing the filter. It is dissappointing whenever I let someone else work on the car and rewarding when I do it myself. Even if I do make a few mistakes I learn from them and move on. I kind of wish I had rebuilt the engine myself, but maybe now I'm just talking crazy.

Steve:

You're not talking crazy.......You juat have to decide to do it and then get the best books you can find (and a few friends who are professional mechanics and machinists to lean on for tips and info never hurt, either).

The more you do, the more you CAN do and the better you'll get at it all.

Keep at it! Buy more tools!!

gn

And then of course there is the ever ready help from people on this site who have done it before. This is a great resource.
Ron