Date:         Thu, 9 Sep 2010 08:13:11 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Torque bolts in aluminum.. (inline 4 VW project)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

  Recently someone was mentioning the ease of stripping threads in aluminum
when tightening bolts with no torque wrench.  Very true, this.

  I was snugging-up the pan on my inline gas Jetta motor (a diesel Vanagon
pan, to make allow the motor sit in there at 55degrees) last evening, using
a "T" driver.  Just gently  running down the bolts, with the motor upside
down on the stand, getting ready to do the first go-round with a torque
wrench.  Two of the bolts (#6x 1.25?) go not into the block but into the
rear main oil seal carrier, which is aluminum.  In the "Zen" of doing a
repetitive, mindless operation, spinning down the bolts with that cool "T"
wrench that I like so much, I lost track of the fact that two of those
suckers went into an aluminum casting.  The first of the two stripped right
out with hardly any torque at all. I was actually twirling the T-wrench with
just 3 fingers, you know, like the guys on TV do?    Now, this particular
aluminum cast rear main bearing seal carrier, it came off a block that is
'new' to me, so maybe that hole was partially stripped already by a PO or a
hamfisted factory guy..who knows now.  But I couldn't 'believe my fingers'
when it went snug and then......let loose...Dang!

 That little 'glitch' in re-assembly cost me a whole afternoon...I had to go
over to the city and get a #7, next size fatter,  bolt and the tap for it.
So this morning I can start over on the pan...Probably not all negative,
since I also came home with some Permatex Black gasket Goo to lather up that
pan gasket with, you know, like "Belt AND Suspenders"?
  Don Hanson