GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk4 => Topic started by: Dommy GTi on 30 January 2013, 18:41
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I'm not too smart with this but before lowering my car today I got stuck coming over a speed bump and had to get 3 men to rock the car yesterday. Now today after rising the car I notice that when I rev the engine it moves back and fourth quite a bit! I then look under the car to find the bolt missing that goes through the dogbone to the gearbox I'm sure?
Now the thread in the gearbox has gone from where it was ripped it now a bolt cant screw in because theres no thread to catch onto so atm i can't replace it!
I've been advised to look for a mechanics that can do some sort of helicoil? Sorry if I spelt it wrong, where you can actually create thread in the hole?
And I found a place near where I live in luton called northview mechanics in Dunstable, they said they could try and replace the whole hole with some sort of machine which will put a new hole in for a bolt to catch onto, he said it would cost £75+vat..
Is there any other way around it like somewhere cheaper and which could be possibly available tomorrow?
Need my car due to work and my daughter so any good advice would really be appreciated!
Cheers, Dom
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a pic would be useful
from what you describe I can't tell if the bolt has just sheared off, so a potential option is to get someone to weld a nut/bolt onto the thread which you can then undo
if it's ripped the bolt out and you are left with a bigger hole then a tap and die is needed
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As said re tap the size up, if the bolt is out.
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No dude, the mounts etc are in good condition, it's the thread in the gearbox that's worn away! :(
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a pic would be useful
from what you describe I can't tell if the bolt has just sheared off, so a potential option is to get someone to weld a nut/bolt onto the thread which you can then undo
if it's ripped the bolt out and you are left with a bigger hole then a tap and die is needed
Will get a pic tomorrow morning, can you explain retap please as this might be the job costing me almost £100 to get a new hole or something?
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a pic would be useful
from what you describe I can't tell if the bolt has just sheared off, so a potential option is to get someone to weld a nut/bolt onto the thread which you can then undo
if it's ripped the bolt out and you are left with a bigger hole then a tap and die is needed
Will get a pic tomorrow morning, can you explain retap please as this might be the job costing me almost £100 to get a new hole or something?
http://www.rs25.com/forums/f105/t64131-diy-rethreading-fixing-stripped-threads.html
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You can't just re tap it. The bolt goes through a steel sleeve in the dog bone and you'd have to drill that out as well.
Buy a helicoil kit from eBay and do it yourself. I paid £25 for a helicoil lot for mine, I think it was m12 x 1.75. Took about 15 minutes total.
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I'd personally helicoil it as it's neater than oversized bolts for a mount.
Whatever you decide to do, you should do it right and not cheap out on it. Unless you are 100% confident on the job, just pay a garage to do it. The last thing you want is the mount going at any sort of speed.
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My R did this when i hit a pothole i couldnt avoid.
I took mine to Citygate VW in Bushey and they re tapped it and put a bigger bolt into the gearbox. Its done about 20k since with no probs. You wont be able to drive it tho so wherever you take it your need to get it taken on the back of a flat bed as the engine bangs HARD back and forth and your do more damage to it if driven!
If you want to know how its done or for a price ring them up and asked about my car, it will be on the system, i had a lot of work done. They had my car for 2 months :undecided:
Reg is, D 9OLF.
Just to add, when mine snapped it left the whole bolt in the gearbox, they drilled this out too and re tapped it so you shouldnt have a problem as long as you take it to someone who knows what they are doing :smiley:
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Well I need to ring the northview garage at half 12 so will let you guys know how it goes on. Some guys on ukmkivs are saying to use helicoil but the guys at the garage said it would just snap off at any speeds, is £75+vat good for a better job? (Apparently), also with warantee I hope..
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Ive not got a clue what the actual cost was for the re tap because i had other stuff done too but they just re tapped it :smiley:
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I'm sorry, but retapping it to a bigger thread is NOT a better job. I don't care what anyone tells you, they're wrong.
A helicoil is a stainless steel threaded insert, you drill out the dead alloy thread, and cut in a larger deeper thread, into which the stainless insert screws and locks. This is secured into the alloy box casing in exactly the same way as a bigger bolt would be, by a bigger thread.
It won't pull out, ever, and it retains the correct sized thread and means the dogbone doesn't need drilling out.
Generally speaking, given an M12 alloy thread, or an M12 helicoil into an alloy housing, the helicoiled M12 will be stronger.
Many people using alloy components will drill out the stock threads and fit helicoils before even using them, to reduce the risk of threading the soft alloy threads.
Please don't go paying someone £100 to do this job. it's £25 for a helicoil kit with 10 inserts or more in the box. If you're taking it somewhere to have the work done, they'll already have the kit, so the parts cost to them is about 50p for the insert, and a MAX is 30 minutes labour.
I could do this work on my drive in less than 15 minutes with very basic tools. please don't get ripped off mate.
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and for reference, M12 was from memory. Just checked and the dogbone bolts in the box are both M10 x 1.5 thread. M12 is the engine mounts, which I've also helicoiled :)
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Okay, well I've just seen your comment P and I paid £90 for some sort of machine that uses a long drill for something? And then a short one to have a permanent thread replacing, but I got the car and it feels so much better, no more tractor shaking haha.
Thanks everyone for replies and advise, at least I know now for future reference.
Cheers.
Dom
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Ouch £90 was a lot to sort the problem.
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Please don't go paying someone £100 to do this job. it's £25 for a helicoil kit with 10 inserts or more in the box. If you're taking it somewhere to have the work done, they'll already have the kit, so the parts cost to them is about 50p for the insert, and a MAX is 30 minutes labour.
I could do this work on my drive in less than 15 minutes with very basic tools. please don't get ripped off mate.
I'm definitely in the wrong trade if someone charged £90 for this, even at £40 per hour they're still claiming almost 2 hours for a 20 minute job :S