| Author | Message | ||
| 78308gts4re (Rivee)
New member Username: Rivee Post Number: 15 Registered: 1-2002 |
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| '75 308 GT4 (Peter)
Intermediate Member Username: Peter Post Number: 1606 Registered: 12-2000 |
Rivee, yes the bolts are accessible, they're right beneath the alternator, this bracket is bolted to the front cover of the engine (I do remember it was a tight fit). | ||
| 78308gts4re (Rivee)
New member Username: Rivee Post Number: 14 Registered: 1-2002 |
Steve, I was talking about the oil pan drain plug threads. Sorry I didn't clarify that. The original HC is toast. I didn't know if my auto parts house would carry that size or if it was a special item for the car. I wasn't sure if it was a "standard" or "stock" size HC or if it had to be special ordered. Thanks for your help.........John | ||
| Ric Rainbolt (Ricrain)
New member Username: Ricrain Post Number: 6 Registered: 2-2002 |
Ferrari tends to (properly) use heli coils anywhere a bolt or plug is installed into an aluminum casting. Examples are: the water pump bolts, the oil drain plug and a few others. Steve is right about the reasons. | ||
| Steve Magnusson (91tr)
Member Username: 91tr Post Number: 544 Registered: 1-2001 |
Rivee -- I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "stock metric". It is a metric heli-coil M27 ID by whatever the thread pitch is, but it's such an oddball size that a store that normal has helicoil stuff on the shelf propably won't have one. It would probably be less hassle to ask one of the discount F parts suppliers (t.rutlands, partsource, ferraripartsexchange, allferrariparts, etc.) if you need a new one. Do you? -- you said the threads were "fine"? | ||
| 78308gts4re (Rivee)
New member Username: Rivee Post Number: 13 Registered: 1-2002 |
Steve, is it a stock metric heli coil that I can use to replace it? I've checked the treads with a tap and they're fine. Peter, Yes the bolt is in from the engine side. Also are the nuts holding the Alt. bracket on removable from inside the wheel well? | ||
| BretM (Bretm)
Intermediate Member Username: Bretm Post Number: 1746 Registered: 2-2001 |
I've found a couple of heli coils where they must have stripped the original threads, maybe like 3 or 4 of them in taking apart the engine. | ||
| '75 308 GT4 (Peter)
Intermediate Member Username: Peter Post Number: 1601 Registered: 12-2000 |
Rivee, it sounds like your Alt. bolt is inserted from towards the inside of the engine, yes this would make it incredibly difficult to remove (and you need that Alt out of there to access the lower dip-stick tube). You're only choice is to remove the Alt bolt bracket completely, I think its two, 17mm nuts, closely spaced together. Remember, when you go to put it back on, reverse the Alt bolt, so you can remove it straight out for future servicing! | ||
| magoo (Magoo)
Intermediate Member Username: Magoo Post Number: 2026 Registered: 2-2001 |
Rivee, Never having removed my pan but reading a lot of the posts here on F.C. the lower portion of the tube has to be removed so the pan will drop. I also understand it ain't easy. Check the archives or catch Peter GT4 on here he had the same problem. | ||
| Steve Magnusson (91tr)
Member Username: 91tr Post Number: 542 Registered: 1-2001 |
Rivee -- a couple of good reasons for the F engineers to put a heli-coil in the oil drain plug female threads: 1. provides a stronger base material for the female threads (steel vs cast aluminum) -- the crests of which are subject to very large shearing loads during (over  )tightening (especially on a large diameter, fine thread pitch plug which consequently has a very shallow thread helix angle -- i.e., a small torque produces a large axial load), and 2. reduces the potential for galling between the drain plug and the threaded hole -- aluminum (especially cast vs wrought) is a notoriously soft/"sticky" metal (on a relative scale). In my experience it's not uncommon at all to need to sometimes add heli-coils in other F places where the aluminum female threads really couldn't handle assembly/disassembly/reassembly very well. | ||
| 78308gts4re (Rivee)
New member Username: Rivee Post Number: 12 Registered: 1-2002 |
Jeff, I've removed the long dipstick tube and to reach the short one I have to remove the alternator. I can't reach the nut that holds the short tube that goes into the oil pan. | ||
| Jeff 77 GTB (Jbk)
Junior Member Username: Jbk Post Number: 52 Registered: 4-2001 |
Rivee, I believe you have to remove the complete dipstick to get the alternator bolt out. It hangs up on the hex at the bottom of the tube. Just unscrew the section of the dipstick tube that screws into the block. I think this will also remove the section that is hanging the pan up. | ||
| 78308gts4re (Rivee)
New member Username: Rivee Post Number: 11 Registered: 1-2002 |
Does any body know about the heli-coil that is in the oil drain plug hole? I went to change my oil on Saturday and when I put the plug back in and tightened it I noticed that a piece of metal (looked like the metal washer had expanded on the plug)was sticking out. So I removed the plug and more of this metal came out with the plug. I soon realized it was a heli-coil. I looked in my spare parts cat. and there it was, a FACTORY heli-coil. What is the purpose for this? So then I figured I would go ahead and drop the oil pan down to clean all the metal that might of got into the pan. I'm still working on getting my oil pan off. It appears the dip stick tube (there's 2 peices, one above and one going inside the pan bolted outside & above the pan)is in the way of dropping the pan. I removed the long upper dip stick tube but can't reach in far enough to remove the short one. I've tried to remove everything in the way of getting to this large nut but can't get the long bottom alternator bolt out to give me the room I need! Anybody know of any other way of dropping the pan without pulling the entire motor? Or another way of removing the Alt. bolt? I've tried heating it, beating it and turning it and I can't heat the bracket too much because I think it's aluminum. |