mag side carb screw striped!!!

[1800chall_tim]

today i reinstalled my port side rebuilt engine, all WAS going well !!! i will start a new post w/ pic.s of the project. but back to the issue that i noticed at the end of the night tonight.
earlier this winter while waiting for the engine to be rebuilt i opened the carbs to clean and inspect.(they were pretty clean) put back together with no issue. put them in a box until today, i put the carbs on and put the cables to the setting they were at before the rebuild as a start point. i noticed the (mag side carb) bracket that holds the cable adjusters was a little loose....its held on by 2 of the 4 screws on that side of the carb. WELL, when i went to tighten up the top one it tightened up a tiny bit then gave the feeling we all know and fear, it had pulled the threads! now its junk!!! can this be tapped one size bigger? or do i need a hole new friggen carb? it tightened up nicely the first time earlier this year,it could be that i stopped right at the point of stripping then bumped or stressed it upon install and now i have this dilema!!!! this was the discovery that sent me into the house for the night ticked off . everything was going sooooooo good to!!!!
please help,TIM

 

[Dr Honda]

There are a bunch of ways to save it: (but a pic would help)

1) MarineTex: It a glue, kind of like JB Weld... but stronger. Clean the hole, put some in... then drill/tap to the original size.

2) Coil: You can put a thread saver coil in.

3) Over-size: If there is room, the next size up, is the easiest/fastest way. (Assuming you have metric taps)

4) Weld: If you know someone with a TIG welder, you can put a little meat back into the carb body, and tap.



My method would depend on the condition of the carb body. If it's white and crusty... I would probably try to go over-sized, or put a coil into it, since you need to get into fresh metal.

 

[1800chall_tim]

thanks Tony, i just got a little p.o.'ed about it! it is screw #57 that goes into bracket #44 of the microfiche (99 challenger 1800) at seadoowarehouse. i will post a couple pic.'s a little later. i think i can drill and tap one size bigger. but I will need to order the metric bottoming tap and special sized bit . thanks, Tim

 

[rjcress]

...but I will need to order the metric bottoming tap and special sized bit . thanks, Tim

.
sounds like a coil would be easier.

 

[1800chall_tim]

.
sounds like a coil would be easier.

upon searching the forum to find the screw sizes i found an old tread stating these screws to be M5 x .08 16mm in length. when i googled to find coil kits all that comes up is M5 x .8 not M5 x .08 so i am assuming the extra '0' was a mistake???? does anyone now if these kits would be available locally like napa or orielly's? Thanks, Tim

 

[Dr Honda]

.08 pitch would be SUPER FINE. (doesn't exist) 5mm screws are typically, 0.8 pitch.

 

[1800chall_tim]

thanks for clearing that up, i searched a little more and found that lots of people make that little error typing .08 in place of .8 i've got a m5 x .8 heli-coil kit coming. i won't be able to tackle it 'til next weekend though.
everything else seems to in order with the re-install. even with that bracket a little lose i still had to fire her up. the first start on the fresh rebuild with no fuel in the line and it still only took about 10-12 seconds of cranking to get the first pop. then with a little choke/throttle play to burn off the oil it runs beautifuly. i'm going to wait to take it to the lake until the carb is sturdy so i can do some test running and fine tuning without that bracket coming loose. Tim

 

[racerxxx]

Good call on the helicoil for the repair, good thing there is there is plenty of depth to drill and insert the coil. Not sure what length helicoils your getting but just let it finish just below the surface of the carb rather then sending it all the way to the bottom of the hole. Remember to snap the tang off before you insert the screw. I would make sure the the round spacers spin freely on the screws themselves, clean the white chalk off with a wire brush and put some grease on the threads ALL the way to help combat the "chalk". Just went through this with a Challenger I was working on.

 

[1800chall_tim]

Good call on the helicoil for the repair, good thing there is there is plenty of depth to drill and insert the coil. Not sure what length helicoils your getting but just let it finish just below the surface of the carb rather then sending it all the way to the bottom of the hole. Remember to snap the tang off before you insert the screw. I would make sure the the round spacers spin freely on the screws themselves, clean the white chalk off with a wire brush and put some grease on the threads ALL the way to help combat the "chalk". Just went through this with a Challenger I was working on.

thanks for the advise, this was my first helicoil repair, and it was a success!! when i ordered the kit i wasn't quite sure what length the coils were but it turned out to be the perfect length. i wouldn't think twice about using this method again. a strong repair and all screws are still same size. thanks, Tim

 

[racerxxx]

Yeah man, CONGRATS! Makes you feel good doesn't it? And like you said, all the screws remain the same and doesn't look like some back yard monkey did a half-arsed repair. I just helicoiled a case and a cylinder for a guy, M8's and an M10. Saved more parts from the scrap yard, I hate seeing good parts just thrown away. Keep up the good work and enjoy the boat.