Safe thread chasing on aluminum block?

[scooper77515]

Pulled off my carbs last month and the bolts were almost frozen in the holes.

I will be taking them off again this week, and am wondering if chasing those threads before I re-insert the bolts (with lube or anti-seize compound) will improve my ability to remove them at a later date, or just oversize the holes causing things to come loose later on.

 

[timmyboy76]

sure...

had the machinist, after remove'n 4 broken head bolts, tap the holes out/clean them up, all 10/12 to each motor. Then reinstall'n bolts, just put anti-seize on bolt threads.

 

[robin savell lloyd]

Pulled off my carbs last month and the bolts were almost frozen in the holes.

I will be taking them off again this week, and am wondering if chasing those threads before I re-insert the bolts (with lube or anti-seize compound) will improve my ability to remove them at a later date, or just oversize the holes causing things to come loose later on.

I would do as you said with oil and leave it alone if they seem to torque down good. A beter way may be to clean out after the oil with brake parts cleaner then add some blue thread lock to the screws I would think that the blue should keep out any curosion and keep the bolts tight but not to tight to remove later. Good luck as I can always be wrong. Robin :cheers:

 

[scooper77515]

The reason I want to chase the threads is because the last time the bolts came out, they almost didn't. There was a heavy white corrosion that almost froze the bolts in there. I gooped them down really well, but I know screwing in-and-out with all that white junk in there is going to eventually mess up my threads.

Now I have "runaway carbs" and wonder if I am bottoming out on the white crap and not torqueing the carbs down all the way when I install them.

I already replaced all grey lines but will do it again this week with the correct size hose 1/4" and since the carbs are coming off, I don't want to put them back on without cleaning off the threads.

It is getting old working in that cramped engine bay on the XP...:ack: especially doing the same job 2 and 3 times over.

 

[ski-d00]

chasing threads is always a good idea but clean them well afterward, solvent and blow out. I use seadoo synthetic lube on the carb bolt threads, gets crusty after a few years but does not turn into the white powder corrosion, but I don't deal with saltwater so those guys may have better tricks.

 

[scooper77515]

This is my salt-water wave jumper, so any salt-proof suggestions are appreciated.

I was planning on using anti-seizing compound, and I tend to keep the inside of this hull sprayed with chain lube to keep water from getting into places it shouldn't. Plus it gets a good fresh-water bath inside and out after each use (often with a cup full of dish detergent inside the hull), but you just cannot completely prevent corrosion.