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Re: [T3] stripped oil change bolt


On 20 Oct 2002, at 10:46, John Fischer wrote:

> The case is stripped. and the long bolt came out of the case so the oil sump
> is not attached to the bottom of the case. 

If the case strips, you need to repair it. I recommend a Heli-coil repair; the 
thread size is M6 x 1. I made a jig to do this exactly right, but you can do it 
freehand if you are really careful. Use Loctite on the stud in the Helicoil.  

For the cap nuts that are now stuck on the studs that unscrewed, grab them 
in soft jaws in a vice and remove the cap nuts. Inspect the parts and clean 
up the ones that are okay. Clean out the threaded holes, and use the 
strongest Loctite that you can get to install them to the proper depth. 
Measure one that is good and match the others to it. You MUST remove all 
traces of oil from the threads in order for the Loctite to work right. Let it set 
overnight before reassembling the sump and replacing the oil.  

Mark is right about the long stud. You will have to fish out the missing nut 
and washer and reinstall them, which will be challenging. In general I'm 
surprised that this could happen because the locking nut used on that stud 
always keeps that stud in place, in my experience. I don't think I've ever seen 
that one come loose. BTW, the long stud is the one on the front right.  

> I drve the car like this yestarday, I hope it didn't screw anything up. 

I wouldn't run the engine until you fix this.  

The long stud should have had a self-locking nut on the top, with a washer as 
well. The nut flats are 10mm, same as the sump cap nuts. You DON'T want 
those parts to get caught in the wrong place in your engine, nor do you want 
the oil pickup tube to come loose in there when the engine is running.  

There are several causes of the cap nuts sticking to the studs, and they are 
ALL avoidable, if you know what to do, or not to do.  

1) There is supposed to be a soft washer under each cap nut, between it and 
the sump plate. If you leave these out the stud can enter the cap nut too far 
and get stuck. Always use the soft washers, even if you have to reuse old 
ones.  

2) Afrermarket replacement cap nuts are often not tapped completely to the 
bottom and have a tendency to jam on the studs. Avoid these, or prepare a 
bottoming tap and clean out the threads all the way down BEFORE you use 
them.  

3) If you drop the cap nuts in the dirt when you're changing your oil there is a 
chance that grit will get inside the threads and cause them to seize. Be 
careful. I always put a rag on the ground under the sump to catch the ones 
that my fingers miss.  

-
*******************************
Jim Adney, jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
*******************************

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