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karshack · #11 10-23-2016, 03:22 PM

Jake,

I just about duplicated your case when I was taking apart the top of the engine to remove my cylinder head. It was the first time I had even noticed the "C" shaped tube and had now idea what it was for; but, I did know it was in my way and had to be removed. That was the lousy part. The banjo bolt to the cylinder head sheared while I was removing it. In the moment I failed to realize that it was not a regular solid bolt, and that it probably could not take much twisting, one way or the other. The only good thing is that I was in dismantle mode.

I tried like the dickens to use a couple of bolt extractor bits - no luck. The next of the sheared section only mushroomed out - did not turn at all. So, after dealing with the blown cylinder head, I got a HeliCoil kit No. 5542-8 (for M8x1 threaded bolts). I drilled out the remnants of the old bolt. And then proceeded to install the Helicoil as best I could. One obvious problem is that the insert is too long - longer than the depth of the hole in the casting. And unlike all examples of HC installation, this is not going into a hole that bottoms out. So, I guesstimated how much insert insert would actually be needed and then cut the insert, from the top, with wire snips - about 3 or 4 coils if I remember correctly. Space on the other side of the casting is so tight that I could not put my finger there to feel when the bottom of the insert reached the end of the hole. With about 4 coils beyond the end of the hole, then installation tool finished going forward. About 2 coils were remaining sticking out from the face of the hole so I used fine needle nose pliers to pull them and a coil inside the hole. I cut those off with the wire snips. Got a new banjo bolt from machinist. On reassembly, kappow! This time the bolt sheared when tightening it. Thankfully, this sheared bolt did come out using the bolt extractor bit - probably because the lack of corrosion to the insert hole. Back to machinist for another banjo bolt. He said that I should have used new copper washers. Back to reassembly. Got new copper washers - though I could not find ones as thin as the originals. Every thing seems to fit fine -- except for the fact that water leaks from the connection. Drip, drip, drip.

Did you have success in bolting up shut the block waterpump and cylinder head holes without leaks? Did you run the engine like that without any adverse results, like water overheating? If I can know that bolting up those holes with not do short term and long term damage I will do it today. Thanks for this thread.