Stripped Thread Repair: Helicoil vs. TimeSert vs. JB Weld | The Shop Manual

Oversized bolt, backed out and caked in jb weld is what I used after watching too many videos, this one included

I know it’s not perfect, but it’s my car I’m gambling and it’s an old car

Just tranny drain bolt, should hold fine, shop wanted over $1000 to drill and retap because the engine oil pan is in the way of the tranny and this tranny doesn’t have a pan, was fun, the oversized bolt I used doubles as a valve, somewhat like fumoto, plus that car isn’t driven much so might not even have to change tranny fluid again

Going forward I might change tranny fluid from the top anyway on cars that don’t have a pan, or I may take a break from doing it myself as that was a freaking nightmare, at least it’s fixed for now

Omg...thank youuuuu , i have spark plug and drain plug stripped

I need to get me a helicoil set for my bicycle.

We use both the Helocoil and the TimeSerts great products.

Have previously raced a CBR600 with helicoiled front brake calipers. I was dreadful, but not because of the brakes; they were fine 👍

Ive been told the time sert is the best option although it can be 5 to 10 times more than the helicoil kit. I just put a time sert on my Triumph after stripping a cam cover bolt. It was my first time doing it. Not too hard.

I have cross threaded my bmw f10 wheel hub , what will you suggest for new? Helicoil or time serts? My torque is 25 foot pounds

KTM needs to have a steel thread carriage for the oil plug. With that many oil changes and multiple owners the aluminum case is a obvious failure point. I picked up a used 500, sure enough just barely stripped. Hard to tell when looking at a used bike. They just throw some thread tape and it looks fine. I just heard of a guy with a newer model had his drain plug come out on the trail and didn't realize until the engine seized. Moto is gone.

I stripped the threads on a fender bolt. I"m just going to drill it all the way through the frame and put a 9.9 nut on the back side making sure I don't drill into the tire and the longer bolt won't hit the tire when it moves up and down..

Some stripped threads are inside an aluminum engine block with a threaded bolt holing each ignition coil in place. Nearly no stress on the threads means a cheap epoxy with metal powder in it can be used to keep the bolt firmly in the epoxied hole ... Some threaded bolts are NOT under stress and just need something to keep them from backing out ....

My transmission drain plug is leaking due to cross threadediness

Why not just tap it and use a bigger bolt? Would that be fine?

I got an ad for JB Weld.

I was looking for comparisons on the Helicoil and timesert for another application, but this video was absolutely perfect even though I don’t ride motorcycles lol

i just did this on my HD 2002 Softail whose Transmission pan drain plug is located in THE most awkward position up between the two rear shock absorbers so you need to attach the relevant socket to an extension of considerable length; I haven't measured it but maybe 4-6 inches. Ive done this successfully a 100 times BUT last time, i stripped the threads in the bolt hole. I have no hoist to get underneath it to repair so my other option is to lay it on its side. Please if you have the time tell me what precautions I need to undertake before laying the bike on its side. I cant seem to find this elsewhere. Thank you.

Can I use those inserts in plastic holes? Just stripped one on my bike...

he probably didn't use the flaring tool to seat the time-sert
also time-sert are thin walled, with finer thread. wastes less metal and you can still use a helicoil after a time-sert fails
helicoil will be stronger because it is wider and coarser threads so has more penetration but time cert makes an even bigger version if you already tried a helicoil that is stronger

ez lock comes next, it thicker than both with coarse thread, ezlock and timecert can use red thread locker without danger of it getting on the original bolt and can be removed with red locktite by the drill bit in their kit

thread sealant seeps thru heli-coils and sometimes not as good for thru bolts that go into the water jacket. time-cert and helicoil have stainless versions and more lengths to choose from than ezlock. time-cert requires .250 inches space at bottom to fully seat with the setting tool

you can buy heli-coils with up to 3 times the depth by adding 3d to the thread size, or half steps like 2.5d

Whys he slways injured in videos....

helicoil is more available an more affordable

Is it just me or did you get anxiety watching this?

solid vid......outstanding! subscribed.

I had a bolt end break off inside an engine block maybe an inch deep (guessing)…would a time sert or helicoil work for that? (Alternator mounting bolt on a civic si)

I don't like the face you made in your thumbnail. It's dumb.

DUDE You forgot the red Loctite on the TimeSert. You’re supposed to put a drop or two on the TimeSert insert before you install it. The red Loctite + the expansion is the ticket.

Otherwise great video. Thanks.

Thanks! Love your site by the way; always buy gears from you guys. I'm glad I watched this as I wasn't 100% sure if the JB Weld would actually hold...I'm going to use Helicoil!

This was a good video. I stripped a plug thread once at the track. Tossed JB weld on it and let it cure overnight. It held for 2 seasons before I needed to change plugs and just swapped the head. Works in a pinch, but like the video isn’t a good repair option.

hey ya'll an cheap diy is to drill and tap to a larger bolt size, throw a bolt in and then cut it off, peen it/weld it/red loctite, and then drill that to the original thread. obviously have to be able to poke through your work piece but uses more common tools in a pinch

Here's another method. Use Aluminum "solder" to fill the hole, then re-drill and tap. This can be stronger than the base Al.

Phenomenal video, the insert comparison at the end was great.

Xcelent explenation!

How do you remove the insert if you need to .?

Keyserts are another option too. Great Video !!

It's not a bike I've got. It's a Chrysler 2.7L V-6 in a car. It looks as if I'll be going the helicoil route.

You saved my Honda elements pulley assembly with this advice. Thx.

That's a job for today on ktm 🤪 drain plug 💔

absolutely great video , very helpful ! thanks

Excellent video. I actually remember pulling threads out of a magnesium fork when removing V-brake bolts. They put red loctite on them which pulled the threads right out. It was a crappy Rockshox fork on a 1995 Specialized Rockhopper A1 Comp (which I still have, with new fork, etc.).

Sooo, will this work on a engine front mount for a motorcycle?
Took the bolts out to install a rail and found shaving in it so im assuming the dealer stripped them when installing since it only has 75 miles on the bike.
But gotta get it fixed to mount up the rails/ engine heh.

Awesome video. Glad I found it. Recently stripped the thread where the clutch cable goes into the primary cover. Thread is completely gone. My question is, which method would you recommend to fix that thread? The primary cover is aluminum. And of course there’s an o-ring which seals the fluid. Thanks in advance.

My m6 helicoil stripped. 🥲 now what?

I think helicoils are used only in holes with a bottom and the timeserts are used for holes with no bottom similar to how rivet nut inserts are used. The timesert has a flared head & is also supposed to flare out at the bottom to prevent it from spinning around when you put drain plug bolt back. A timesert or rivet nut insert would be best for a stripped drain plug. If a helicoil was used, it'd spin around going a bit deeper into the hole each time you put plug bolt back in. Since there's no flared top lip or bolt hole bottom to stop it from spinning down into the hole.

Did just that… Man, did it get to me. Over twenty years of changin oils in cars and motorcycles and now I f..t it up 😅. Well… thank God it’s an easy fix.

can using a helicoil inside JB weld work okay rather than trying to weld cast iron? Would that combination work?

Used to be able to grab JB weld on a wide variety of apple with better than expected…
But last 4-5 times over past few years … I’ve tried to utilize JB weld for minor repairs,
It turned out to be a complete waste of time & about $20 on JB weld product…
In short JB weld is junk nowadays,
It’s not what it used to be.😡

In a situation like that especially where oil will leak you should use a 1-2-3 block so that the angle of the tap is 100% true and straight.

Where can I buy a time-sert for a Yamaha r6?????

This is interesting! I would love to have a round 2 of these, and include our product Rotary Thread :) Please let me know if you are willing to review!

Sorry, I am too lazy to do this and would just buy a new bike. LOL

JB weld is not a thread fixing option lol. The best use for JB weld is as a filler for a scraped up area of your frame. Fill in sand and paint over.