What options do I have if I've stripped the threads for my Helicoil repair?

Question

A while back I had repaired a stripped thread on my aluminium timing chain cover with a M6x1.0 Helicoil. This involved:

• drilling out the damaged thread
• tapping a slightly larger M8x1.0 internal thread
• screwing in the M6x1.0 Helicoil

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Lately I noticed that the Helicoil had backed out. In an attempt to "fix" this I ended up damaging the new thread.

Short of replacing the timing cover itself, is it possible to recover from this mess I've made?

Answer 1

One possible corrective action is to use a key-locking insert (commercial name "KeySert" or "KeenSert").

For an M6x1.0 internal thread, the standard external thread is M10x1.25. The following steps will need to be taken:

• Enlarge the hole size with to 8.8mm (0.35" drill bit is close enough)
• Create new thread with an M10x1.25 tap wrench
• Screw in the locking insert until the head is flush with the surface
• Press the locks in to lock the insert in place.

Here is a YouTube video demonstrating the steps involved: http://youtu.be/UTdJUMIcrPI