1999 Road Glide twin Cam 95 inch kit. I purchased a new Screaming eagle cam plate oil pump and hydraulic tensioned system as my winter project. Wile installing the cam plate I went to torque the first ALLEN screw down and it stripped. I was using a Snap-On torque wrench. When I looked into it and I see that a Heli-Coil was installed previously. It did feel different when I removed it. Ok now here I am how to I fix fix this issue. I live in North New Jersey. Can someone direct me as to how to fix it correctly or to someone in north jersey I can bring the bike to. Sure hope this motor is not trash

 

larger size heli-coil would be my suggestion

 

No worries, motor is not trash. I am not sure I understand the situation but it sounds like the previous helicoil repair has stripped in the original hole that was tapped to accept the helicoil?? Exactly which hole is it? The repair may be different depending on the location of the hole. The usual offenders are the two holes at the dowel locations; the dowel eats up some thread space so there are not as many threads at those two locations.

A couple of things to try.

1. Clean the hole and dry. Replace the helicoil with a new insert but use plenty of red Loctite 271. Let that cure and try to torque the fastener again.
2. If the offending hole is not at one of the dowel locations, you might be able to use a Time Sert but a Time Sert won't work at the dowel locations.
3. If the red Loctite doesn't hold get a 9/32" drill bit and see if the hole can be enlarged by drilling. If you can drill the hole, you can tap it to 5/16"; the next size. You will need to find an allen head fastener the right length and you will have to slightly enlarge the hole in the cam plate for the larger fastenter. I have made this repair several times and a few strokes with a rat tail file will enlarge the hole in the cam plate for the fastener.

Remember, it is a blind hole, you just want to enlarge the thread boss enough to re-tap the hole; you are not trying to make it deeper.

 

Thanks for your help! It is the #1 hole in the torque pattern. It is not one of the two with the dowel pins.Will try the lock tight first then try the Time cert. Any idae what time cert kit i will need

 

I think you would want the 1/4 x 20 kit to return the threads to OEM size, if the hole is small enough to accept the bit that will come with the kit. If not, the 5/16 x 18 kit would work.

http://www.timesert.com/index.html

 

I wouldn't use loctite in it. If you do anyway, don't use red. You will play hell getting it out if you need to make a thread repair. First see if there are any threads left in the bottom of the hole that the bolt couldn't catch when torqued up with the plate on. Try threading the bolt in without the camplate to see if it catches any good threads. If it does, then find a stud and red locktite the stud in. Then slide the camplate over the stud and use a 12 pt nut. You will better off at the lower torque when setting these up. If the threads are totally wiped out you may get away with yanking out the old helicoil and trying another in the same hole. If all else fails timeserts are the way to go. Tap should be a flat bottom.

 

That's the idea. The problem is steel threaded fasteners in cast aluminum. Once the helicoil is locked in and considering that the cam plate won't be coming off two or three times a year (unless the OP is like me and likes to experiment with cams), a thread repair on that hole is no more likley with the helicoil locked in than with a Timesert. The Loctite approach is quick and cheap and similar to the Timesert approach, just a different way to lock in the insert.

If the Loctite approach doesn't hold the helicoil, and it might not, a Timesert is the definitely the way to go.

 

Clean out the hole and check the insert.Is it stripped,is the tang removed?
Sometimes when the tang is being removed,it can be pushed in skipping a thread without breaking off.This can damage a screw.
Try another screw without the cam plate.If the second screw strips,the insert is FUBAR.

It is possible the PO installed a locking insert.

You will need to purchase a Heliciol insert removal tool to remove the insert.
Once the insert is out,check the STI thread.If it good,install the correct insert.

 

Helicoil inserts can be removed without extraction tools; just need a good angle pick and a set of good needle nose pliers.

Insert the angle pick under the top coil of the insert and pry upwards until the top of the insert protrudes from the hole. Grap the top coil with the needle nose pliers while holding it up with the pick and just pull the helicoil from the hole with the needle nose pliers.

Then, based on the OPs assessment of the condition of the threads, he can decide which repair approach he wants to try. Lot's of ways to skin the cat but the object of the repair should be to end up with a steel fastener threaded into steel threads, not aluminum.

 

OP, once again do not use red loctite if you're going to use a bolt. Shouldn't need any loctite on a helicoil or timesert if done correctly. If you loctite a helicoil and it doesn't take the bolt you're screwed. The way to fix this is with a stud and 12 pt nut. Red loctite on the stud as it will never need to come out again using a nut. In most cases there's enough thread left in the bottom of the hole for a stud. While the plate is off studs should be used in the 2 dowel holes before they strip out, and they very well may. Plenty of info on the net as to how guys have handled this. Easy to give advice but if the owner doesn't want to worry about it going down the road he should do it right. Or take it to someone that will do it right. Halfazzing it only leads to problems down the road. And if he ever sells the bike with it not done correctly, and doesn't expose the issue to the buyer, well shame on him. Sometimes it's better to suck it up and take it to someone that will do it the right way.