Red thread locker on ignition coils

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TYK97
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2020 8:06 am

Red thread locker on ignition coils

Post by TYK97 »

Awhile back at 120k miles I changed my spark plugs on my 03 Vibe and I managed to strip/break practically every coil pack bolt as I misread a torque spec. In my panic I used red threadlocker to hold the stripped ones in place while I bought a new bolt for the 1 I broke.

Will those bolts ever come out if/when the car reaches 240k miles and needs new spark plugs again?

Red threadlocker needs to be heated to 550F to be removed according to their site.

If I had to guess the bolts will have to be drilled out and the holes will need to be sized up and rethreaded. Either that or a new head will have to be bought. Both of which are rather far away. Took 16 years to reach 120k miles.
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joatmon
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Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2003 5:19 am
Location: SMC MD

Re: Red thread locker on ignition coils

Post by joatmon »

I think if it were me I'd first try to just unscrew the threadlocked bolts. If you end up shearing off the bolt heads, at least that would allow removing the coils to work on getting the rest out of the hole.

The coils screw into the valve cover, not the head. Its not hard/complicated to pull the valve cover, you'll want a new gasket for it when you put it back on. (after 17 years, you probably need a new gasket anyway) If you pull the coils and then the valve cover it will be easier to work on. Looks like a replacement valve cover isn't all that expensive, compared to shop rates of paying anyone to redo the coil screw holes, but if you pull the cover, then you could try drilling and then heating the sheared bolts to pull with an EZ out.

I guess I'd expect the aluminum valve cover threads stripped before the steel bolts did, but you never know
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zbyers
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Re: Red thread locker on ignition coils

Post by zbyers »

joatmon wrote: Sun Nov 01, 2020 5:07 am I think if it were me I'd first try to just unscrew the threadlocked bolts. If you end up shearing off the bolt heads, at least that would allow removing the coils to work on getting the rest out of the hole.

The coils screw into the valve cover, not the head. Its not hard/complicated to pull the valve cover, you'll want a new gasket for it when you put it back on. (after 17 years, you probably need a new gasket anyway) If you pull the coils and then the valve cover it will be easier to work on. Looks like a replacement valve cover isn't all that expensive, compared to shop rates of paying anyone to redo the coil screw holes, but if you pull the cover, then you could try drilling and then heating the sheared bolts to pull with an EZ out.

I guess I'd expect the aluminum valve cover threads stripped before the steel bolts did, but you never know
I agree with this.
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jolt
Posts: 945
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:07 am
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Re: Red thread locker on ignition coils

Post by jolt »

Thread locker will soften as the temp goes up. Drive the car around to heat up the engine, then while the engine is hot, remove the bolts. Any heat will help soften the locker. When taping aluminum, use alcohol as a lube for the tap. Do not use motor oil or WD-40 as it will not allow the tape to cut into the aluminum. Use a small amount of anti-seize on the coil mounting bolts, and as you learned, do not over tighten the bolts.
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