Just finished the install on my car, but some things did not go as planned. Before putting on the new plenum from crawford, we are advised to put in 4 screws into the lower plenum then put on the new plenum and put in the other middle two. Well in the lower plenum, I snapped one bolt, but the other 3 went in fine so I thought the last one would be the same. Apparently not, so now the "cap" part of the screw is broken off but the actual bolt is still in there. I left it and just continued thinking that it won't be bothersome. I hope thats the case bc I dont want to open that bad boy again....and it was night and I was tired. Will I be ok? Worse comes to worse, I'll just tell the shop that does my turbo to make it all correct. What are your opinions on this?? Thanks guys


p.s.- i wish i saw that thread about important install tips before doing this

 

ooooo you shouldn't apply that much torque on it anyway your engine is aluminum... as far as if its ok... i dont know. Just think what would happen if it vibrated out and droped into your motor. :0

hate to be the bearer of bad news but fix it now before you regret just one little screw later

 

The supplemental says the have loctite already on them so they wont back out. Is that just on the cap?

 

you apply loctite on the thread. For the screw, go to Ace hardware and ask them for a extractor. You will also need a drill for this.

 

We have all heard the saying, do it right the first time or don't do it at all. In this case, if that screw wiggles out over time, you won't be doing much at all. Plus, you'll always have it in your mind that there is a possible disaster waiting under that plenum.....if only I had waited.... You'll appreciate the peace of mind at least if you get that out of there. It would drive me nuts leaving that in there.

-Steve

 

Trust me its driving me nuts....in fact I've made up my mind that I will be taking it apart again and takeing care of that last screw.

Can anyone teach me on how to go about this process?

 

You might want to give Doug at Crawfords a call and see what he thinks about this - he is always willing to help.

615-327-4159 (Monday - Friday 7:30-5:30 CST)

or shoot him an email at
crawfordzcar@comcast.net
(not a PM) and he'll call you

 

Is the shank of the screw exposed? If so can you use plyers and grab ahold of it? I wouldn't recommend sawing a slot in the shank and trying to use a screw driver, the shank is too small IMO.

If not you can try using an e-z out, but be very careful!!!

May I also suggest trying to use some penetrating oil and let that set for awhile. Just make sure to clean up any and all residue when you're done.

 

Talked to Doug and he said he thinks the loctite should do its job basically and shouldn't cause a problem but at the same time its not guaranteed. One alternative he recommended was to get an epoxy and apply it to the top, which is what I will most likely do. I was also thinking of just replacing the lower plenum since I had plans for that anyways. Those screws are just vent screws anyhow and are otherwise nonfunctional....