Let me start off by stating that this thread is not to bash KINETIX in any way. It is more of a warning to all those who install their plenum and what NOT to do.

I have a cracked V2 and I should hopefully be receiving my replacement V4 on Saturday. When I originally installed my V1 I did not put any loktite on the 4 bolts that go into the top of the bottom portion of the plenum. When it cracked, and I had to take it off and put the stock plenum back on until the V2 arrived, the 4 bolts were still very snug, but came out easily once they loosened up. When I installed the V2 plenum I put some loktite on the 4 bolts since I was under the optimistic impression that I would not have to remove them anytime in the near or distant future. Well, last night I decided that after what happened to Wren, I would take off my silicone slathered V2 plenum and put the stock one back on. Everything for the most part went fine with the removal until I got to the 4 bolts inside.

I first tried the front and rear bolts on the right side and they took a little bit of effort to break free, but then came out fine.
Then I tried the front left bolt and it was not moving. I actually bent the Allen wrench a little while trying. After a couple of more attempts, what I feared would happen... did. I rounded out the hex pattern inside the bolt. Frustrated, I tried the rear bolt on the left side.

The same thing happened there.

I did notice that the gasket had tweaked a little bit which made me feel like maybe the bolts had fused to the gasket. 2 minutes and a pair of wire cutters later and I had cut the gasket off at the two points near the bolts. I was not sure what to do at this point since the holes in the middle of the two bolts were now completely rounded out. I decided to go buy a Dremel and cut a groove in the top of the bolts and try removing them with a screwdriver.

That's when my next problem arose. With where the bolts were located, it was very difficult to get the cutting wheel in to make the cut. Finally I was able to cut the grooves. I stuck in a flathead screwdriver and tapped it a little with a hammer to make sure it was in there good and then tried to turn the screw. No good (but on the brighter side I did get a nice blister on the palm of my hand ) I then decided to whip out the trusty DeWalt drill and try to remove the bolts with the screwdriver attachment.

**SNAP!!!** I actually snapped part of the tip off of the screwdriver. I was beginning to get VERY worried at this point because I was wondering how (or if) I would get the bolts out. Luckily I had another screwdriver attachment so I tried again on the front bolt. Luckily it broke loose and came out.

I then turned my attention back to the rear bolt. The DeWalt was wound on the highest torque setting and it was not budging and then **SNAP!!!** Another busted screwdriver tip. Now I was pissed. I used the dremmel to make the groove in the top a little deeper and then I sprayed the little MF with WD-40 and let it sit overnight.

This morning I decided to try one more time before heading to work. To my relief, after about 5 minutes of wrestling with it, I finally got it to break loose!

Needless to say, I showed up at work this morning with a BIG $H|t eating grin on my face! Unfortunately now though, I have to go buy a new gasket... but that's ok.

Sooo... my advice to you is NOT to use loktite on the bolts inside the plenum because they tighten down enough by themselves and when you have to take them out to put your stock plenum back on (for whatever reason it may be) you will be able to remove them.

Here's a picture of the little Ba$tard bolt and one of the busted screwdriver tips.

 

Or you could replace those with a standard bolt so you can use a socket and a breaker bar if neccessary to break them loose.

 

Wow, what an ordeal... glad that you actually got the bolts off though. I thought that you were going to have to destroy the plenum to get it off or something

Kinda OT, but.... if the screwdriver tips were Craftsman, would they be covered under the lifetime warranty?

 

Well, I'm not too concerned about the screwdriver tips. They are only a few bucks each. I'm just glad that I could get the bolts out!

King Tut,

That's not a bad idea about using regular hex head bolts. Might not be a bad idea.

 

Reading your post kept me wondering what was next! Glad you got them out. Some good advice on the "Hex Head Bolts". Something Kinetix might want to consider for future shipments.

V3 with SC is still going strong. But should I have to move up to V4, know what to expect.

 

perhaps blue loctite would be best for this spot??

sounds like you used the red stuff......


?

 

time for someone to get a real mans screw bit.

you needed to work duct tape and superglue into your solution, that would have made life easier.

 

Hehehe! Yeah, I was thinking about it, but I didn't want to give away the secret of how I really got the bolts out.

 

ouchhhhhh!!!! Now you tell me this. I just installed my V4 plenum 2 days ago and I DID follow the instructions to the letter by applying the locktite to the screws. God help me if this plenum cracks!!!!!

 

glad to hear you got things taken care of fairly problem free chris!

for those interested, they make these screw/bolt removal tools called "easy outs". ive used them hundreds of times over the years with great success. the are tapered & have sharp cutting edges that dig into the screw in the direction againt the loosening turn rotation to lock into the hole. they have a block shape tip on the end to attach a wrench or socket to get a solid bite. if there is a hole in the screw/bolt head it can be used. ive even drilled my own holes to use the easy out on solid headbolts. best money i ever spent. i bought me a set of 4(different sizes kit) almost 6 years ago & have more than gotten my moneys worth out of them.........just wanted to share this with anyone who may run into similar trouble!

-justin

 

Well... you won't want to hear what I am about to say, but I'll say it anyway. I would seriously advise you to remove the plenum (I know it's a pain in the a$$, but I'd do it if I was in your shoes) and take the 4 bolts out of the center and wipe off all the Loktite and then screw them back in. An alternative (if you want to use Loktite) would be to replace the bolts with some strong hex head bolts (similar to the one's around the flange of the plenum) so that you would be able to remove them easier if/when the need arises.

Now keep in mind that this is only the 4 bolts in the center of the inside of the plenum. Definitely use Loktite on ALL the flange bolts.

-Chris

 

Chris,

I situations like that, I just get the tungsten (or whatever metal drills through metal) bits out and drill a pilot hole down the vertical axis of the screw. That relieves the pressure and it should make it much easier to break the loctite seal.

Glad to hear you got the job done. Doug at Crawford ships his plenum with 4 10mm bolts so you can do just what King Tut had suggested and use a socket with a breaker bar.

Dan

 

mamboking, just get a set of easy outs as i mentioned in my previous reply. theyll come in handy if you cant remove the bolts & theyre nice to have around, never know when you will need them...........

-justin

 

My wife suggested drilling the bolts out, but I was worried about the shavings dropping down and getting into something and causing more problems. I will definitely be getting some of those 10mm bolts today to replace the ones I removed.

-Chris

 

Gosh Chris ... what an ordeal and I'm glad you managed to get them off at the end. How much thread-lock did you applied? An itty bitty drop on the tip (threaded area) of the screw goes a longggg way. The hex replacement is a great suggestion however. I would still recommend using thread-lock in the future. Although the chances are slim, but if anyone of them do end up backing out and finding their way into the intake ports ... you may be looking at some nasty internal damage to the engine.

So, do you feel any performance drop w. the standard plenum? (taking note your last impression of the v3 has leaks).

 

Well, I only got the last bolt out this morning before work so I haven't had the chence to put the stock plenum back on. Plus I have to swing by the Nissan dealer on the way home to pick up a couple gaskets to replace the one I had to mangle (at $3.70 each I figure I can afford a couple).

I did notice a performance drop the last time I had to put the stock plenum on to replace a cracked Kinetix. I don't know how much as far as horsepower, but as for being able to tell... HELL YEAH I could tell a difference.

I just recommended not using Loktite on the center bolts because you figure that you be pulling the plenum off every few months or so to put the newest version of the KINETIX on so if any of the bolts happen to be loose, you can just tighten them up intil the next time. Hehehe!

 

I thought about the locktite when I installed my v3 plenum. I decided to use it anyways for the same reason thx723 said. I had a bit of a time getting the plenum to sit squarely on the lower plenum gaskets. Had to un-tighten / re-tighten several bolts so all the bolts holes would line up. Everything "mostly" lined up anyways and I have no leaks for now.

I did however replace the two hex-key bolts on top of the plenum that screw into the middle supports. The heads wore down and I was worried I wouldn't be able to back them out more than a few times. Hex head bolts do the trick now. Paranoid maybe, bit I still check "all" the bolts with my torque wrench every once and again, just to be sure

I'm happy with the plenum! Sure makes my jwt popcharger whistle and the gains are good. Now I'm waiting for my DC header so I can install the Kinetix cats at the same time.

 

In light of recent events where customers are reporting screwdriver tip failure, we have decided to release version 3 of our screwdriver tip. This will incorporate all our design and engineering knowledge from versions 1 and 2, but with thicker material. We will replace all previous versions with version 3 at no charge because our customer service is great. When your version 3 breaks, be assured that we have a version 4 in the works, which you will also receive free of charge. We realize the inconvience you may have in not screwing things while your screwdriver tip is being replaced. We know you have a choice in screwdriver tips and thank you for choosing ours.

Thank you,
The screwdriver tip people

PS. Before the flames come out, this was meant as a joke and NOT to bash a certain manifold maker. I run Kenetix test pipes and love them (the pipes, not the Kenetix people).

PPS. Not in a physical way, I just like the way they sound and perform (the pipes, not the Kenetix people).

-D

 

If someone could please post the dia and length of the 4 screws installed under the Plenum (into the bottom Plenum), I would appreciate it. I would like to replace the screws when I install my V4 (replacement) with drilled head screws and then lockwire the 4 screws together. That way you don't need locktight and they will NEVER come out! This is peace of mind i'd like to have.