throttle linkage cover thread stripped

[98EBV8]

Hi,
Yesterday, I was cleaning my throttle body with a toothbrush. In order to open the butterfly, I had to remove the plastic cover (Accelerator Splash Shield) that sits over the linkages of the throttle.

After I finished up, I tried to put the black plastic cover back on with the bolt. But, the bolt wouldn't tighten. It turned out that the thread is stripped on the top of the metal part (Accelerator Cable Bracket) that hold the throttle and cruise control cables.

I am thinking about getting a bigger bolt to rethread into the metal bracket. But, when the next time I clean the throttle body, this will happen again.

So, what would be a better fastener to use for the cover?

Thanks,
Shane

'98 EB (5.0L V8)

 

[dogfriend]

helicoil

They make a thread insert that you can install in the original hole. The insert is essentially a tightly wound spring that has the same diameter and thread pitch as the original fastener. You drill out the hole with a specially sized bit (comes in a kit), tap the hole with a specially sized tap (in the kit) and insert the helicoil with a special tool (again in the kit).

The kits usually cost $20 - $30 depending upon the size. The resulting thread is strong and they work very well in aluminum.

 

[dogfriend]

oops just reread

I was thinking about the throttle body, but I realized that your talking about the bracket which may be too thin for a helicoil.

I would try drilling and tapping to the next size if possible. You could also install a device called a rivet nut. It is similar to a pop rivet but has internal threads. These work well for thin materials.

go to http://www.mcmaster.com/ and type in "rivet nut" in the search field.

The downside of the rivet nut is that you need a tool to install them ($40 - $50).

 

[98EBV8]

Thanks Dogfriend

Thanks for your time to look into my post, Dogfriend. I am not too familiar with rivets. Can they be removed many times without stripping, unlike the original bolt for the bracket?

I may have to drive over to a local hardware store and see what that rivet nut looks like.

From what I can see without measuring the thickness of the bracket, it is about 1/16th of an inch thick. I would say the bolt is about 1/8 of an inch wide in diameter on the bottom of it.

Shane