Permission to scream?

Feel like headbutting the wall right now, just been going over the bike checking fasteners & come to the front calipers there's a loose bolt, which just keeps turning....

Gahhh! F#@*&%g stripped thread in the right hand bloody caliper! What the heck caused it I don't know, since when I refitted them after the rebuild they torqued up fine & I was just rechecking stuff when the bolt just spun...

So I'm caliper shopping now

 

heli coil

 

or you can go with a larger bolt

 

I knew it !!

Threads that strip overnite - by themselves. 8O

Blame the crop circle - making Aliens :lol:

real crop circle
bit long - aerial view at 13:15

 

let me introduce you to my little friend the torque wrench

 

so easy to give anything an extra nip u for luck

 

aint that the truth brother might want to use the quarter inch ratchet to reassemble ya brute

 

Take a look at TIMETORIDE I think he has to use the quarter ratchet and only use his pinky and thumb to keep from snapping the bolts off

 

:roll:

Crop circle my A55

Don't fancy helicoiling a caliper tbh, a second hand caliper is probably cheaper than a helicoil kit, and my life is not cheaper than either lol

I'm not even all that big, 6'2"/220Lb, not that it matters when you're using a torque wrench anyhow, 35Nm is 35Nm

I'm thinking, glad I didn't use threadlock & not recheck them! Was all set to go for a ride...

 

Ughh it goes from bad to worse, bank's screwed me royally now as well, just had card declined in a busy petrol station... Thank f*** I had some cash with me as well or i'd be sat in a cop cell or something now!

Wondering if there's something in the alignment of the planets or something like that, as reading a couple of other posts in here today seems like I'm not the only person feeling like biting everyones head off lol seems to be a lot of people having a bad day :?

 

FYI, when I was re-installing the caliber on my bike after a caliber rebuild I was tightening the bolt with a torque wrench when the bolt snapped in half right at the beginning of the threads well before I had tightened it to specifications. Could be an issue with the original bolts? Or possibly just one of those things. I ordered another bolt from Chacal and had no problems getting the bolt to specifications.

 

I didn't snap a bolt though, the thread pulled out the caliper

It torqued up just fine a while back, just went through checking everything before I went for a ride on it & the thing was loose & just spinning!

 

I can't think of any reason that should happen normally. I know the caliber "floats" but I don't think there is enough movement to force the bolt to strip out the threads. Was the lock nut still tight on the bolt? The only possible thought to explain it is that somebody is tampering with your bike. Slapping a socket or a wrench on it and stripping the threads would only take a few seconds, but I would sure hate to think that happened.

 

My bike doesn't have floating calipers or lock nuts (E-II model uses 900 chassis, twin piston calipers on vented discs). That was my thought too that someone maybe tampered with it, I don't get on with some of the neighbours but it's a very unusual thing to do. Had some tyres let down before & mirrors smashed but this is a bit much... Nothing on camera but then could have been any time in last 2 weeks or so :?

I was thinking of re-packing my NC27 silencer but I think it can stay open now :evil:

 

Guys, this is why the book (and us overly anal "safety Nazis") recommend using NEW bolts for things like this.

The original fasteners did get stretched a bit when they were tightened; it's the nature of the design. Then they were put through how many thousand extreme heat cycles before being disturbed? It's also not uncommon to have the bolts simply bring their threads with them the first time you take them out.

Some bolts are fine to re-use; some 30-year old bolts should simply be replaced. Especially those holding the brakes together. And the clutch basket/pressure plate bolts.

 

But again, it's the thread in the caliper that was stripped. They don't say use new outside caliper halves too do they? that's where the thread is pulled out of :? lol

 

Is the bolt steel? Is the piece it threads in to aluminum? A few heat Cycles and different medals might have caused this as the two types of medal expand and contract differently

 

Well, it is apparent that I am much more familiar with the model in my forum signature..lol...That is still quite a mystery though. I have worked on many vehicles and farm equipment over the years and never had a bolt hole self strip on it's own. Maybe somebody cross-threaded it before you got it and it was already partially stripped..just guessing at this point. But the good thing is you found it before the caliber fell off or worse...

 

This is probably what happened to you.

I was responding to the general discussion in regard to old bolts. But they do indeed "weld" themselves in place; I've unscrewed long-untouched bolts in dissimilar metals and had them bring their threads right along with them, leaving a clean hole. It's not necessarly anything you can prevent, other than by using a good penetrant for a week or so beforehand. Even then it still happens.

 

Scrubby, I don't think that's the issue otherwise Yamaha wouldn't have been able to use aluminium calipers? :? Well, that and the bike hasn't been ridden since I refitted the calipers. Was just about to get my first proper ride in, hence the pissed off level got turned up to 12 lol

Whatever the cause, (and I'm officially blaming the bitch next door & her chavvy kids!) I'm glad I did a thorough pre-ride check & found it too. Could have been nasty if it had gone unnoticed even though the other thread is fine... Got to wait till Monday now to shout at the bank before I can buy a replacement

 

Hope you get it sorted out. Glad it wasn't worse. I have seen intake ans header bolts do this on aluminum heads after 5 or so years but you are right it is not very likely.

 

Yeah it'll get sorted & if I ever catch them at it well... There's a Walther P88 compact with their name all over it

Fitz, sorry missed that last post. Possible but the threads were clean and sound when I reassembled & fitted the calipers (they were given the full works, split/O-rings/pistons/seals & dust seals and all the threads were cleaned & looked fine).

I know what you mean when they take the thread out with them, saw a lot of that as a kid playing with engine-less bikes lol it's galling when that happens...

Good point on the old bolts anyhow, mine look pretty new & show no damage to threads/waisting etc but will probably replace them with new at least on the "new" caliper... (and I'll be adding a little paint "seal" between each bolt head & component on safety parts, for a spot check if anybody's "playing" with my toys!)

 

Steel and aluminum have different electrical potentials. When moisture is present they will slowly exchange ions and corrode. Galvanic reactions are why anti-seize, or the appropriate plastic thread locking liquid, is a must. Unfortunately Yamaha (and most every manufacturer) chose to save millions of dollars in costs per year (really, no joke) by not coating the threads. 80% of the potential thread contact area of a fastener is taken up by air (yes folks, only ~10% to 20% of the surface area of a threaded fastener is in contact with the opposing thread), into which moisture will migrate.

 

And shooting people won't cure Galvanic corrosion

 

Fitz I cant speak for everyone else but I think you are the perfect amount of "Anal Safety Natzi" keep up the good works.

 

+1 Fitz and others are keeping alot of us on the "straight and narrow" when it comes to doing proper repairs.

 

Agreed, nothing wrong with trying to keep people alive 8)

As far as calipers with stripped threads, do as I say NOT as I do. I say buy a replacement caliper....

 

hey bloke hope you got that bank sorted out and the caliper ordered you must be screaming to get out their man :wink: good luck

 

See the above post about doing as I say & not as I do.... Not telling what I did in case anyone gets ideas, but it's not going to drop off

Cheers, had a good shout down the phone & things are returning to normal-ish :lol: