stripped a valve cover stud in head

[650mark]

just got done adjusting the valves (1980 special)and I stripped one of the studs in the exhaust valve cover, right side, the 1 that screws into the head itself. is there an easy fix or am I looking at taking the engine out to fix this properly? the threads of the stud are intact so it's the hole in the head that's stripped. thanks in advance

 

[XSLeo]

If done carefully you can drill it out and thread it for a thread insert.
Leo

 

[XStretchified650]

You are not the first....welcome to the club!

Mine was on the right side exhaust also and I was able to put in a threaded insert fairly easily. There are a few threads on here on various methods.

XStretchified

 

[5twins]

You will probably need to install a Heli-coil in the stripped hole. The motor shouldn't have to come out. I fixed one on that same cover with the motor in place. The holes are blind (not all the way through) so you will need the special Heli-coil bottoming tap. When drilling the hole out for the Heli-coil tap, make sure you don't go all the way through, only as deep as the hole is now. You can start tapping the hole with the normal Heli-coil tap but will only get a couple threads before it bottoms out. Then you switch to the bottoming tap to thread the hole deeper.

 

[LanarkXS]

The 1980 Special I bought had three stripped out. I used a Helicoil on all three with good success. In addition to the good advice above two points:
1. Take your time and make sure your drill is perpendicular.
2. Just grind a bit of the tip off the standard Helicoil tap and presto you have a bottoming tap.

mike

 

[lakeview]

If you end up with the new stud a bit crooked, you will have to enlarge the hole in the cover. The o ring will still keep it oil tight. It's not the end of the world.

 

[LanarkXS]

If you end up with the new stud a bit crooked, you will have to enlarge the hole in the cover. The o ring will still keep it oil tight. It's not the end of the world.

Exactly what happened to the first one I did and how I resolved it. You do have to keep track of that particular cover and where it goes the next time you have it off.

mike

 

[gggGary]

One way around it.

http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28729

 

[650mark]

thanks for all the info. a good friend, and excellent bike mechanic, is going to use a threaded insert to repair my head. he just did 2 of them last week so he knows how.
looks like I got lucky this time

 

[kevski]

One way around it.

http://www.xs650.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28729

gggGary that's exactly what I done with the cam cap retainer bolts on my old KZ1000 9 years ago and its still racking up the miles, it saved scrapping the head and sourcing a costly replacement and much better than a helicoil or time-sert, I have an old atlas lathe that I use for these things.
Originally there would have been bolts holding the caps down but like you I made 16 shouldered studs and still retained the locating dowels, I believe by far the better way to sort the cover stud out.

 

[Paulrxs650]

Yep, we've all been there 650Mark. I did the same as Kevski and machined an insert, drill out and tap the old hole and you're done. Common problem with these heads and years of over tightening.

 

[ninskrillz]

derp read the OP wrong

 

[kevski]

derp read the OP wrong

Derp read the replies! 2 solutions to the same problem, mine was just a different part of an engine.

 

[xjwmx]

If you strip the stud hole you can turn the stud around screw the longer side in, which gives you a couple more threads. My bottom front right is like that now and it's working. Use up all your conservative alternatives first. If you want a new stud, Do-it-Best hardware seems to have them (M6 1.0). Probably a more common item locally than you think. Also the hole is deeper than the threads so you can try to craftily tap some extra threads in the hole. And sometimes just running a tap into stripped aluminum will massage the threads back into place well enough.