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Great job Jim, persistence pays off! I've come close to the helicoil method but have managed to narrowly avoid it on more than one occasion. Question: does the helicoil kit come with the tap or is that purchased separately?
The helicoil kit came with the tap, 5 coils (1/2" long each, I used 2), and the plastic tool for winding it in. I suppose you can buy the coils alone but all I found in my search were kits with the tap. I did actually find an off-brand generic "helicoil type" kit in my size at Pep Boys, but shied away, figuring if I was going to do this I didn't want to cut corners.
I have read that some kits come with the drill bit too but mine didn't. No small concern here, as the required drill bit size for my little situation was not too common. I got lucky and got the last one at Lowes, otherwise I would have been ordering that online too, with shipping and all that.
Sorry fin, I forgot to try it. Not doubting that the method has been successful in other situations, but I don't think it would have worked for my problem. That thing was absolutely locked in, "galled in place" as a corrosion expert at my work surmised. There was zero evidence that any penetrating oil had gotten through, despite my emptying about a half a can on it over 10 days or so.
On the ones I've dealt with that were sticky, the amount of salt that had accumulated between the bolt threads and the housing threads made it so tight that I can't imagine much penetrating oil, wax, or anything working its way in there. Though I am going to remember the wax trick and give it a try as capillary action could prove very useful!
I know why that bolt was in there so tight. I had the same motor, that bolt for some reason had a tendancy to come loose, once after a water pump change out I lost it, wasting the prop, check to bolt and re-torque periodically. Lost the plate, bolt and everything.
mw
MW,
Yikes!
Thanks much for that info. Will definitely keep an eye. As you know, that's the trailing bolt, and so therefore the main load bearing fastener resisting the moment created by prop thrust.
If I find it tends to loosen, I'll go with Loctite blue on the threads. There's an inch of threads engaged, so hopefully I'd have some warning before catastrophe hits.
Jim
