Stripped a bolt on a Lycoming oil filter housing

I was rushing through an oil change on a Lycoming engine. The bolt felt tight, so I gave it another turn. It stripped and would not move. Had to drill it out and fix the threads, which took forever. Now I always grab a torque wrench for oil filters. What's your trick for stuck bolts?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan2822d ago

Reminds me of when I cross-threaded a spark plug once.

joseph4912d ago

Why is cross-threading a spark plug always seen as a huge mistake? @nathan282, that kind of thing happens to everyone and it's not the end of the world. You can often fix it with a simple thread chaser or even just start over carefully. I've known people who drove for months with a crossed thread that still sealed fine. It's a common fix in many garages without replacing the whole head. Those little screw-ups actually make you better at working on cars later.