HELP i think i cross threaded subframe mounts
 

I'm about to cry. I was hand tightening the bolts that hold the rear subframe after installing the rear whiteline bushings n it just stopped. I can't turn it at all after about a half inch. I took the bolt out and there's metal shavings on it. Omg what do I do

The car is destroyed. Might as well sell it

http://www.ehow.com/how_7571380_repa...ded-bolts.html

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probably stripped it, if you don't have the tools for repair, take it to a shop

You can try a long tap so you don't have to remove anything.

I actually bought one of below to clean up a tread, mind you this tap took a few weeks to come in:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271151671881...4.m1497.l2648#

Hope that helps.

the problem is not even that you stripped it

its why you stripped it

the answer to which is that when you were re-installing it, there was uneven torsion on the frame.. or similar and the subframe wasn't perfectly aligned with the chassis

this is a real pain in the ass. Not a problem under shop conditions where the frame is evenly supported, but if you were doing this on jackstands, there is a good chance you had it mis-aligned as you were torqueing it down.

thanks, I'm going to try to get a tap now. I don't think local parts store will have this size. I'm gonna have to bring it to a shop to get them to fix it I think.

car is on jack stands, that probably why it happend. Only back is up which is messing everything up

Exactly as what 7thgear have said.

Once you have the bolts undone, the subframe "misaligns" slightly. I had to use jacks to bring up the subframe / loosen the other bolts to align it.

Make sure you just use your fingers to get the bolts in and have at least a few turns before using a ratchet. You could look into the hole to see if it is align or not, but more importantly, go by feel and that is using your hands to get threads started. If it doesn't go in, stop and try to realign.

Good luck and hope you get your car fixed soon.

thanks for the info guys. Cars at a shop now, the mechanic said its actually not that big of a deal, and that he fixed those threads before. I got my fingers crossed that I get my car back quickly with no complications.

just an update, cars fixed n I'm driving it. Mechanic said I'm lucky, 2\3rds of the threads were still good. He removed the whole subframe retapped the sheeread threads, reinstalled everything w the bushings, and he said "do yourself a favor, don't ever take these bolts out again"

what'd he charge you for all that? just curious

Every time I do the rear subframe bushings I have to be super careful putting the bolts back in, and always double check the alignment of the subframe. For some reason these particular bolts seem to want to cross thread more than any other bolt on the car haha. Glad you got it fixed, and this is the exact reason I have plenty of taps and thread chasers whenever I work on something lol.

This should be a good warning to anyone doing these bushings. Just be very careful putting those bolts back in :)

Thanks,
Rick

he is a friend of the family, and he saw I was genuinely upset about the whole thing, so he didn't charge me. I tried leaving him 100 bucks but he didn't take it

Update?

Car has had thousands of miles on the whiteline bushings and all is good.

can you share how he fixed the problem? re-tap the hole? helicoil?

i only cross threaded a small section of the threads, 3/4th's were still good, he retapped with original threaded tap, and the bolts went in with no problems, red locktite was used aswell.

I just installed these last weekend. If you are trying to get the rears back in, loosen the front subframe bolts - this will give some slack. If you just take the rears out and drop it enough to get the upper bushings in, the bolts will only hand-thread in a few turns then stop. If this happens, do not get a wrench to apply more torque! Loosen the front bolts and play with the height of the rear or shift it around a bit as you hand tighten the bolt. You should be able to hand tighten it most of the way.

Wish I read this before I started my install, Fucked both sides up. Not too bad but enough to be stuck without the tap. Lead time for a long 14 1.5 is about three weeks. Went to 6 different stores today with no luck, only 14x 1.25. :mad0260: Good thing I have another car. The Whiteline instructions should tell you that it might be a good idea to loosen the front mounts to get a better angle on the rear bolts.

Well I'm one of the guys who messed up my passenger rear subframe mount, that was mentioned in a previous thread. My tap is on its way to @Brinks . I said I would make it a community tap for anyone needing it, so if you need one in the near future... contact Anthony @Brinks).

wow, red loctite? You wont be taking those off again haha.

Glad its all fixed though, and a good thread as a heads up to people installing bushings.

Someone 10-15 years from now who gets the car and wants to take those out will want to strangle him (I think we all know that feeling when dealing with used cars). :bellyroll:

haha, right? I picked up a motorcycle a few months back, and the previous owner(s) did some "interesting" things.

I sometimes wonder if/when I sell my car, if the next person will be like "wtf did this guy do"

Just got everything dialed in. The threads were not messed up too bad. loosened up the front mounts to align the rear and hand tighten the bolts till they came flush with the sub frame. Its kinda obvious in retrospect that you need to loosen the fronts before threading the rears.

To anybody that is thinking about this install, make sure you look up through the sub-frame mounts to see if everything is aligned first before you even start to thread the bolt. If the bolts stops by hand, take it out and preposition the subframe.

Thanks again @Kwaziekeller
If anybody needs a long 14x1.5 Tap hit me up,,.

Probably not a good idea to use red lock tight either, you have to use a torch to loosen that stuff up.

No problem, glad u got everything fixed and the car back on the road. I figured that I only bought the tap for that purpose so why not share it around since I probably won't need it ever again.

Anybody have to have the rear alignment done after installing? I'm getting some vibration through the gas pedal.

Edit - ended up being an exhaust leak

Had this happen to me... wish I had found this thread earlier... friend lent me a tap and die set with the 14x1.5 set, and now have the rear of my subframe on...


Still gonna order a 14x1.5 helicoil set just in case something happens down the road...

I literally just had this happen to me, except it was the front passenger rear subframe bolt I stripped. a real pain in the ass. at least half the threads are gone. gonna try and retap and if not helicoil this thing.

Also wish I'd read this first. Right hand side wasn't a problem, left hand side now buggered. I don't know how much damage I've done trying to get it in.

:(

I've also done this doing my subframe bushing inserts. Unfortunately me being me, I got about 3/4 of the way in before it started to happen. I fucked with it for a good 2 hours before I just sent those bolts home with an impact. I actually took them back out too. The threads on the bolts deff got cut a little different but it did not strip them, it did not appear to actually strip the hole in the frame rail either. Looks like subaru was smart, bolt is softer.

I ordered new bolts anyways, as long as I don't have any issues Im going to leave it as is. However if I own this car and doing anything 20 years down the road im probably going to remember this day and hate myself.

I have those bushing inserts lying around too. It the benefit worth the risk?

Also, a similar thing happened to me with the front subframe bolts, when I was installing a new swaybar. One of the bolts got stuck about 3/4 in. Backed it out and the very upper part of the thread had some damage. I am guessing some debris may have been present in the thread.

Hence, one piece of advice that might work here too: CLEAN the threads THOROUGHLY with compressed air before installing the bolts.

Bolt went in afterwards, but with significantly more force required than the others.

i will PM you when i have problem so i can take you there with me..lol
glad that you got it fixed.

I dont see myself working on bushing though..way too much work and hassle unless i have no life but working on car.

After a few days, I can say I personally think so. I do have some increased NVH, however I did the differential outrigger set and have heard that this is the major cause of NVH increase with the subframe bushings.

Gear changes under heavy acceleration feel much better, rev matches feel smoother, the ass feels a lot more stable when hitting bumps when loaded up in a turn.

Thanks @Shady195

In preparation for the install I'll order new bolts. From my experience with the front, I am guessing a likely cause of the problem are rusted bolts. Some rust debris getting caught in the thread and causing damage?

Should I go ahead and directly get an M14x1.5 tap too and run the tap through before reinstalling the bolts? Or is that overkill?

..and if you recommend getting one: What is the minimum length it needs to be to get access without having to take the subframe out completely? Would 7 cm length be enough? Like e.g. [ame="http://www.amazon.de/PROFI-Gewindebohrer-Satz-HSSG-teilig/dp/B002OEPBYK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8"]this one[/ame].

This nearly happened to me two years ago. I had to jack up the front of the subframe a little to get things back aligned. If something does not feel right do not force it.

Bushings need to be cleaned and touched up with grease every few years or when they start to squeek. If you had a hard time installing I suggest getting a shop to help in the future when you need to check it again.

Those bolts also needs to be inspected. They are prone to corrosion and oxidation due to exposure to moisture in that area for some reason. I had to use a scotch pad and clean the bolts lightly before overkilling it with antiseize to prevent future rust.

HELP i think i cross threaded subframe mounts
 

Adding myself to the list of those who had to have both rear threads re-tapped after mucking up the install. If you're doing this in the Bay Area, go to Pit Row on Lafayette in Santa Clara. The folks that run the place are great. Dennis had a 14x1.5 tap shipped in quickly and got me back on the road today. It's still at the shop if anyone else needs to use it during their visit. It helps to have two people with one to align the subframe while the other wrenches. I found it hard to align the frame even when supported with stands.


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Installed mine today and made a video.

If anyone needs help installing these, I started a DYI here:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2865605

I managed To crossthread my left rear subframe bolt sometime last year. F'd it really good. Tried chasing the threads with a tap, no good, all the remaining threads sheared as soon as I got a little torque on the bolt. Had to order a Timesert thread repair kit and it went as smooth as butter. Total cost was like $150-160. I can post the part numbers if anyone is interested.

Deff

I'm sure I'm going to need to do it at sompoint. There will be a time where I want to completely change those bushings out and I sent that 1 fucker home hard. I'll probably snap it and have to drill and tap it.