Im screwed!

[z28forlife]

Well I'm doing my timing belt again, since ford is so freaking retarded on their design. The damn timing belt idler pulley is stripped out. Not the bolt but the damn head!!! Other than pulling the head and replacing it all I can think of is helix coil in there, but I'm not sure that will be enough to hold that. What's yalls opinions? I need help big time here. I hate this damn car!!!!!!!

[iminhell]

Heli-Coil it.
It'll hold up very well. My stock head stripped and that's what I did. Works just fine.

Just make sure you drill it straight. I didn't and mine was a bit crooked and caused the belt to walk slowly. Problem was I didn't get the head high enough to give myself a straight shot. Right angle drill would make it very easy to drill.
Also, thread the bolt in and mark how deep it goes. Transfer that depth over to the drill bit, tape on the bit works well. That way you don't go too deep and hit the water jacket.

[z28forlife]

I just got done helicoil it. Worked fine! Whoohoo! I still hate this car though. Haha

[iminhell]

Once you beat it for a week or two you'll get over it.

[IH84DZ]

Steel bolts are harder than aluminum. I'm willing to bet the threads weren't stripped from the factory....so seems to be more of a worksmanship issue than a part quality issue.

Did we use a torque wrench on the idler bolt or just cram it in there until it was "tight"?

Glad you fixed it with a helicoil. We all make mistakes the important part is learning what NOT to repeat...

[Mile30]

I've seen a friend of mine weld the bore closed, grind it flat, use a drill attachment to ensure the new bore is true and tap a new bore... it was on a Mustang engine he rebuilt & swapped for a blown 4.6l interceptor. Worked like magic, and no need to wonder if the heli-coil will stay put.

[IH84DZ]

Originally Posted by Mile30

I've seen a friend of mine weld the bore closed, grind it flat, use a drill attachment to ensure the new bore is true and tap a new bore... it was on a Mustang engine he rebuilt & swapped for a blown 4.6l interceptor. Worked like magic, and no need to wonder if the heli-coil will stay put.

That's certainly an effective repair but not too many folks out there can TIG weld....MIG won't stick to aluminum.