PI Install Help

[Ducati998ss]

Im doin a PI install right now on my 98. And i have hit a snag. When we go back in to bolt the new coolant tube in. The bolt doesnt want to fit. We believe it was the 13mm, maybe we are worng but we can 1/4 of it in and then it just stop s and doesnt want to go anymore in. Has anyone had this problem before? Or better yet does anyone remember or know what size bolt goes in that slot? The ford dealerships offer the bolts at $3 each and you have to buy a bag of ten of them. I dont want a package of 10 i just want one. ANd stupid ford has no idea the dimensons of their bolts. Also here are some pictures of what im talking about:

 

[TheSalad]

Yeah..I got to that point, and couldnt figure it out. Luckily my father had a bucket of bolts..I just grabbed the right size, and put it in. I dont think it will hurt anything..go to ACE or a hardware store

 

[Ducati998ss]

Yes by chance you remember the right size?

 

[TheSalad]

I dont remember the size. It was more than two years ago, and it was just a random bolt. Take the one your have to the hardware place, and get a few sizes...bolts are cheap there. Let me know if I can help any more.

You're almost done

 

[Ducati998ss]

this one bolt has had me running back and forth from kragen and auto store trying to find the right ones.

 

[Ducati998ss]

AFter working on this for a full day i give up. I dont know what to do. Have tried over 10 different bolts they all do the same thing. get in half the way and stop. Man im tired. Im just going to a mechanic.

 

[stangGT97]

does the bolt thread properly into the hole? 13mm sounds too big, I think almost all of the bolts on the manifold were a 10mm head (if thats what you were referring to). Also, it sounds like either the bolts are of the wrong thread or are simply too long. I didn't run into this problem because I put bolts in labeled ziplock bags so I knew exactly where they were. Maybe go back and double check to make sure you didn't put a bolt that is too short into a hole that required a longer one, and then ended up with a longer bolt for a shallower hole. I would pay the $3 for the bag of bolts rather than paying a mechanic to put the bolt in for you...

 

[Ducati998ss]

well the bolt is $3 but the dealer near me will only sell it in a package of 10 so it would cost me $30. its the bolt that goes in the bracket for the coolant tube in the back of the engine.

 

[TheSalad]

I still like the random bolt from the hardware store..

The bolt form the NPI heads doesnt go right in on the new heads. The stock one is too big if I remember correctly..it threads in just a little bit, right?
Have you tried a lot of bolts from the hardware store?

 

[Ducati998ss]

Okay I finially got the bolt all the way in. The problem i have now is that the coolant tube is still loose. I can shake it. Is this going to be problem in the future if i leave it like that? Or should i try to figure away to make it even more tight.?

 

[COramprat]

You'll want to make sure it is tight so it doesn't vibrate loose. Did you try cutting it? I was a little vague in my PM because I thought you were just replacing the original bolt and it wouldn't tighten. The thread pitch may be different. One thing you can do is take the bolt with you to the store and get the same circumferance...check it in the bolt selector like Home Depot has...then get the different thread pitches of the same size. I'm thinking the pitch is what is holding you up.