An idiot screwed up my gauge install

[Patriot_RAM]

Hey,



I was just about to install a new fuel pressure gauage and upgrade from a 2 to a 3 gauge pod when I realized what a crappy job the installer did on the original install of my pyro and boost gauges. All the connections were taped together. They shaved the insulation off hot wires in order to wrap another wire around it and tape it together for power. Anyhow, I'm upset to say the least and am fixing the stuff I should have done myself in the first place.



The problem is the long screw at the top that holds the gauge pod to the cab pillar. They cross-threaded the screw from the last gauge pod and it was a b**** to get out. Now, the round silver "nut", or whatever it is called, spins inside the pillar. What's the best way to go about fixing this?



Thanks for any help. No more 4x4 shops for me!

 

[vagabond]

It's a shame what they get by with and charge us a good price for it. I would do what you are doing and would use epoxy to glue the nut. Tommie

 

[lschultz]

I got the same problem

But mine was overtightened at the factory on the a pillar. The bottom screw came out easy but all the top one does is spin. I am going to get my son to pull down on it as hard as he can and maybe the screw will come out--I hope. If not I will have to figure out some other way are mount the gages some other place. Anyway I stopped on working on it cause I got the wrong pod mount from Genos they sent one far an 03 and mine is a 04 they are about an inch shorter far some reason. Called Genos on a Monday and told them the problem and got the correct one on a Wednesday now thats service far you.

 

[Boonieman]

I haven't done what you guys are doing, but I'm trying to picture it in my mind. Can you drill or grind the head off the screw and remove the handle?

 

[JimB1]

PATRIOT_Ram-ischultz-boonieman, the silver nut you're refering to is called a "zert" nut which is a crushable expandable base swedge nut. It installs and works similar to a pop rivet which is a blind installation, ie; can only be done from one side. The zert nut is used to supply machine screw threaded connector attachment to thinwall stock area, as in sheetmetal. To install, body size hole is drilled into sheetmetal in order to recieve nut. Nut is installed with a swedge tool, similiar to pop rivet tool. The zert nut swedge tool is a two handle affair and has a threaded nose which you spin the zert onto. Then you insert the zert nut into sheetmetal hole. Swedge tool, one handle holding the zert nut at its installation location, 2nd handle, usually a threaded t-bar, in some fashion pulls the zert nut back against the first handle base assembly thereby crushing/swedgeing out nut base against sheemetal hole, identicle to pop rivet process. No one single zert nut makes a high strength attachment point and two zerts, one at each end of a bracket several inches in length are not much stronger than one zert by itself. Zerts need to be installed in a pattern similiar to nailing patterns for carpentry framing, in order to gain what small strength they're able to develope for the item they're holding in place. Yours probally might have loosened due to the installer missing the exact hole spacing needed, ie; installers drill walked a bit when drilling the body hole, and the bracket holes not having any extra size to allow for a bit of error for zert location. The installer recognizes he/she (being PC here) is close enough on the 2nd hole to catch a start thread and decides to force it in crossthreaded, which goes way past the zerts holding power and zert swedge base pulls free of sheetmeal and spins. Other zert is ok because it was the first to get a bolt and installer could hold bracket hole centered over zert. Installer figures job is a done deal. Now in regards to removing this, your're not going to like the answer. Can't be drilled out because the whole assembley spins, ie; screw and nut zert. Due to blind installation, no way can nut zert be held onto in order to loosen/break free the screw. You're working in a finished area which also makes things more difficult. Only answer is to use a dremel tool and grind off screw head which releases bracket and also releases zert with screw shank still in it and they both drop down into whatever cavity space is below them to rattle along for next 200k miles. Forget about getting them out, short of making larger hole, in finished sheetmetal material, in order to fish it out. Possible to pump some caulk into cavity in order to inhibit rattle motion of abandoned zert, but if it's the upper hole, make sure for the lower hole that you run the screw in and out from time to time while caulk is setting up in case any dripped down to get onto those threads. Nothing can be done to salvage original hole. Must move onto new adjacent real estate for fresh zert and better workmanship. To cover abandoned hole, new bracket base may be long enough to cover, if not maybe plastic plug. In general, zert nuts provide for machine screw thread connectors onto sheetmetal base metal but they're not one bit stronger than sheetmetal self-tapping screw due to the weak strength limitations of swedge zert nut against thin wall stock. In my trade, elevator mechanic, modernization/upgrade company bids some work installing part xyz using zerts 'cuz they're quick and cheap but down the road, fail because duty cycle for the connector is just too much. Customer pays $$$$ to get it right the 2nd time around which is also the unfortunate case here. Jim.

 

[Bob4x4]

PATRIOT_Ram ,

The easiest way to remove the threaded insert is to cut it off the head with a die grinder(assuming you have the pod off already). A new insert can be bought and installed with out a special tool.



Bob

 

[JHardwick]

:--) oh brother

 

[Patriot_RAM]

This sounds like it's gonna suck for me either way! :| Bob4x4, do you know where I can get one of them? i. e. website, etc?



Thanks for the help so far guys...

 

[Bob4x4]

Industrial hardware stores,some tool trucks,or the dealer. It is metric.



Bob

 

[JimB1]

Bob4x4, Great news to hear there's a easy fix for a long standing problem with nut zerts. Can you be a bit more specific with just what this item is, exact name of item and manufacturer, exactly how it works to put dinged up sheetmetal hole back into play and how it installs with no special tool? Is this another new improved zert style item? If I can take this newly discovered hardware item back to the shop I'll be in solid with the boss. Jim.

 

[Philip]

I use this kit.



http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/pro_...&group_ID=1784&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog





Most semi repair shops can also supply the inserts when you run low. These are common repair items in any trades working with alumn or thin sheet metals.

 

[Bob4x4]

The D/C line-up uses metric version. Philip thats the same one I use but metric.



Bob

 

[DJaquez]

I had the same problem. Litterally pulled the A Pillar off. Yes you will ruin it. I dimpled the Zert fillting and then applied some elephant glue to the Zert. Wholla... . solid and it did not distry the original hole. Works fine. Only cost was a new A pillar ($39. 00) from Geno's.



Now I understand why Pablo says "Working on your own truck is much more enjoyable than having others do it for you"



As for your wires you can cut and solder the joints like factory put heat shrink on and some (di-electric grease on soldered wires) just like a factory splice. Good luck.

 

[DaveMorris]

Let me check my tool box, I might have one that could mail you. I use to work part time at the truck plant in STL and this was one of the jobs I did the most (install those nuts).



Basically the pillar has a hex shape punched into it and you slide the fitting in, then pull the trigger on the drill until it stops, then you reverse the drill to back it out (to simplify things you just swell the nut in place). First thing I would do it try and put a bolt in there (without the pillar) and retighten it to see if you could make it swell up again. If that didn't work I would loosen the bolt and tap on the bolt head to try and stretch the nut back out then it might just slide out in your hand. You start grinding on that and you will have a mess inside your nice truck.



Good luck

Dave

 

[Patriot_RAM]

While the zert fitting spinning in the hole in the a-frame is definitely one problem, the other problem is that when they drove the bolt in, they cross-threaded it in the zert and ruined the threads. I think my only hope is to find a replacement zert and figure out how to install it.

 

[oilrunner]

I was removing the factory grab handle in my rig and the bottom bolt just kept spinning. Ya, you guessed it?

How the hell to get , that zert out of the lower hole?

Well, I used a thin blade screw driver and hammer to tap around the the lower hole through the plastic until I was able to pull the handle off over the bolt head. Then I used a dremel to cut off the bolt head and have it drop inside the metal pillar. I will use a tube of silicone with a flex tube to squirt down inside the pillar to keep the cut off bolt from rattling around. The hex socket on the meatl pillar is still ok. Don't need it since the gauges only use the top bolt hole. You can always drill out the hex hole and weld a decent quality nut in place of the that POS factory zert. Good luck, and I certainly can feel your pain.

 

[lschultz]

So you got lucky and got one too. Looks like somebody at the factory is overtightening them. It was the top zert on mine. It has not rattled yet. Most people will never take them off so they want have to deal with this.