Tidied up the engine bay

John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
I've been tidying the engine bay, and realised that it was being let down by a lot of dirty/rusty headed bolts.......
I bought some M6 stainless bolts (20mm and 25mm)
engine bay 1.jpg
and washers and swapped them out one at a time. I've got a few more to do as some are quite short so have ordered a some more that are 10mm under the head. :cool:
engine bay 2.jpg
 
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John_D

John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
Nice simple way to tidy it up and bolts are cheap too

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While I was replacing the bolts, I took the small heat shield off that is protecting the injector wiring looms, cleaned it up, sprayed it with etch primer then painted it silver with wheel paint (which is what I also did to the heads of the high tensile forged bolts in the L/H engine mount casting, removing them one at a time).......
 
oh goody, stainless in an aluminium block. just add heat and water.

there is a reason they aren't stainless from the factory, galvanic corrosion is very real and not very easy to deal with. PO of my bike decided stainless exhaust bolts was a good idea. I've now replaced them, along with thread inserts and tig welding one of the bolt holes full and retapping.


bright zinc is a better idea, it won't last as long but it also wont cease itself in the hole.

(note, sorry if these sounds passive aggresive or troll like, it isn't meant to be, it's a genuine warning about why it's a bad idea).
 
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John_D

John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
oh goody, stainless in an aluminium block. just add heat and water.

there is a reason they aren't stainless from the factory, galvanic corrosion is very real and not very easy to deal with. PO of my bike decided stainless exhaust bolts was a good idea. I've now replaced them, along with thread inserts and tig welding one of the bolt holes full and retapping.


bright zinc is a better idea, it won't last as long but it also wont cease itself in the hole.

(note, sorry if these sounds passive aggresive or troll like, it isn't meant to be, it's a genuine warning about why it's a bad idea).
The vast majority of the bolts are into captive steel nuts in the plastic plenum chamber or the car body and not into aluminium and as you point out water is needed on the others to create a corrosive electrolyte. This is not on a bike engine that gets wet regularly.......Warning noted, but I doubt that I will have problems in this case...I will check the few on the front of the engine in a few weeks and see if there is any corrosion developing....
 
all power to you Chief, was just a word of warning having been there more than once on both cars and bikes.

they do look much tidier than the scruff under my bonnet. :)
 
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John_D

John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
all power to you Chief, was just a word of warning having been there more than once on both cars and bikes.

they do look much tidier than the scruff under my bonnet. :)
I have these A2 stainless square nuts coming and they will replace the grubby steel one in the plastic plenum chamber.....
Square nuts.jpg
 
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John_D

John_D

Club Member
Radio Code Guru
Moi John!
Been doing same with: M6 FLANGED HEXAGON HEAD BOLTS FLANGE HEX SCREWS A2 STAINLESS STEEL FULLY THREAD
No seperate washer needed, and flange 'plugs' moisture/corrosion on threads

s-l500.jpg
Hi Mika, I used flanged bolts as well but 'mine' don't have the serrations under the head....
stainless M6 bolts.jpg

I added 20mm diameter stainless washers as they covered up previous damage/scratches to the plastic and stopped the new bolts scuffing the clamping surface when tightened down.... ;)
 
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