tjaf

Hi,

I want to rebuild the engine of my MT2. When I got it a year ago, I used some loctite on the four screws holding the engine. Now, I cannot remove them I read on the website of loctite, I should use heat. So I held a candle under the screw for a few seconds, but the screw still doesn't move and the head starts to strip. Does anyone have tip on how to remove those screws?

Thx,
Nick

cenracer1

clean the engine as best as you can... remove all the plastic/rubber parts then heat in oven no more than 200 .... I have the same engine but have not had this problem... I hope you used the blue locktite not the red... The red is a pain in the butt.... If this doesn't work you will have to get an easyout.... when you do get these out... replace screws with cap type hex heads.. won't strip again....

tjaf

I can't remove the engine from the car, so I cannot put it in the oven. And I fear I did use the red loctite. What is this easyout?

cenracer1

why can't you remove engine from car..... Are those screws stuck also? An easy out is a hardened reverse threaded rod with a point.. kind of like a drill bit in reverse... you tap it onto the bolt and turn it counter-clockwise... it digs into the screw head while removing it ... works great as long as the screw isn't too soft....

poor judgement

i personally always use the red loctite, tho i dont recomend it if ur not used to using it. sometimes it catches me out tho... so i use a gas torch pen that runs on cigarette lighter gas, its very good for getting a lot of heat into a small area - 10 seconds or so of this little fella soon convinces the threadlock to let go.

tjaf

It are indeed the mounting screws holding the engine to the chassis that are stuck. I guess I'll have to look for this easyout ... And use the blue loctite next time

nitroracer20

try using a soldering iron and holding it on the screw.
Later

zackman

I went to remove the back plate of my t15 out of my mt2 it was held on by 4 bolts and 3 came out quite easily even though red loctite was used from the factory, the fourth bolt the head snapped right off with very little effort. I phoned HPI and customer service said send it back and they would look at it. So off it went 1 week ago and i'm waiting to hear from them. It's probably going to take awhile because i sent as slowly (cheaply) as possible. It really doesn't matter because i have 2 more month's of winter before i'll be looking to use it and if it get's lost in the mail i took the optional insurance on the mail for $ 100 so that's about the price of the engine or about half the value of a 18SS if i chose to upgrade. The customer service people seemed really good at HPI and i will be really surprised if it isn't warrantied. Remember HPI offers a 2 year warranty on there engines for DEFECTS in workmanship which i feel mine is.

cenracer1

I doubt hpi used red locktite on screws in the engine.. most likely blue.. a combo of heat and time makes it difficult to remove... this is not a warranty issue however... unfortunately... it happens to all of us...

losixxx-nt

if you cant get it out then drill the head of the screw out and pull the engine out and use some pliers and it should come out.

zackman

well it was red in colour not blue and there was ALOT of it enough so that it was built up around the head of the bolts. Unless they are using an anerobic type sealer on these bolts but that really doesn't make any sense does it. As for being warranty or not that will be up to HPI but 3 came out fine and 1 broke off so it could be cross threaded for all i know i'll let them decide.

jakjr

My Feedback: (18)

All I use is the red locktite, it works fine BUT you must use it sparingly, as in only a small amount on only the threads.

Just take a soldering iron and heat up the screws for a while. A little 15watt pencil iron isnt going to work here, youre going to need about a 40watter with a big chissle tip.

zackman

I figured i might need to use heat on the bolts with the amount of loctite i could see around the bolt heads but i always like to try and move a bolt before using heat and 3 of them came out as easy as could be so why not all 4 LOL!!!

poor judgement

sometimes even heat from my little gas torch isnt enough and the head still snaps off - then i use a dremmel to cut as deep a groove into the screw as possible, thru its centre, heat it again, and try to get it out with a flat headed screwdriver. this normally works, but u end up with a cut in the surrounding area around the screw, and sometimes even this doesnt work and u end up having to drill and retap the hole...

i have managed to drill out a few m3 screws with a 2.5 or 3mm drill bit (i forget), only just damaging the threads around the screw a little, and then got the rest of the old screws threads out by forcing a new stainless screw in its place, backing the screw out, removing some old threads, then repeating over, til it all came out. i managed this 3 times on my alloy brake seat... but i wouldnt like to try to repeat the exercise, although i now have yet another screw snapped in the seat - dammit - who makes decent screws nowadays, it was stainless rcscrewz that have all snapped on me.

my advice would be to replace any screws that snap with titanium ones if poss, its worth the cost to avoid the hassle again

rcmobile

...you'll need a small propane torch to remove red loctite...it releases at 450 fahrenheit...don't heat the head, if you rely on the head you may overheat it, and you'll weaken the steel...heat the metal into which the bolt is threaded...and be careful, aluminum is tolerant of heat only to about 700 fahrenheit, anything much over that, you'll have distortion...