A Whole bunch of WTF...Main caps stripped.

[heywier427]

So, bought a used low mileage built SR20det engine. Impressive build sheet. Lots of good parts, and money spent. Like alot.

The engine developed an oil leak at the back of the upper oil pan.

Dropped the pan, cleaned it, re-sealed and it still leaked. Wtf.

Dropped the pan, cleaned it, stuck the pan up to the block with no sealer, and found that the pan would not mate up to the block at the back right hand corner.

Long story short, the engine builder did not put the 3 "shorter" arp bolts where they belonged, and the main cap/girdle bolts were hitting the pan, preventing it from tightening and sealing to the block.

I measured and found the 3 shorter bolts. Upon re-installation, one of the bolts stripped at less than 50 ft pounds (was torquing to 80 per arp spec). One went in fine.

So, my question is, do I have to send this f*cker out to be line honed if I use a time-sert on the one stripped main cap bolt?

The internet says when using a time-sert, you do not have to line hone. But if using a heli-coil, you do?

What say you, mighty Zilvians?

Do I just throw a brick through the "engine builders" window? He obviously stripped it (or got it stripped), and left it.

Thanks.

Edit: Main caps are stock, not billet.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4885/45803872351_4a945b958d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2cMwPt6)20181109_180411[1] (https://flic.kr/p/2cMwPt6) by thomas telesco (https://www.flickr.com/photos/95840110@N02/), on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4887/30864398627_ca8634a420_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/P2o7pV)20181109_180417[1] (https://flic.kr/p/P2o7pV) by thomas telesco (https://www.flickr.com/photos/95840110@N02/), on Flickr

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4823/30864398647_263a282fb0_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/P2o7qg)20181109_182144[1] (https://flic.kr/p/P2o7qg) by thomas telesco (https://www.flickr.com/photos/95840110@N02/), on Flickr

[gaz_moose]

were the main caps checked for distortion when the ARP studs were fitted? if the builder has got things like the studs being too long wrong id be inclined to think he has just bashed the engine together.

personally I would just use a helicoil. I cant see how it would affect anything.it would sit in the same hole, it wont change the torque settings so wont affect the distortion of the caps.

[heywier427]

I know the block got line honed due to the arp hardware. Fully balanced and blueprinted engine. Knife edge crank, ect...

It makes me want to tear it down and recheck everything...

The arp studs are only 4mm in difference between the longs and shorts, so kinda honest mistake. But if they looked at the directions page, they would not have missed it.

[feito]

This is why I never buy anything "built".

[wurley]

This is why I never buy anything "built".

I mean.. If there are receipts suggesting it was professionally done than you might think it is trustworthy. That's what I thought; than I ran into similar problems that the OP is having.
On the flipslide I bought one with no receipts, built by a guy in his garage (parts were worth more than the cost of the engine) and had zero problems up until I sold the car
Maybe investing in the required tools and assembling it myself is the way? :shrug: