mutant ninja stator screws from hell

schudaddie · May 26, 2012

Finally getting around to changing over to the higher output stator, (thanks CaptainKyle). The side cover came off no problem despite having to juggle the gears that wanted to come along for the ride. The bastard screws put up a hell of a fight :bang head: due to their being installed with the Loctite from hell (one didn't survive the ALMIGHTY VICEGRIPS :eusa_dance

. I'm thinking about chasing the threads with a metric tap of the proper size and replacing the phillips screws with cap screws.
just my 2 cents on this, bill

redneksoldier · May 27, 2012

You should invest in an impact screwdriver. Removes stubborn screws easily without damaging them. Can be worth its weight in gold on certain projects. Readily available at any tool store. Picked mine up at harbor freight for about $10

naughtyG · May 27, 2012

+1 to the impact driver!

Although when we swapped my stator (at Kyle's), we did worry those screws were never gonna come out, impact or not! They were tighter than a nun's arse. Was just really really relieved when we managed to get all of them out unbroken.

bazwell · May 28, 2012

They are bastards to crack! Impact driver, proper fitting phillips head bit and a firm grip is needed.
I though about the cap screws, and they wont work as well. I guessed they have to be tight, so I put them back the same way with loctite. If they were cap screws, the caps would have split open and it would have been a nightmare!

redneksoldier · May 28, 2012

No doubt loctite is essential on those screws. I found that out the hard way with my tl1000. Ended up buying another stator, reg/rec, flywheel, and had to pull the bottom of the motor apart to fish all of the meal shavings out. I also use a little heat to loosen cured loctite. On something like a stator, where an open flame from a propane/butane torch may damage surrounding parts, you can use a soldering iron instead. May take several minutes to get the screw hot, but saves time in the end. The screw doesn't have to be smoking hot, just good and warm.