JHZR2
Staff member
Broken exhaust stud removal
- Thread starter JHZR2
- Start date
JHZR2
Staff member
Absolutely.
Fortunately my lovely wife was willing to go to Advance Auto to get their set.
Like the Helicoil set, it also has a Chinese tap. But a better one. It has a center drill in the top, and a better taper.
Got it set up like I wanted originally.
And it caught quickly and immediately with the “grip” and feel that I’d expect.
Worked perfect.
You just can’t make this stuff up!!!
Junk tap!!
JHZR2
Staff member
From the $$ branded Helicoil kit.
Maybe I’m not the best craftsman, but how can people do anything in real life with junk like this?
Back to Amazon it goes!
I wonder if fake
Look at the markings on that tap, it did look a little worn. Possibly swapped out a regular M8 for the STI, a sleazebag to get more expensive taps if is not an STI.
Tap drill size has to be close to minor dia of the tap. Measure that (between the threads) with the thin, lower part of your caliper jaws. If it's greater than .328" something isn't correct
A true M8 would be much smaller than an M8 STI tap as major dia would be .315"
Yes, I don't know what I was thinking, it may be another non STI size?
JHZR2
Staff member
I now suspect bad metallurgy
JHZR2
Staff member
Yeah it was nice in the days past when a friend got a bunch of helicoil kits and inserts for pennys on the dollar, from a big auto parts outfit closing it all out, to shut the doors. And no made in China then. Oh and that does not look like an HSS tap, yeah cheap junk.
JHZR2
Staff member
What bugs me is that it isn’t one of the $9.99 Amazon kits, it’s the name brand helicoil kit.
I did buy it on Amazon. Of course it came from a third party and is too late for return. Very annoyed.
Will probably send a complaint to Helicoil themselves.
I have no idea what exactly is wrong with that tap, can you measure the new one that works against that? I think I mentioned it before but to avoid these kind of shenanigans buy top shelf Völkel kits, made in Germany, tap and drill both German HSS steel, the difference in quality is night and day. The price is high now due to the unmentionable but it falls into the buy once cry once category.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZEHGKS?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback
JHZR2
Staff member
Yeah they’ve gone crazy. Wonder if Amazon.de has them without the $25/set shipping cost?
No. It is not so much the shipping cost, it is the tariffs and the additional cost.
JHZR2
Staff member
Well lookie here:
Definitely different than in the kit and of course USA made. Granted the kit didn’t claim the tap was US made in the packing materials.
The end profile on the plug chamfer M6 tap I also got, looks like the M8 tap in the kit. That is, pointy.
Makes me think that it’s an Amazon counterfeit, or a counterfeit tap that was swapped in the set.
Not the biggest fan of the Helicoil taps even the USA made ones, as they don’t have the center hole to preload the tap with my drill press which is really a great way to get it started. The Chinese AAP set has that drilled in it as shown before:
Oh well. At least I have some quality taps for these inserts.
Definitely different than in the kit and of course USA made. Granted the kit didn’t claim the tap was US made in the packing materials.
The end profile on the plug chamfer M6 tap I also got, looks like the M8 tap in the kit. That is, pointy.
Makes me think that it’s an Amazon counterfeit, or a counterfeit tap that was swapped in the set.
Not the biggest fan of the Helicoil taps even the USA made ones, as they don’t have the center hole to preload the tap with my drill press which is really a great way to get it started. The Chinese AAP set has that drilled in it as shown before:
Oh well. At least I have some quality taps for these inserts.
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Nah that would be awful as you'd be starting cuts in several places at the same time.
A good starter tap takes a little bit then the next thread takes a little more, but by this time you've got more thread "meat" to help things push forward.
JHZR2
Staff member
Even more is rotten!!!! Can’t make this up!!
I read that for a specific helicoil, you buy the STI plug for that size thread. So notionally for an M8x1.25 helicoil, I buy an M8x1.25 STI bottoming tap.
Of course not!!!!! It’s completely different!
BOTH taps that come in the Helicoil set are labeled M8x1.25 STI.
Im so sick of the time and money wasted on this. It’s not worth it even to learn.
I read that for a specific helicoil, you buy the STI plug for that size thread. So notionally for an M8x1.25 helicoil, I buy an M8x1.25 STI bottoming tap.
Of course not!!!!! It’s completely different!
BOTH taps that come in the Helicoil set are labeled M8x1.25 STI.
Im so sick of the time and money wasted on this. It’s not worth it even to learn.
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