Rav 4

[dogfish1]

Hi, very new member, I only purchased my 2002 Rav D4D on Xmas eve.

I have a query about fitting a towbar.

Both of the towing eye brackets are missing, and when offering the new bolts into the existing threaded hole in the chassis, they wouldn't screw in. When I looked into the threaded holes they looked very rusty with what looks as though the threads have been stripped !

Anyone have any ideas on how to solve my problem ?

Thanks

[crofter]

Hi, very new member, I only purchased my 2002 Rav D4D on Xmas eve.

I have a query about fitting a towbar.

Both of the towing eye brackets are missing, and when offering the new bolts into the existing threaded hole in the chassis, they wouldn't screw in. When I looked into the threaded holes they looked very rusty with what looks as though the threads have been stripped !

Anyone have any ideas on how to solve my problem ?

Thanks

Hi dogfish and welcome to a GREAT and friendly forum.

If you can get at the bolt holes easily there is a way round this that involves tapping them out with a special tap and then bringing them back to the original size by screwing in a suitable steel coil into the now oversize thread.

I would hesitate to suggest fitting oversize bolts as I do not know if that would weaken the mounting brackets as the tow bar can be subjected to some spasmodic heavy loading but someone may know better about that.

Del

[Mstock3]

Had the same thing with my 1998 RAV, the best solution is to have the captive nuts re-tapped using a second or plug tap (cleans out the existing threads). Believe the thread is M12 with a pitch of 1.25mm. You could either buy a tap and wrench off flea-bay or get your local garage to do it for you. As a warning I tried to use one of the bolts with plenty of lube to clear the thread but ended up breaking the weld on the captive nut and subsequently had some welding done.

[crofter]

Had the same thing with my 1998 RAV, the best solution is to have the captive nuts re-tapped using a second or plug tap (cleans out the existing threads). Believe the thread is M12 with a pitch of 1.25mm. You could either buy a tap and wrench off flea-bay or get your local garage to do it for you. As a warning I tried to use one of the bolts with plenty of lube to clear the thread but ended up breaking the weld on the captive nut and subsequently had some welding done.

The OP did state that the threads were stripped so any thread that would have been recovered would have been weak.

I have followed your suggested method in the past on slightly damaged threads after sawing two "V" shaped cuts along the thread to allow any cut debris to clear, if it was a blind bolt hole I put grease on the bolt to capture same. This worked many times for me so the idea is sound

Del

[dogfish1]

Thanks for very fast replies.

I thought that's what would be needed, as usual we have a tap & die set, - but not the right size, so a trip to the local mechanic on Monday morning looks favourite.