Repairing stripped threads in screw holes.

[imHappy]

Hey guys,

I seriously have no idea how I stripped the screw holes(cross thread may be) from my retina pro. Im talking about the upper left one. I already tried using another screw and it simply spins endlessly so yeah, the hole thread is stripped and not the screw threads itself.

After extensive research, given that this is a low torque application, "Loctite Form-a-thread" may be viable as a permament solution.

Any input about this specific repair, can this product somehow damage the electric components nearside? Helicoils/timesert cant be used as there is not enough space to drill and tap.

Ps. I already checked with ifixit which screws goes to each hole so no need to tell me to recheck.

Ps2. Im at Peru, tech support here is a disgrace plus it was my mistake. Also there is no actual Apple store, just "premium resellers" which warranty sucks.

 

[snaky69]

Hey guys,

I seriously have no idea how I stripped the screw holes(cross thread may be) from my retina pro. Im talking about the upper left one. I already tried using another screw and it simply spins endlessly so yeah, the hole thread is stripped and not the screw threads itself.

After extensive research, given that this is a low torque application, "Loctite Form-a-thread" may be viable as a permament solution.

Any input about this specific repair, can this product somehow damage the electric components nearside? Helicoils/timesert cant be used as there is not enough space to drill and tap.

Ps. I already checked with ifixit which screws goes to each hole so no need to tell me to recheck.

Ps2. Im at Peru, tech support here is a disgrace plus it was my mistake. Also there is no actual Apple store, just "premium resellers" which warranty sucks.

You could buy a tap and chase the threads, there may be enough metal in there left to be able to form new threads.

Alternatively, you could find the next size up tap and tap the hole and buy a new screw that fits.

 

[MacInTO]

Put some epoxy in the hole. Make sure you have something in there that you can pull out and leaves a small hole (like a round toothpick or needle) after the epoxy dries. The epoxy is pretty solid and you can just turn the new screw into the epoxy hole and it will create threads. Don't tighten too much. You don't need to because the screws don't really hold much weight, if any.

The Loctite stuff you mentioned probably does the same thing.

 

[imHappy]

thank you guys for the response. I think i'll just go for the Form-A-Thread method. Hope the durability last atleast 3-4 years with it. Still can't believe how i stripped this hole. I literally unscrewed the other holes like 5 times(ocd) already and they are still perfect.

As for filling it with epoxy, I rather not. Can't find a drill for the size of these small screws.

Lastly, i'll write up for my results as soon as I finish it. Hope it can help anybody else out there!

 

[MacInTO]

thank you guys for the response. I think i'll just go for the Form-A-Thread method. Hope the durability last atleast 3-4 years with it. Still can't believe how i stripped this hole. I literally unscrewed the other holes like 5 times(ocd) already and they are still perfect.

As for filling it with epoxy, I rather not. Can't find a drill for the size of these small screws.

Lastly, i'll write up for my results as soon as I finish it. Hope it can help anybody else out there!

The Loctite and the epoxy do exactly the same thing so it should be good either way.

To avoid cross-threading, when you put the screw in the hole, turn it counter-clockwise until you feel or hear a click. This will ensure the screw thread is in the right place before you start turning the screw clockwise.

Good luck with that!