[The Scifi Guy]

I bought one of Charlie's low profile thermo housings from Keith Lundholm, who had bought it from a guy who bagged his Opel project and sold him all his parts. The guy had modded the sensor and heater outlets for his needs. I already resolved a heater outlet issue in a post in my build thread. It appears that he also installed a helicoil in one of the pre-tapped sensor holes. It doesn't fit any of my sensors:

I can't even slide the sensor tip into that hole, leastwise get the threaded portion to screw in.

HOW CAN i GET THAT HELICOIL OUT OF THERE?

 

[RallyBob]

HOW CAN i GET THAT HELICOIL OUT OF THERE?

If you can get an end loop or edge pried up with a pick or awl, that’s all you need to start it. Then grab the end of the helicoil with pliers or wire cutters, and slowly pull it out (it will unspiral like a slinky).

 

[BQS4]

If it hasn't been submitted, if you know what the internal threads are, super glue a screw or threaded rod to it and see if you can thread the helicoil out.

 

[The Scifi Guy]

I got it out.

I tried picking them out with an awl and small screwdrivers, but the threaded whatever was very brittle and would snap off in 3/16" lengths. I tried an Easy Out and, as usual, that did nothing and I came dangerously close to snapping off the easy out, as usual. So, I used a drill bit just slightly bigger than the inner diameter of the threads and...zip!....they all disintegrated into little bits, leaving the threads in the aluminum mostly unmolested. Before doing it all, I found out that an 8mm bolt screwed nicely into the helicoil, so I guess the PO had planned on just blocking off the hole with an 8mm bolt.

Charlie had suggested that the sensors were 1/8" NPT and I went to the hardware store's brass fittings department, something that I have to do disturbingly often, and determined this to be true and that the thermo housing probably had those threads originally in it, about 1/3 of which were still there. I could almost screw the sensor in, but it wouldn't bite, so I bought a 1/8" NPT tap to try to clear the threads. We'll see how it works out.

 

[The Scifi Guy]

The repair worked out okay and I added thread dope and sealer to the various screw in fittings, so the thermo is ready for install.:

 

[JudokaJohn]

Glad you got it fixed. the drill would have been my go to.