How are roof rail nuts/thread secured?

[Tprokeeper]

Hey there, I hope I’m not too late but the same thing happened to me and the easy out I used to extract the broken bolt broke as well. The threaded grommet that the bolt broke off into is removable. You have to scrape off the seam sealer from around the factory bolt grommet (whatever it’s called) and then you will be able to socket the factory bolt out and replace it for $5-6. After removing the factory bolt from the truck and replacing with new one you will then need to seal it back with seam sealer let it dry and hit it with some matching spray pain. It’s a pain in the ass but an easy fix. I recommend getting a screw tap to run down through all the other factory grommets to make sure threads are all clean and free of rust so the bolts seat all the way to the bottom without issue. That’s what I did to prevent breaking off another bolt. Hope this helps.

 

[fishjump]

Yes, and it's important to lube the bolt before installing. Do not use any thread sealer.

 

[spawnywhippet]

I ended up breaking 2 bolts flush with the nuts. I tried various EZouts and screw extractors, reverse thread drill bits etc with not much luck. I finally welded a bolt to the broken bolt and got it out, but it was not pretty. Then the thread chaser snapped off in the thread when I was cleaning it up and I had to start over with a much harder metal to extract...

That was not a fun weekend.

 

[Chipper]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with roof rack problems. The first time I tried to install mine, half of the plastic grommets broke in half when I tried to extract them. I thought "no big deal, I'll just tighten the bolts down tight enough to squeeze the plastic until it's firm enough to hold the bolt where I want it." Wrong. I broke off a few bolts trying to get them tight enough to hold the rails down. I was scared of trying to drill the plastic out because I thought I might drill through and hit something important like a side curtain air bag. This past weekend, however, I needed to get the rack right so that I could put some canoes up top, so I came back to tackle the problem the right way this time. Here is my solution:

1. Find a drill bit that's the right size for the hole (I forget which 5/16th or something), and drill out any plastic, rust, debris, etc.
2. Blow out the hole (air compressor helps here) to get rid of the small stuff in there
3. Spray some WD-40 in
4. Repeat step 2
5. Re-tap the hole while keeping in mind the depth of the original bolts
6. Install rail
7. Profit

 

[iSurfvilano]

this is funny, I just snapped mine removing my rack and plan to extract the bolt soon. Anyone know what size the bolt is so I can replace? thanks

 

[Tprokeeper]

The bolt that came with my rack and bolts into the mounting point bolt in the truck is an M6x20. The mounting point bolt that is screwed into the truck under the seam sealer is sold at Land Rover for less than $6

 

[RON8O]

Sorry for the delayed follow-up on this. Spent the last week up in Yosemite unwinding. ;-)

Sadly, my dealer wants $15 for this stud. ***!?!

Hope this helps someone else,
Ron



Here’s the info on the roof stud I found:

Rail Stud - Land-Rover (AYR500061)

 

[jwest]

land rover merriam parts or similar like palm beach will have cheaper pricing usually. you can also try rovers north or atlantic british. pricing for some things can vary quit a bit.