Broken Running Board Bolts

[Ubem]

Has any one found or experienced broken running board step bolts on their new Rams after running board step installations? The steps were dealer installed and I normally perform my own work on the vehicles I own. The steps were installed before winter and probably tightened with an impact wrench. I bought the vehicle at the end of December 2018 and in the early winter months we experienced extreme cold weather in northern Illinois. Don’t know if the extreme cold temperatures or over tightening for the nuts caused these to break but I found them when I started to undercoat my truck in the spring after spending four months of rehabilitation after an injury where the vehicle was not driven. The dealer wanted to remove the steps and install new bolts but looking at these it seemed like it would cause some panel openings. I declined and advised that I would correct the problem myself. These bolts are called rivet bolts and have enough material that you can drill through the center of the bolt and either tap them with a 1/4 or 5/16 SAE tap and then install the appropriate bolt and washer. Don’t know why Dodge eliminated the step brackets like they had on previous models but I suspect that cost may have been a factor.

 

[Musky Mike]

They have paint on them from the factory. If you don't remove the factory paint (I used a wire wheel on a cordless drill) the nuts can bind from the excess paint and break the stud. Sounds like the dealer didn't take the time to remove the paint before the steps were installed.

 

[Deshantai]

That’s common, if someone isn’t careful the powder on the stud will cause the bolt to snap. It should still be fine but if you really want the support from that stud you could drill a hole through then put in a bolt and nut to hold it.

 

[mikeru]

I used a thread chaser (die) to clean the threads before installing my steps. A few extra minute's work made installation a lot easier, and I wasn't worried about messing up any studs.

I probably would have asked the dealership how they planned to fix the problem before telling them to **** off. The solution you used should work fine, but I'd be curious to know in case i ever had any problems with those in the future.

 

[runamuck]

I used a thread chaser (die) to clean the threads before installing my steps. A few extra minute's work made installation a lot easier, and I wasn't worried about messing up any studs.

I probably would have asked the dealership how they planned to fix the problem before telling them to **** off. The solution you used should work fine, but I'd be curious to know in case i ever had any problems with those in the future.

I did the same..ran a die down the threads to clean off paint

 

[Lil' Rob]

I also used a wire wheel on a drill to get the paint off...worked well and wasn't very difficult.