1997 Civic HX, 5MT, stock 319k

Every time I change my oil I notice that the bolt that holds in the transmission stiffner/extension bar has been completely backed out and, if not for the rubber boot for the nearby shifter lever bar, would have completely fallen out (and the bar would then scrape the road if that were to happen).

Why is this bolt threading in but never stopping when attaching to the bracket it goes into ? What is a solution for this ? Should I go to a lock-washer setup even though the fastener keeps spinning and spinning without a lock washer ?

Here is what I am talking about, fastener #28 goes into bracket #15, (I took this from the Bernardi Parts website for reference).:

 

Swap the bolt out or use some threadlocker.

 

I am not sure why exactly you are experiencing this problem, but since you have not had success simply re-torquing it, might I suggest you acquire a bolt that is 10mm LONGER than the original one, install it as you normally would, and then place a washer and 8mm NYLOC nut on to the exposed threaded end of the longer bolt and this way, even if the bolt loosens slightly from the original welded-on nut in the bracket, the bolt will stay put. Make sure the bolt comes all of the way through the nyloc nut.

 

Thanks ! This sounds like a solution.Pardon my ignorance, I've seen ny-loc nuts in the hardware store parts section before, but I am not too sure how exactly they work. Just curious - can you describe what they do and how they do it ? I can follow your instructions but just wondering.

 

There's a nylon ring insert on the nut. The threads of the bolt dig into it. It's basically threadlocker. They're a one time use item.