Who is the best at tightening valve cover bolts? Not.

H

Hockman59

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Me. I am. Best at overturning bolts... My amazon torque wrench was an epic fail, I broke a bolt while replacing a valve cover gasket. Now there is a way for oil to leak out of the valve cover I think. Should I try a screw extractor, or is there a way just to "plug" this opening? Ideas? Wow - everything was going so well, replace alternator, new gasket then disaster...

Thanks and please
Doug

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I would try drilling it with a reverse rotation drill bit. A lot of times the bolt will come out while drilling. If it doesn’t, it will be drilled for use with an extractor anyway. Amazon and Harbor Freight have reverse drill and extractor sets.
 
You might still have some of the bolt sticking up depending on where it broke. Might be worth it to pull the valve cover and gasket again, and see if there’s anything sticking out that you could grab with vice grips and spin it back out. If that doesn’t work then probably have to drill.
 
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  1. (page C9-p22) "Install engine cylinder head cover. Tighten the
    mounting bolts to 10 N+m (85 in. lbs. USA) torque ". {not foot/lbs, , yes INCH) use dial or digital wrench. others from china are not easy to set or use.
  2. recovery, remove the VC< and use vise grips to remove it ,CCW , use heat of it is stuborn, not use excessive CCW force or it stamps off deeper.
  3. watch any 1000s of youtube examples doing this, you are not the first.
  4. do not drill it out ,unless desperate. welding nut to the shaft works best per all those videos. Pen oil, and CCW, then heat and CCW.
  5. do the job in order for less damage. park the drill until last,if ever.
size 1/4"-20 x 1" bolts 20 threads per inch, ASE size, do not over torque any small bolts.

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Dudemen! thanks all - removed the valve cover and there is a 1/4" plus end of the bolt sticking out of the hole :) need to find a plan to get the bolt out the right way, i.e. pb blaster, vice grips? Don't want to mess this step up. Then I need a new bolt stud (J400 7310) I think. Need to search for that.
 
Hockman59 said:
Dudemen! thanks all - removed the valve cover and there is a 1/4" plus end of the bolt sticking out of the hole :) need to find a plan to get the bolt out the right way, i.e. pb blaster, vice grips? Don't want to mess this step up. Then I need a new bolt stud (J400 7310) I think. Need to search for that.
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If you can’t get it with vise grips it’s not the end of the world, that method almost never works for me. I usually have to resort to drill and extractor, your mileage may very. I would chase all the threads with a tap before reinstalling incase you didn’t do that last time. Also I have never used a torque wrench on valve cover bolts, just tightened with a ratchet until plenty snug. I know there will be “experts” that will say that I am crazy and they would be correct, but it has always worked and never broken a bolt.
 
CHEERS <SOLVED
so the easy why out, did it, thanks for not making it worse.
is always first, the grips
not drilling.
99% of noobs have no idea at all what 85 inch/pounds, is. (a skill to learn, no shame)
then Deity invented the torque wrench. (for sure the noobish, dial type,or the digital type)
7 ft/lbs
85 inch/lbs

this nice tool here does both (their silly page fails to say it does in/lbs and does and is first step. set to in/lbs. (the package rear and instructions show it does)
set In/lbs
then punch up 85
and use normal tools 3/8" drive to do the job, and hear it beep, as it hits 85.
85foot/lbs breaks the bolt in have. 10x spec, breaks, bolts.
on a new jk jeep and 6mm intake manifold bolts you strip out the aluminum head, and are now screwed.(yes pun)
so this old iron head saved you from that horror. (steel into iron)
 
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