Broken valve cover bolt

[Blast7]

I happened to over torque one of the small little valve cover bolts on the side of the rear valve cover today and it broke. First, is it okay to leave it as is for now and put the intake manifold back on and fix it later? Secondly, if I have to fix it before I put the intake manifold on do I just drill out the old piece of bolt?

<small>[ July 04, 2002, 07:23 PM: Message edited by: Blast7 ]</small>

 

[luigisho]

I would not put the intake back on and drive around. I think it would be okay for a bit but I would avoid it if possible. As for the bolt, the hole is threaded and a real pain to fix. Plus the metal is very soft and it's easy to really make a mess (I ended up having to heli coil it). The best advise I can give in hindsight is to use one of those craftsman stud extractor drill bits. The angle is tough but if you can get that bit to bite into the bolt it will come out without damaging the threads.

 

[Blast7]

Thanks, I might have to drive it just for today and then pick up an M6X1 Helicoil or buy a stud extractor tomorrow. Do you think I'll be okay?

 

[luigisho]

Hard to say. I've never done it. Try the extractor first. It's best to try and keep the original threading. Ask around for people parting blown engines. Maybe they'll have an extra. I bet Ford either doesn't carry them or they are very expensive. Maybe Josh (sho nut)has an extra used one he'll sell you. That's where I got the one you broke and two of the odd shaped valve cover bolts I broke also. Needless to say I now own a torque wrench and you should consider one also.

<small>[ July 04, 2002, 10:37 PM: Message edited by: luigisho ]</small>

 

[Blast7]

I appreciate the help. I didn't end up driving it tonight but my Dad did say that he has an EZ Out kit somewhere so I'll have to look for that. For now, I have a valve cover bolt to fit it but I will need 2 more because I am borrowing them off my other SHO.

 

[luigisho]

I've used the ez outs before and switched to the Craftsman bits. They are so much easier and faster to use. They seemed pricey at the time ($30-35) but I have used them on several projects and are worth the money for sure. Just a tip to other bloody knuckled SHO owners out there.

 

[sdpatt]

The problem with using a screw extractor on the rearmost vale cover bolts is geting the drill in the proper location to make the hole in the broken screw. Good luck there. It is paramount (as you found the hard way) to use a torque wrench when working with the SHO's top end. Here is an excerpt from my valve gap procedure:

45. Install the valve cover bolts (place the best looking bolts on the forward valve cover) and carefully torque them to 8-11 lb-ft (96-132 lb-in). DO NOT over torque the valve cover bolts. This can result in the either the bolts shearing or the aluminum threads in the head stripping. Neither is desirable.

 

[Blast7]

Well we tried the bolt extractor and it ended up breaking off in there because the hole was a little off. If I have to rethread the hole then that is not a problem but how can we get the bolt extractor out?
Update:We got the extractor out and now we're trying to drill a straight hole so we can helicoil it.

<small>[ July 05, 2002, 11:05 AM: Message edited by: Blast7 ]</small>

 

[luigisho]

That sucks. Are you sure you used it properly? I started to use it once and forgot to put it in reverse. That doesn't do anything but chew metal.
Yes, getting the proper angle for the bit back there is crucial. I've never seen one of the bits break but that may be due to my being extra careful and using a good amount of oil. I've broken ez outs before and they were a pain to extract. Mine is heli coiled in there and it does not leak (knock on wood). Be careful when you put another bolt in there.