Header bolt came out!
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
From: Savannah GA
Header bolt came out!
Hey Everyone,
I was driving yesterday and suddenly started hearing this tapping noise in the engine. I thought it was really low on oil and was a valve. Checked the oil and was fine. Turns out the driver side front header bolt was missing! So I'm 99.9% sure that sound is the exhaust leak.
I picked up a set of header bolts during lunch today. Can I just put it in and tighten it good? Or torque it to a set amount? I don't have a torque wrench though.
I love my 77 vette that I got right before Christmas! But just having to go behind the previous owner and fix things. The head pipe came loose from the header under the car so I had to bolt that back. Now this one.
I noticed a few times that when I crank the car with the hood up some smoke comes up from the engine right when it cranks. It doesn't keep smoking, just a good puff when it first cranks. Does anyone else get this? I'll have to get someone to watch and tell me where it is coming from.
Gotta head home from work and fix this. It is embarressing to have this thing tap while I drive it!!
Warren
I was driving yesterday and suddenly started hearing this tapping noise in the engine. I thought it was really low on oil and was a valve. Checked the oil and was fine. Turns out the driver side front header bolt was missing! So I'm 99.9% sure that sound is the exhaust leak.
I picked up a set of header bolts during lunch today. Can I just put it in and tighten it good? Or torque it to a set amount? I don't have a torque wrench though.
I love my 77 vette that I got right before Christmas! But just having to go behind the previous owner and fix things. The head pipe came loose from the header under the car so I had to bolt that back. Now this one.
I noticed a few times that when I crank the car with the hood up some smoke comes up from the engine right when it cranks. It doesn't keep smoking, just a good puff when it first cranks. Does anyone else get this? I'll have to get someone to watch and tell me where it is coming from.
Gotta head home from work and fix this. It is embarressing to have this thing tap while I drive it!!
Warren
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,812
Likes: 2,029
From: eastern NC
Header bolts are notorious for coming loose. Expansion and contraction of the headers will loosen most of them. Try to get a set with integral locks like this and then you don't have to worry about over torquing them.
http://www.jegs.com/i/Stage+8/868/8911/10002/-1
Companies like JEGS carry a variety of this style of bolt that will work with almost any vehicle and header combination you have.
Good luck... GUSTO
http://www.jegs.com/i/Stage+8/868/8911/10002/-1
Companies like JEGS carry a variety of this style of bolt that will work with almost any vehicle and header combination you have.
Good luck... GUSTO
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
From: Savannah GA
I put a new bolt in there and it fixed the tapping sound. then while looking at the other bolts, some were not even in all the way. I could not believe it! So I tightened down the ones I could during the night here with a flashlight! This Saturday I'm going to go through alot on the car and see what needs attention also.
Warren
Warren
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,577
Likes: 2
From: Long Island New York
Header bolts are notorious for coming loose. Expansion and contraction of the headers will loosen most of them. Try to get a set with integral locks like this and then you don't have to worry about over torquing them.
http://www.jegs.com/i/Stage+8/868/8911/10002/-1
Companies like JEGS carry a variety of this style of bolt that will work with almost any vehicle and header combination you have.
Good luck... GUSTO
http://www.jegs.com/i/Stage+8/868/8911/10002/-1
Companies like JEGS carry a variety of this style of bolt that will work with almost any vehicle and header combination you have.
Good luck... GUSTO
Last edited by Glassbowtie77; Jan 15, 2010 at 09:56 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,897
Likes: 1,353
From: Santa Ana CA
Torque header bolts? 
No idea how I would even get a torque wrench on them. I can barely get a small, thin-walled, 12-point, box end on.
The wrench will be small and you just need to muscle them down as tight as you can and check them on occasion. If you know to listen for it, you should hear that characteristic "ticking" well before the bolt falls out.
No idea how I would even get a torque wrench on them. I can barely get a small, thin-walled, 12-point, box end on.
The wrench will be small and you just need to muscle them down as tight as you can and check them on occasion. If you know to listen for it, you should hear that characteristic "ticking" well before the bolt falls out.
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Racer
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 289
Likes: 0
From: Franksville Wisconsin
I had to tighten many loose bolts on my '81. Seems like these cars like to fall apart on there own. During oil changes or other maintenance I check header bolts and so forth.......
You may want to use some spring lock washers on them, thats what I did and they are tight after 500 miles.Now its in storage for the winter and still fixing it up.
You also may want to take a close look at the gasket to see if its blown out.
You may want to use some spring lock washers on them, thats what I did and they are tight after 500 miles.Now its in storage for the winter and still fixing it up.
You also may want to take a close look at the gasket to see if its blown out.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,090
Likes: 74
From: New Carlisle IN
Yea, header bolts are natorious for comming loose. I just use regular header bolts and a copper gasket with my hooker sidepipe headers. I tighten them once a year in the spring before the first autocross event. My car is not street driven so only sees autocrossing duties.
Some smoke is normal on these cars. If you still have the factory breather/pcv valve, it is probably comming from there.
Some smoke is normal on these cars. If you still have the factory breather/pcv valve, it is probably comming from there.
Instructor
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 240
Likes: 0
From: Norman Oklahoma
That's the one bad thing about headers. The bolts always come loose. I have tighten mine every four months or so, because they just come loose. It's a normal thing with headers. I would look into buying the special setup they mentioned above if you want to stop the problem.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,897
Likes: 1,353
From: Santa Ana CA
If you are running headers, there is a good chance that you are running a "header-mounted" alternator. This bracket takes up physical space so these two bolts should be a little longer, or the subject of extra attention.
When mine ticks, it is always the #1 cylinder even though I put longer bolts in to compensate for the header/alternator mounting bracket. Would not suprise me at all if this was at least in part due to the lateral force applied by the belt pulling on the alternator tweaking the bracket and putting even more pressure on these two bolts. I can watch the bracket tweak on mine and it has even been reinforced.
When mine ticks, it is always the #1 cylinder even though I put longer bolts in to compensate for the header/alternator mounting bracket. Would not suprise me at all if this was at least in part due to the lateral force applied by the belt pulling on the alternator tweaking the bracket and putting even more pressure on these two bolts. I can watch the bracket tweak on mine and it has even been reinforced.
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,725
Likes: 5
From: Minnesota
Header bolts are notorious for coming loose. Expansion and contraction of the headers will loosen most of them. Try to get a set with integral locks like this and then you don't have to worry about over torquing them.
http://www.jegs.com/i/Stage+8/868/8911/10002/-1
Companies like JEGS carry a variety of this style of bolt that will work with almost any vehicle and header combination you have.
Good luck... GUSTO
http://www.jegs.com/i/Stage+8/868/8911/10002/-1
Companies like JEGS carry a variety of this style of bolt that will work with almost any vehicle and header combination you have.
Good luck... GUSTO
