Broken Bolt in head
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Pro
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 677
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From: WInnipeg Mb
Broken Bolt in head
This is the second bolt i broke in the head while changing valve covers... Now i can't get it out.. :mad is there a possibility that the slots in the head are crooked? or am i just putting them in wrong or something? I put one of them in and took it out because it wasn't going in properley and it came out with a little bend in it.. so i threw it out and put another on in and about half of it broke off... how am i going to get it out now??? i already tried vise grips but theres not enough of the bolt sticking out to do so
Pro
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 560
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From: Camino CA
Re: Broken Bolt in head (Justin79-L-82)
Unless you have aluminum heads, your bolt holes should be fine, I've never seen cast iron heads with messed up bolt holes. The valve cover bolts are pretty small, and it's easy to put them in crooked. The best thing to do would be to drill it out and re-tap it. I wouldn't really recomend an easy-out or screw extractor since they always seem to break off, and then you have to buy a diamond drill bit to get them out.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 116
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From: Brighton MI
Re: Broken Bolt in head (Justin79-L-82)
Just to bring this up, did you use a new bolt? I had a Summit bolt kit a few years ago, for a small block Chevy, that had valve cover bolts that were too long. I foolishly broke one off before realizing this. :D
Pro
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 608
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Re: Broken Bolt in head (Justin79-L-82)
I did this too, along with many other places. The worst was the fuel pump to block-off plate bolt that broke with the motor in the car.
When I broke my valve cover bolt, I was lucky enough to be able to get at it with the valve cover removed.
In your case, I'd try a little penetrating oil, and a little torchwork on the surrounding metal to loosen the bolt. Worst case, get a punch, and tap that sucker in little circles to get it out.
My experiences with snapping bolts and such has taught me that it is indeed woth it to go to the hardware store and buy a set of 8 pt fasteners to replace the bolts, and ARP everywhere it can be mounted!!
A little bit of prevention can go a long way in retaining your sanity.
When I broke my valve cover bolt, I was lucky enough to be able to get at it with the valve cover removed.
In your case, I'd try a little penetrating oil, and a little torchwork on the surrounding metal to loosen the bolt. Worst case, get a punch, and tap that sucker in little circles to get it out.
My experiences with snapping bolts and such has taught me that it is indeed woth it to go to the hardware store and buy a set of 8 pt fasteners to replace the bolts, and ARP everywhere it can be mounted!!
A little bit of prevention can go a long way in retaining your sanity.
