Broken Valve Cover Bolt

[Blink]

So, I was cleaning my engine and noticed that one of the front valve cover bolts was spinning freely. Upon further inspection I realized that the bolt was broken and the previous owner glued the head of the bolt back on. So I removed the head of the bolt and inspect the hole and it looks like someone already tried to drill it out, but the drill marks are not centered on the bolts thread. It looks like some of the head was drilled out. What should I do? If I try to drill it out I will most likely damage the hole in the head where the bolt goes. If i leave it like this what could happen? I have only put about 2000 miles on the cruiser since I bought it last year and have not noticed any ill effect. Should I just ignore it and deal with it when and if I ever replace the head gasket? Thanks for the help.

 

[Frankencruiser]

Worst case scenario it starts to leak around the seal a bit because it is missing. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[Blink]

Thanks for the advise. Anyone else? Feel free to chime in.

 

[akarilo]

Get a cheap set of mini vise-grips and pinch the cover down to the head flange if it starts leaking. Leave in place, close the hood and forget about it. Proven technique

 

[IdahoDoug]

As far as underhood fasteners go, it's not a worrisome situation. Worst case is you'll have to change the gasket sooner than if it were clamped down uniformly. If you opt to deal with it, know with some certainty that you'll discover others perhaps stripped, so plan accordingly. A small C clamp from a hardware store might also handle it like the vice grip solution.

 

[half k cruiser]

Your probably ok with just one broken, if you pull your valve cover sometime you may be able to just grab the bolt with a pair of channel locks and twist it out, depends on how far down its broken. When I broke one of mine there was enough left down there to get a hold of it and just twist it out.

 

[Funner]

I wouldn't put a clamp or vice grip in there and leave it as a fix. Maybe a temporary to get me home kind of thing (which this isn't), but not a clamp it and forget it solution, seems like there is a good chance it would come off and go bouncing down the road at some point.
If it's leaking a little it isn't going to hurt anything. Just leave it alone and when it's time to replace the valve cover and spark plug tube seals it will be easier to deal with while the valve cover is off.