How screwed am I? I am not super mechanically inclined I was just trying to tighten the bolts around the valve cover as there was a good amount of seepage coming from that area and the bolt snapped…. Can I drive the car if I needed or is that sketchy? 2001 lx 470.
Valve cover bolt snapped off
- Thread starter Green77
- Start date
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Just use a reverse drill bit and get it out, shouldn't be a problem.
I would not recommend tightening up bolts beyond torque spec when you see seeping/leaking, that isn't going to resolve your leak or make anything better and could result in worse issues
I would not recommend tightening up bolts beyond torque spec when you see seeping/leaking, that isn't going to resolve your leak or make anything better and could result in worse issues
Fj80oregon
GOLD Star
I would check by pulling another bolt and compare that should tell you how much broke off. If there is enough to grab pull the valve carver and use some vise grips or bolt extractor. If not enough to grab then drill it out. I like to use a dremel with carbide bits to grind the broken bolt surface and get a flat area, then center punch and quality drill bits with lots of penetrating oil to keep the bit cool and helps to break the bolt free. Then screw extractor.
If you have at least one bolt diameter worth of usable thread depth, you can also screw in a stud and use a nut. Not the best permanent solution, but enough if you want to take your time with the removal.
The extraction won’t likely be easy. Fill the top of the hole with PB blaster, warm up the engine so hopefully a little expansion occurs and the penetrant works its way into the threads.
Next trick will be to drill a pilot hole dead center in the stuck bolt, open it up progressively. Buy the highest quality extraction tap you can find, and VERY carefully ease the bolt out. The larger a hole you can drill the better, but you risk damaging the threads. If the tap breaks, you’re SOL: its metal is as hard as a drill bit so its remains are not coming out.
Patience is the key.
The extraction won’t likely be easy. Fill the top of the hole with PB blaster, warm up the engine so hopefully a little expansion occurs and the penetrant works its way into the threads.
Next trick will be to drill a pilot hole dead center in the stuck bolt, open it up progressively. Buy the highest quality extraction tap you can find, and VERY carefully ease the bolt out. The larger a hole you can drill the better, but you risk damaging the threads. If the tap breaks, you’re SOL: its metal is as hard as a drill bit so its remains are not coming out.
Patience is the key.
I just went through this when 4 of the 9 bolts on my driver's side valve cover broke during removal. I found it easier to drill out the remains of the bolt rather than trying to use a screw extractor. I used a 3/16 ID flange bushing from Mcmaster as a drill guide with the valve cover still in place. I had to grind/file the OD of the bushing until it fit snugly in the valve cover hole. This centers your 3/16 drill bit pretty well and you can drill thru the bolt and then run an M6 tap thru to clean the threads. It's pretty quick once you get the process down. A right angle drill may be needed depending on the bolt location.
If everything else comes out ok, you can still get some threads in that nut and apply FIPG to the bottom side of the gasket that meets the cylinder head and fix the valve cover.