snap

just done the valve clearance check and when tightening down cover , the bolts in the middle with the rubber gasket on has snapped right at the top just under the rubber. I know its not good but can i still run bike, also how am i going to get this bolt out. Thanks.

 

Take the cover back off.

 

would love to take cover off , but cant get snapped bolt out, the heads snapped off, is there not a thread in the cover

 

no, no thread in cover, take rest of bolts back out, lift off cover, see if you can get broken stub out with mole grips.
how did you snap it ? were you using a torque wrench?
stu

 

cheers, gonna take cover off tonight, but looks as though bolt is down in the thread and none to grip on to :? yes over tightened, no torque and soft bolts

 

you cant get a torque wrench on the inner bolts anyway. theres a stop collar fyi, so when it stops, its pretty much there.

 

with a new gasket and donuts, it should be easy to get a leak tight seal. if anything, leave it looser than you think, as its always easier to tighten them if it happens to start to leak

 

Geez. I can't believe how people torque the crap out of things that don't need it at all. I just found a bolt broken off in the head on my XJ that the previous owner left. It's one of the bolts that holds the #3 intake manifold on. WTF would you need to torque that manifold bolt so much that it breaks, and takes a chip out of the head with it??? There is also one broken off in the block on the left that holds the ignition cover on. That one is not as big a problem as the first, but why would somebody torque that so hard?

As tot he original issue, you may have luck drilling the broken stud and using a screw extractor. If you don't have enough room to work you'll have to pull the engine.

 

If you do manage to get the bolt to turn, be very careful. You don't want to gall the threads in the head. Work the bolt back and forth as you are removing it, if possible. Don't be surprised if you pull the threads out of the head. If you do drill it to use an easy out, do it with the valve cover still on to prevent shaving from getting into the engine. Its always a good idea to use grade 8 bolts and anti-seize where possible.

 

thanks for your help guys, i managed to get it out of the thread tonight, luckily there was a small thread showing to grip. this is a lesson learned