broke stud that is used for valve cover

[davem]

Broke this s.o.b. putting my valve cover back on after an adjustment. It didn't want to tighten, kept rotating, 'til I snapped it off :(

I got the broken one out, when I get a new one how do I put it back in without damaging the thread?

Broke #9.

[lateracer]

thread a nut most of the way down then thread on a second one. Use two wrenches to lock the nuts together with a friction/tension bond, then use the second (top) nut to torque the stud to spec. Once the stud is tight, use the two wrenches to loosen the nuts and remove them.

[davem]

Hey thanks! Thank you for posting the picture too. Do you know where I can find the torque specs by any chance? It's not in the bentley as far as I know.

[lateracer]

Do you know where I can find the torque specs by any chance?

Damn....I knew you were going to ask that. ;)

No, I don't know what the torque spec is, but if it was me, I would apply blue loctite (medium strength), tighten it down 'till I felt it butt up against the metal and torque it to 30 ft/lbs or so.

Maybe someone will chime in with the actual spec.

Best of luck.

[nando]

hand tight. it's probably something like 20 inch/lbs. if you're breaking studs you need to back off a bit..

[davem]

hand tight. it's probably something like 20 inch/lbs. if you're breaking studs you need to back off a bit..

Okay, I have loctite so I'll use it. Really don't know how I sheared this one off, it wasn't torquing at all.

[nando]

I wouldn't loctite them. When you go to take it apart next time, all the studs are going to come out with the nuts.

when tightening, start in the middle of the VC and do a cross pattern alternating and work your way to the outside bolts. Do one round just getting them all evenly snug, and another getting them tight.

[davem]

I wouldn't loctite them. When you go to take it apart next time, all the studs are going to come out with the nuts.

when tightening, start in the middle of the VC and do a cross pattern alternating and work your way to the outside bolts. Do one round just getting them all evenly snug, and another getting them tight.

Yes I followed the Bentley tightening pattern. My dad was doing it because he has a better feel and then I realized I forgot to bolt on the ignition wire loom so I had to undo everything. When I was tightening them up one of the nuts just wasn't torquing. Hope my new gasket is still good.

Tightening and loosening bolts is not my specialty, I am really scared of stripping/shearing bolts.

[nando]

that's why you don't want to loctite them. Better to break a stud than to strip threads in the head.

[lateracer]

that's why you don't want to loctite them. Better to break a stud than to strip threads in the head.

True. Broken stud is a much better problem to have than a stripped head bolt. I take back what I said about loctite!

Learning tightening torques and metal stress limits by feel - especially on an aluminum head - is a skill that only gets developed with practice. It does need to be developed though, because at some point you'll probably have to do it without a gauged wrench.

Torque the studs with a foot/inch lbs wrench and then try to get a feel for what that torque is with your hands on an un-gauged wrench. Use the torque wrench to check your work.

[davem]

Yeah I was using a torque wrench... the problem is that my torque wrench doesn't fit under the intake so I had to do those by "feel"... I ended up breaking #6 though... lot's of room there... :( I just phaled.