Broke off valve cover bolt in head. How borked is my weekend?

Easy enough job, right? Replacing the valve cover gasket has always been up there (IMHO) with changing the oil. Easy peasy.

So, In my desire to stop a potential source of a leak that's been plaguing my garage floor, decided to do this last night.... at around 10pm. Easy enough, move cables and hoses, and take the cover off. Cleaned up the head surface, cleaned up the cover. New grommets and gasket, and we're going back together. All of the bolts went back in easily enough. I'm tightening them all down, but the one on the very back of the head is giving me fits. I figure that I must have gotten some dirt into the hole, so I pressed on. It got progressively tighter and more difficult, but the grommet still spun freely. So in an effort to be done with this, I tightened it a little more, and broke the top of the bolt off.

So... Here's where It stands... the very back bolt broken off inside the head.. Nothing much to grab on to (if any) and poor access.

I'm pretty confident that I can't get it drilled, and still be able to get an easy out in. So my options are seemingly:

1: Try and drill/easy out the bolt on the vehicle. I am doubtful.

2: RTV film on both sides of the gasket near the back using some Right Stuff.

3: Pull the head, take it to a machine shop, and have them do the drill/easyout (possibly a helicoil ifall else fails).

Thoughts? Suggestions?

-P

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'99 XJ 4.0 AW4 / NP 231

lots of rtv

If you aren't going to pull the old bolt, use 'The Right Stuff' and goop it good.

If all else fails, drill out the bolt, then heli-coil the hole to repair it. No reason you should have to pull the head to do it. Just get a cheap right angle adapter for your drill, since you said it is in the back of the head.

Drill and tap would be my solution. You can buy a cheap right angle drill they're good to have.

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If you break an easy out in there, you're screwed.

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Ou2mame said:

If you break an easy out in there, you're screwed.

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Precisely my aversion to using them.

Looks like I'm going to RTV it and fix it when I do a rebuild at 300k (currently at 250k).

-P

You might be able to get a welder in there and weld a nut onto it to make a new head. Back it out like normal, Then go buy an actual bolt. If you don't have a welder any competent machine shop will and will probably only charge a small fee to do so expsially if you pull the cover and maybr through in a 12 pack.

Dragonlich1961 said:

You might be able to get a welder in there and weld a nut onto it to make a new head. Back it out like normal, Then go buy an actual bolt. If you don't have a welder any competent machine shop will and will probably only charge a small fee to do so expsially if you pull the cover and maybr through in a 12 pack.

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If I'm taking it to a machine shop around here... it's $75 and up per hour of shop time.

I thought about the welder, but there's just not the room in there to pull it off.

-P

Even with the cover removed and last two rockers removed. I'd think there be room.

If you pull the cover would they do it? Perhaps you could find another jeeper in the area.

Sometimes a very small punch and hammer can work it out if you are careful. I have successfully used this method a few times.

I decided that I'd place Permatex "Right Stuff" on both side of the new gasket, and seal it up that way. I'll be rebuilding this engine sometime in the next year or so and figure it ought to last until then.

-P

That stuff works great. Just don't tighten down the bolts. Only do the finger tight, let it set for a couple of hours, then tighten just a touch more.

old_man said:

That stuff works great. Just don't tighten down the bolts. Only do the finger tight, let it set for a couple of hours, then tighten just a touch more.

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Then have fun getting the cover off during the rebuild. That stuff is not removal friendly.

four_shot said:

Then have fun getting the cover off during the rebuild. That stuff is not removal friendly.

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Pretty much what I'm expecting.

No leaks back there.... nice and dry!

-P