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Snapped the valve cover screw off in the head...BUMMER!!!!

143143

New member
Torqued down to hard on the lower left valve cover screw on my 2007 RT. Does anybody know the fix? And can I ride it anyway? It doesn't seem to be leaking. Oh and by the way I know it was stupid and I'm already feeling ( stupid I mean). Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.:blah
 
Torqued down to hard on the lower left valve cover screw on my 2007 RT. Does anybody know the fix? And can I ride it anyway? It doesn't seem to be leaking. Oh and by the way I know it was stupid and I'm already feeling ( stupid I mean). Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.:blah

Easy fix, many of us have been there with that screw......or other ones:laugh Heli-coil and a few others all work. Do a Google or tube search and I'm sure you will find a good "how to" vid.

If you do it and it is your first time, practice once on an old fitting of some sort.

As for riding it now, well, I would get it fixed sooner, rather than later. However, if it is not leaking, well, kinda your call.
 
I would start with an exact center punch, then a left handed drill bit. It should come out.

Then I would be using a torque wrench.

Good luck

David
 
Are you sure you snapped it off? Usually the threads in the head strip; I guess that is what I thought you did.

If it is snapped, your fix is even easer, however, I would not ride it until it is fixed in that case. If it is broken off flush to the head inside, or close to it that could mean a couple inches of cover screw will be wiggling around near moving parts! Also, with the engine vibration I doubt the screw will stay put with just the rubber collar holding it in place.

If the head broke off outside the cover......Your life is very easy. I still would not ride it.

I guess I will ask again, are you sure it snapped and did not strip it? I have never really seen that screw snap. If it did snap, where did it snap?
 
Three ways cap screws break:
1. Bottomed in the hole. Really bad, lots of force holding it from turning.
2. Rusted in. Heat, solvents and nut trick below are apt to work.
3. Over-torqued but not bottomed. The easiest, should be loose. Use an ice pick and hammer to apply torque to back it out.

The slickest broken bolt removal I've seen:
If the broken end is flush with the surface a welder can position a hex nut about centered on it and with a wire feed weld the nut on. Not only provides something to get hold of but the heat helps loosen. For that one guy who will want to rain on my parade - yes the welded bolt is junk and it's too short anyway so you throw it away and get a new one.
 
Three ways cap screws break:
1. Bottomed in the hole. Really bad, lots of force holding it from turning.
2. Rusted in. Heat, solvents and nut trick below are apt to work.
3. Over-torqued but not bottomed. The easiest, should be loose. Use an ice pick and hammer to apply torque to back it out.

The slickest broken bolt removal I've seen:
If the broken end is flush with the surface a welder can position a hex nut about centered on it and with a wire feed weld the nut on. Not only provides something to get hold of but the heat helps loosen. For that one guy who will want to rain on my parade - yes the welded bolt is junk and it's too short anyway so you throw it away and get a new one.

I do a lot of these. Here is the first example I could find.

Nut welded to stud in a blind hole.

008-L.jpg
 
Stupid is As Stupid Does

2004 Rockster 23,500 miles. While we are discussing valve cover bolts, I ummm well, stripped the inside of the head, I was hopig it was the bolt that was stripped but alas it is in the head. My question is, can it be filled and re-tapped ? I know a superb welder who builds his own air frames. What I am not sure of is what type of alum alloy it is ? Just regular alum ? I guess my other option is buying a used replacement head.
 
2004 Rockster 23,500 miles. While we are discussing valve cover bolts, I ummm well, stripped the inside of the head, I was hopig it was the bolt that was stripped but alas it is in the head. My question is, can it be filled and re-tapped ? I know a superb welder who builds his own air frames. What I am not sure of is what type of alum alloy it is ? Just regular alum ? I guess my other option is buying a used replacement head.

OK, talk'n stripped threads in the head? easy peasey, and even cheap. Heli-Coil, Time-Sert, there are some others, they all work very well and are easy to use. If you don't want to try it, about any M/C mechanic can do it very quickly.
 
1998 r1100rt

Well I guess I have stripped one too now.

Does anyone know the size of these just so I can walk in and ask for the exact right thing?

They don't seem to have it on the fiche.

Not having that knowledge I guess I'll take one down to the heli-coil store with me.
 
Helicoil, in my opinion, are just good

One word for stripped threads in the head.

Helicoil.

David

Helicoil are fast, easy to use, don't require a great deal of care to use. For me, it's the choice to push something out the door and let the next guy deal with it. If I were you, spend the time to look at "Time Sert's" or "Stak-Em's" as options.
 
Well I guess I have stripped one too now.

Does anyone know the size of these just so I can walk in and ask for the exact right thing?

They don't seem to have it on the fiche.

Not having that knowledge I guess I'll take one down to the heli-coil store with me.


Mmmmm, from memory M6......Take one with you to the auto parts store to check for sure
 
Over-torqued but not bottomed.

With the screws in question, this doesn't happen, as they're designed to bottom. This prevents you from flattening the gasket to uselessness.

This is a clue.

If you really really can't afford a torque wrench, just stop when the screw bottoms.
 
With the screws in question, this doesn't happen, as they're designed to bottom. This prevents you from flattening the gasket to uselessness.

This is a clue.

If you really really can't afford a torque wrench, just stop when the screw bottoms.

Yeah, I know how they work. Supposedly.
On they other hand I'm the only one here, so guess who stripped it?
I should invest in a little torque wrench I guess, one that clicks so I don't need my readers on to use it.
 
What's that guy say, "UFDA happens"? I googled that.

Yeah, I know how they work. Supposedly.
On they other hand I'm the only one here, so guess who stripped it?
I should invest in a little torque wrench I guess, one that clicks so I don't need my readers on to use it.

I'm always amazed by these posts. Holy Crap, (can I say that?) there are some smart fellers posting comments. I can say, with absolute certainty based on 35+ years as an HD Mechanic, torque wrenches, good ones, can easily be your best friend, and an enemy.

I had a situation very recently where we were torquing a cylinder head with "torque to yield" head bolts. Followed the book, seemed odd at the time the torque was so high, but.......Snapped the first three head bolts at the final torque. Pulled the head, removed the remainders, tried again with new bolts, SNAP!

Torque wrench calibrated in August (Certified), head bolts OEM. Service manual, one serial number out of sequence.

Trust you gut instincts every time.
 
I'm always amazed by these posts. Holy Crap, (can I say that?) there are some smart fellers posting comments. I can say, with absolute certainty based on 35+ years as an HD Mechanic, torque wrenches, good ones, can easily be your best friend, and an enemy.

I had a situation very recently where we were torquing a cylinder head with "torque to yield" head bolts. Followed the book, seemed odd at the time the torque was so high, but.......Snapped the first three head bolts at the final torque. Pulled the head, removed the remainders, tried again with new bolts, SNAP!

Torque wrench calibrated in August (Certified), head bolts OEM. Service manual, one serial number out of sequence.

Trust you gut instincts every time.

Oh, sure, the Utah Funeral Directors Association. Everybody knows that.

There was a time when I could probably tell you how many pounds I was putting into it.
Not so sure anymore, the RT doesn't break down enough in a big way to get a lot of practice in.
I've never worked with to-yield fasteners, I don't think I would try it without some kind of torque wrench.
I don't know, can you tell you're at the yield point by feel? I guess so if you were doing it all day.

Generally I make sure my wrench handle is short enough that the maximum torque is limited by either tool deflection or hand pain.
I'm still befuddled how I did this. I'm thinking there weren't many threads there when I got it.

I have a similar bolt-snapping story. Ford Taurus, making an awful racket. Took a peek under, the crank pulley was about to fall off. Three bolts were there, though loose, and one completely missing. Very difficult to find this bolt, would have to order from Ford and wait. Finally I found one at a salvage yard. Both the Ford parts guy and the salvage guy made it a point to emphasize this was a specially hardened bolt made for the high torque required to cinch it down properly. Nervous now, I found the Taurus service manual at the Library (the official Ford service manual) and sure enough the torque number was 142 ft-lbs. I had to think about that for a minute to realize that's an awful lot. But ok. Manual says to loctite them and torque them down. So here I go, red loctite and my 1/2" drive beam, I didn't get hardly anywhere before the first one snapped.
Well maybe that was the salvage one, try another one. snap.
I shoulda knowed.
I managed to get the other two backed out. Now, here I am, nothing to get a grip on, red loctite hardening... It's good to have family and friends who can run-go-get extractors and such while I'm drilling a hole to put them in. Don't even have time to cuss it proper.
After some more research, a later edition of the same manual has it as 142 INCH pounds. And now try finding two of those bolts.
So, yeah listen especially when they're screaming STOP.

I have decided to go with heli-coil and not the more robust looking time-serts, they look a little easier to install and a buddy has direct experience with them. And it's a low-stress application. Although, I may procrastinate a little longer - it isn't leaking yet, even after a high-speed run down to Fayetteville BB&B and back yesterday. The gasket is squished enough I guess. I'm considering doing all eight, just to replace the aluminum threads with steel. I guess by the time I get that done I'll be the expert on heli-coil.
 
Be good to understand that this really is NOT an application for a torque wrench.

You don't really want to torque a bottomed screw.

The figure from BMW is mostly gratuitous, but I suppose could help those that don't get mechanics ... but would they own a torque wrench in the first place?

I'd be surprised to learn of a pro BMW tech (BMW trained) using a torque wrench on these screws.

Broken screws here represent "karma" to me, as it represent payback to those who would dismiss professionals and use of professional tools, thinking apparently they're overrated or some sort of conspiracy to steal your $$. They're not. Even if it's DIY, you have to pay to play. TINSTAAFL.
 
Broken screws here represent "karma" to me, as it represent payback to those who would dismiss professionals and use of professional tools, thinking apparently they're overrated or some sort of conspiracy to steal your $$.

Nice. :thumb
 
Not to pick nits, but technically this is not a "bottoming" capscrew which implies the threaded end reaches the bottom of its hole. It is a shouldered capscrew where the unthreaded shank is a larger OD than the thread section. The capscrew threads into the hole until the shoulder hits the surface of the head, and will go no further short of twisting off the thread section or stripping the threads. Once shouldered the capscrews in unison hold the gaskets and the rubber collars on the capscrews compressed.

General note: if you have a leak trying to tighten these almost never helps. If it is truly loose - shoulder not contacting the head, then OK, but otherwise trying to tighten them does nothing to the gaskets or the rubber seals on the capscrews.

The threads are M6 x 1.0
 
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