Question for you long time mechanics
Question for you long time mechanics Ok, I'm a dumb ***, idiot, newbie, and so on and so on. You can’t call me anything I haven't already called myself about four times over. Ok, here it is.. I was breaking in a new torque wrench while installing my valley cover. I was running the bolts in series a little at a time and all the while thinking my first click at 10 ft/lbs was never kicking in... I knew it didn't feel good, I was putting too much torque on it. Anyway, never got a click, but did end up with a striped bolt. The one with the arrow on it.
I checked the torque wrench with a box end wrench and finally got a click.
After that I finished all of the other bolts up to 18 ft/lbs. The one I stripped won't go above 10 ft/lbs.
My question is simple for you long time mechanics. Am I screwed? Do I need to have it drilled and tapped or can I trust to luck that it will hold as is?
I checked the torque wrench with a box end wrench and finally got a click.
After that I finished all of the other bolts up to 18 ft/lbs. The one I stripped won't go above 10 ft/lbs.My question is simple for you long time mechanics. Am I screwed? Do I need to have it drilled and tapped or can I trust to luck that it will hold as is?
Nahhh man, **** happens its all good. No matter how good/new of a mechanic you are.
I would not just leave the screw there loose, its not going to take a whole bunch of your time to drill and tap a new hole, or if you can helicoil it if it is not too far gone........
you learn something new every day, bet you wont do that again!
Good luck bro, easy business....
I would not just leave the screw there loose, its not going to take a whole bunch of your time to drill and tap a new hole, or if you can helicoil it if it is not too far gone........
you learn something new every day, bet you wont do that again!
Good luck bro, easy business....
Thanks for the advice.
12 Second Club
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,498
Likes: 0
From: Corpus Christi
we all break things newbies or oldsklrs...... i never knew a tq wrenched was supposed to be broken in before it's intended use...
i would remove the bolt and replace it. (you did say stripped bolt) and hope the bolt stripped not the block, if it was the block you can tap it and hope it holds or helicoil it.....helicoil kit are not expensive, you can get them at almost any local auto parts.
i would remove the bolt and replace it. (you did say stripped bolt) and hope the bolt stripped not the block, if it was the block you can tap it and hope it holds or helicoil it.....helicoil kit are not expensive, you can get them at almost any local auto parts. Trending Topics
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If you cant back it out with your fingers it should be fine. Think about what it does. Hols the valley cover down against the upper gasket. How much oil do you think will be hitting that gasket?
Things like covers and brackets dont require a specific torque spec. Yes, there is a spec, but you have to think about what each thing does. Generally, not falling off is about as specific as those jobs go. I snicker at people torquing their fuel rail bolts
Critical tolerance parts like rods, mains, flywheel to crank, rocker arms etc require a specific torque. More or less usually results in failure. Otherwise, go german with 'gudentat'
Things like covers and brackets dont require a specific torque spec. Yes, there is a spec, but you have to think about what each thing does. Generally, not falling off is about as specific as those jobs go. I snicker at people torquing their fuel rail bolts
Critical tolerance parts like rods, mains, flywheel to crank, rocker arms etc require a specific torque. More or less usually results in failure. Otherwise, go german with 'gudentat'
This the wrench just would not "click" until I put A LOT of torque on it. After I did that, I could drop it down to a low setting like 10lbs and it would work just find. After I read a little deaper into the instructions, they warned me about it and said in addition that if the wrench sits unused for a long time that I shoud again "break it in". Dont ask me, first "clicker" i ever had.
The valley cover is a brand new LS6 cover. I agree it looks a little funky on top, but that's just tye way it looks. It's some kind of coating they put on the top of it. Under, it looks clean.
we all break things newbies or oldsklrs...... i never knew a tq wrenched was supposed to be broken in before it's intended use... i would remove the bolt and replace it. (you did say stripped bolt) and hope the bolt stripped not the block, if it was the block you can tap it and hope it holds or helicoil it.....helicoil kit are not expensive, you can get them at almost any local auto parts.
i would remove the bolt and replace it. (you did say stripped bolt) and hope the bolt stripped not the block, if it was the block you can tap it and hope it holds or helicoil it.....helicoil kit are not expensive, you can get them at almost any local auto parts.
TECH Addict
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,907
Likes: 1
From: Bergen County, NJ
If all your other bolts are tight, the cover isn't going to leak with one bolt loose. I've pulled several engines apart with stripped valley cover bolts and they never leaked.
You should be fine. For a little extra security you can rub a very thin dab of high temp silicone around the perimeter of where the cover sits. Should be just fine.
You should be fine. For a little extra security you can rub a very thin dab of high temp silicone around the perimeter of where the cover sits. Should be just fine.
Not sure what scale your wrench is on, but 10ft/lbs is so low that you can't rely on a wrench that scales up to 150ft/lbs to reliably hit 10ft/ls. That said, I can honestly say I have never heard of breaking in a torque wrench.
If you decide to fix it, don't tap it oversize. To do it right, use the helicoil set for the proper bolt size - it will have its own tap for the coil to install, and usually the drill bit as well. I used a GM kit (best bud is a dealer mechanic) when I fubar'd a head replacement on a 2.2, and it was really easy to use.
I agree with others that the valley bolt is probably not critical enough to worry about.
If you decide to fix it, don't tap it oversize. To do it right, use the helicoil set for the proper bolt size - it will have its own tap for the coil to install, and usually the drill bit as well. I used a GM kit (best bud is a dealer mechanic) when I fubar'd a head replacement on a 2.2, and it was really easy to use.
I agree with others that the valley bolt is probably not critical enough to worry about.
Well was going to helicoil but Murphy is alive a well. It's the second to the rear bolt and there isn't enough space to get a drill bit in even with a 90 degree adaptor on the drill. Naturally I couldn't screw up the bolt in the front of the block! I used a different bolt that fit and permitted a little tighter torque. I'm going to hope for the best.
BTW - take a look at the attachement. This is what I'm talking about when I say "break it in".
BTW - take a look at the attachement. This is what I'm talking about when I say "break it in".
My experience with tq wrench at that low a tq is that the click is so weak that I don't feel or hear it , probably not very accurate at that setting . Yes , the one bolt should'nt create any problems .
