Head Bolt Stuck In Valve?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
From: Delaware, OH
Head Bolt Stuck In Valve? Theoretically, could a small head bolt be stuck in the intake port for 6 months with no noise then all of a sudden get stuck in the valve like this? And there seems to be no damage to the piston, cylinder walls, etc., look here. Is any of this possible? A friend of mine who sold his LS1 received a message from the buyer (yes, 6 months after he sold the car) stating these as facts and included these pictures. I've never heard of something like this, a bolt that size in the cylinder for months without hearing any noises or ill effects until recently... 
That sounds like bs to me. That intake port would be beat to crap from that bolt moving around everytime the valve opened and closed. How would you miss a big bolt like that on the installation of the heads. It would definitely be make a hell of racket if it did happen. The valve doesn't look bent either. I would say 99.9% that it is bs. Probably somebody just trying to come up on some cash.
Why is that one piston extremely clean and has a little notch in it. Obviously the notch is for the piston hitting it, but the valve is as straight as an arrow or so it looks. This is 
The piston is in impressively good shape considering how far down the valve was held. Maybe this bolt was dropped in the intake later? Weird stuff. Hard to tell what kind of bolt it really is. Maybe it rattled out recently and the guy shut down immediately?
Very impossible, the piston would be beat to sh*t. The picture is staged your friend is getting worked by these ******** who obviously are really bad at decieving someone. Tell your friend to tell these people to go get bent. people will try anything sometimes
On The Tree
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
From: El Paso TX
BS. during my header install I plugged the EGR hole with a piece of rubber (about the size of a quarter). When i was done I fired it up and forgot to remove that rubber. It got sucked in and bent the #7 cylinder intake valve. If that rubber caused all that, that bolt should of torn the piston up!!
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I know someone who had a fast intake installed and a washer was lost (unknown to the installers).... when they went to fire the engine... the washer made its way down into the head where it proceeded throgh a piston.... it looked like it was a piggy bank, because of the perfect clean hole it created... looked like a slot for a quarter.... and that was less than 30 seconds of running.
Lucky for the installer... it was his son's car.. and they run their own mechanics shop together... lol
So I raise my BS flag as well
Lucky for the installer... it was his son's car.. and they run their own mechanics shop together... lol
So I raise my BS flag as well
well, look at it this way. To me, the ding in the piston looks about .030 deep. Then the typical quench is what, .035? So do you think that valve is sitting more than .065 below the head deck? I think it looks that way.
Well, looking at the picture, you can see where the bottom of the bolt hit the piston (lower portion of the cylinder, right where the bolt is lowest in the head picture), so it would appear that the bolt was in with the car running.
There is NO way in HELL that was in there for 6 months, I'd say there's no way it was in there for more then 6-10 seconds. The damage looks more like the bolt was dropped in, engine was cranked over (not fired) and then pulled apart.
There is NO way in HELL that was in there for 6 months, I'd say there's no way it was in there for more then 6-10 seconds. The damage looks more like the bolt was dropped in, engine was cranked over (not fired) and then pulled apart.
A buddy of mine has a turbo buick that something similar happened too. He had a 13mm socket inside the intake port for about 6 months. It was big enough that it couldn't get between the valve and the valve seat. It basically just peened the inside of the port, and disturbed the air flow. I laughed my *** off when he showed me. The car went a best of 10.23 with the socket in the port !
TJ
TJ
Should of had him take a pic of the inside of the intake manifold. if it was in their for a wile it should of been really carboned up. Seems to be weird. Did the freind of yours come up short on bolts when he was working on the car? that is a sure sign that you have a chance of stuff happenign like this.
Staging Lane
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix Arizona
Is the pushrod broken or bent really bad? Is the lifter broken? Rocker arm broken? If one or more of them are then that would stop the valve from moving and I can see the possibility of the bolt staying in that position. If you look closely at both pictures the damage on the piston does look like it lines up with where the valve and bolt are sitting. I think this is highly unlikely but it’s possible. In any case, the owner of the car is very luck that the damage is extremely minor. I would like to know what the other parts such as the rocker arm, pushrod, and lifter look like. If they say they are fine then I find it basically impossible that the engine was running under its own power with the bolt in there unless the bolt is holding the valve open further than the CAM can push the valve open on it's own.
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Last edited by Tim98Z28; Sep 19, 2005 at 11:36 PM.
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
Oh come on! I find it hard to believe that a bolt that size can be lodged between the valve and valve seat with out causing the vehicle to run like crap! I have a pushrod that I suspect is bent, and it causes my 2001 Z to a little rough at times. I have a problem believing that the bolt stayed in place for that length of time. Furthermore, the valve, seat and most probably the chamber would have experienced catastrophic falure/damage. I think that I would call this guy and tell him NICE TRY! Maybe when this individual removed the intake manifold, he dropped a bolt in the intake port, and perhaps as he was compressing the spring during a spring upgrade, the bolt slid down into the position in the picture........hey just trying to assemble a possible sequence of events (yeah right). If it is infact staged he should watch CSI to get some tips.......... As a former fed, I know what a staged crime scene looks like!
Teching In
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
more..... Hey.......I just can help myself becuase this is just so incredible. As an addendum to the last post.....upon careful examination of the picture I'm inclined to believe that the piston should have sustained quite a bit of damage. That bolt appears to be well above the gasket surface of the head, which means that his pistons would have to be at least .200 IN THE HOLE! This would have been a much more believable story had the engine had been an LQ4 which has DISHED pistons. NO MATTER WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES, EVEN IF IT CAUSES YOU EMBARRASSMENT..........ALWAYS BE A PERSON OF INTEGRITY!
