Broken head bolt...am I screwed?
11-13-2007, 12:16 PM
#21
Some times they are easy to spin out if they are not bottomed out. Look at the broken upper part and match it to the bottom. Try to tap it with a small hammer and slowly reverse it with a drill. Good Luck.
11-13-2007, 01:47 PM
#22
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I have already tried every way possible to get it out, it just won't cooperate. I have already threaded the upper part of the hole and am going to try torquing to see if it will hold.
11-13-2007, 02:25 PM
#23
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Will the bolt spin at all, even just a little? If so, maybe find a shop that can weld a thin rod to the top, then just back out the rod. May be able to rent one from homedepot or pepboys, etc. Though I'm sure this was already thought of or mentioned but figure would toss out there anyway.
11-13-2007, 02:38 PM
#24
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Can you use a stud instead of a bolt in there?
With a stud you could screw it all the way down to the broken piece then use a hex nut torqued down to spec.
Or if you have already drilled it out and retapped the hole, you can still use a stud.
Use one with different thread sizes on each end. That way you can still have the original size going through the head.
With a stud you could screw it all the way down to the broken piece then use a hex nut torqued down to spec.
Or if you have already drilled it out and retapped the hole, you can still use a stud.
Use one with different thread sizes on each end. That way you can still have the original size going through the head.
11-13-2007, 03:23 PM
#25
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I got the kit the local machine shop sold me. It is to tap out existing hole to 1/2 20 and use a 3" bolt to avoid collision with existing broken piece. I was skeptical about using fine thread, but they said it would hold the torque better than the coarse. Now I get to put it all back together, and wait to see if I wind up blowing anything.
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11-13-2007, 03:41 PM
#26
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before you drill and tap anything see if you cant use lefthanded drillbits and a right angle drill if clearance is a problem....drilling and tapping the block is the last thing you should resort to
11-13-2007, 04:36 PM
#28
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I put the head on without the head gasket and torqued the bolt to @ 50 lb ft using my beam style torque wrench, and it held on nice and tight. Hopefully that is a sign of good things starting to happen for once. I looked online about the clickers, and the beams and according to all research they are both within 4% accurate. This being said, no more clicker for me.
11-13-2007, 06:21 PM
#29
Careful of one thing here. There is tight and then there is stretch. Since you are using a shorter bolt, you may need to get an undercut shank so that you have the correct elastic stretch in the shorter bolt. Prior to assembly, I would consult with ARP and see if they can recommend a bolt for use. I wouldn't just grab the first bolt available in the correct thread and slap it in there. You need to have elastic preload for the bolt to work correctly in a head application.
Also, since you now have a different thread pitch, the torque value on the bolt will change as well.
Also, since you now have a different thread pitch, the torque value on the bolt will change as well.
11-15-2007, 05:53 AM
#31
When you tighten they are trying to obtain a stretch that is developed over a length to preload the gasket. When you shorten the length, then the stretch will change with the same torque value. The preload is what is going to keep things from leaking when the engine goes through its heat cycles. Before doing anything, I would discuss with ARP and see if they can set you up with a special bolt that will provide the same preload characteristics. If I remember correctly, bolts 9 & 10 have different rotations values than the rest of the bolts. This is likely due to the length and preload characteristics of those bolts compared to the longer ones.
