Painted my valve cover and found a stripped bolt in my head...

[fubar66]

yup, painted it purple ( KINGS FTW ) and noticed that one of the vc bolts was different from the others, and when i tried putting it back in i noticed it was stripped. I tried retapping it and it still wont seat. I was looking at heli coils and was wondering if that is my only option?

[fubar66]

^ the bolt that was different^ the stripped hole

[480sx]

Owch thats a corner one. I THINK your stripped bolt is on the passenger side closest to the firewall? To bad your not running a s14 motor you'd be fine..

You should be ok still however, just play it by ear. If you get an oil leak, just tap it out to the next size bolt and make it work.

[fubar66]

the hole that is stripped is the very front driver side one. and when i took out the 1st spark plug wire, it was filled with oil. so i think that cus it wasnt down all the way, it leaked through the gasket and got oil in there. But thats just a guess.

[fubar66]

let me know what you think about the color too! this is my first time painting pretty much anything, and its a bit newb but i like it!

[liquid_cool]

ok..this is the proper fix for your issue..you will need a 6mm helicoil or thread replacement kit and a 1/4 inch drill bit...the kit comes with the tap and new steel threads..allso the kit should have about 12 threads in there...aluminum heads are notorius for stripped out valve cover holes..

#1.) drill out the old stripper hole with the drill bit ( donot go deeper than the original threads)..ever!.#2) insert tap so it is symetrical with the hole to be taped..tap the hole ..removing the tap a few times to clear away the debris..its allso a good idea to cover the valves and cams with rags..as you need to blow the debris out of the holes..#3) insert the new steel thread with the given tool till it is just below the top of the head by a hair...on the bottom is a little tab..you will need to break that off to seat the thread once in place..use a small magnetic screw driver and your hand to do that...

presto!..your done..the rite way..feel leet..and have a beer!

[fubar66]

hey thanks for the detailed write up, I talked to my dad and he has some at his work and i should have a helicoil in the mail in a few days, Ill let you know how it goes! one more question, since the bolt fit before and has the same thread pitch, is it ok to keep using that, or should i get another one identical to the other 7?

[zerepdivad]

here's an even easier and more proper fix. get a new upper timing cover that isn't stripped. If it's the front one then it bolts into the upper timing cover which is removable.

[liquid_cool]

here's an even easier and more proper fix. get a new upper timing cover that isn't stripped. If it's the front one then it bolts into the upper timing cover which is removable.

new upper timing cover $145.= FAILhelicoil kit with new steel threads $26.= happyness!

due to the Obama economy, i liquid_cool am only giving advice on CHEEP fixes..done the right way as most americans dont have any coin to spend as it is..

[liquid_cool]

hey thanks for the detailed write up, I talked to my dad and he has some at his work and i should have a helicoil in the mail in a few days, Ill let you know how it goes! one more question, since the bolt fit before and has the same thread pitch, is it ok to keep using that, or should i get another one identical to the other 7?

If it isent broke dont fix it!...but if ya wana be trick..for a few bucks..you could replace them all with some nice new grade 8's..and be leet!

[fubar66]

If it isent broke dont fix it!...but if ya wana be trick..for a few bucks..you could replace them all with some nice new grade 8's..and be leet!

is there a place where i can find a set? im a noob to nissans

[zerepdivad]

new upper timing cover $145.= FAILhelicoil kit with new steel threads $26.= happyness!

due to the Obama economy, i liquid_cool am only giving advice on CHEEP fixes..done the right way as most americans dont have any coin to spend as it is..

Are you honestly joking me? did you really think i meant to get a BRAND NEW timing cover? when i said get a new timing cover i meant new to him not BRAND NEW. i'll sell him one for 20 bucks shipped i've got like 3 of them.

[fubar66]

Are you honestly joking me? did you really think i meant to get a BRAND NEW timing cover? when i said get a new timing cover i meant new to him not BRAND NEW. i'll sell him one for 20 bucks shipped i've got like 3 of them.

SOLD! Ill take one :P

[liquid_cool]

Are you honestly joking me? did you really think i meant to get a BRAND NEW timing cover? when i said get a new timing cover i meant new to him not BRAND NEW. i'll sell him one for 20 bucks shipped i've got like 3 of them.

it dosent really matter anyways man..becouse he obviously has dmg to all the threads from years of use...aluminum heads/covers dont stand up that well to small fine threads...everytime i get an aluminum head..i helicoil the valvecover holes anyways..you get a better seal and longer life out of it..but thats me..i wasent flamin ya..so take it easy..just makin a point.

[zerepdivad]

SOLD! Ill take one :P

my paypal is [email protected] if you're serious.

[Chris28]

On my s14 engine I had a front driver's side bolt strip out. I was able to slide a nut under there and use a longer bolt to tighten it down that way. Not sure if the passenger side is the same way but if you haven't already bought the new timing cover it's another option.

As far as oil in the spark plug hole, it could be the gasket that goes around the spark plug holes. If that's fine then yeah it is probably from your stripped bolt.

[mys13240]

I think the best way to fix your stripped out bolt is the way I fixed damn near all the valve cover bolts on my engine. Get a Timesert kit. They blow helicoils out of the water. The kit costs quite a bit more than a heli-coil kit, but it comes with the drill bit, the countersink tool, the tap, the insert tool, and 6 timeserts. You will have to google it and find a tool store online that sells them. I couldn't find them locally so that's what I did.

http://www.timesert.com/

[fubar66]

thanks guys, i got the helicoil today, plan on fixing it tommorrow, ill keep you posted