Valve cover problems AGAIN... oh boy busted a bolt

[Stinkin Linkin]

So i'm doing the VC seals. put the cover back on the driver side. I'm able to finally get the dipstick back in place. Connected all the wires and I'm about to start on the intake assembly. When I decide to just double check the bolts holding the VC on to the driver side. Put the torque wrench on the top bolt on the corner thats closest to the front bumper and then snap. the damn bolt brakes. Now it wasnt the bolt that you need the deep well socket for. Just a regular 10mm. Half of it came out. the other half seems to be still threaded in. Its sticking out of the back by about 3/8 of an inch. My question is of course, what to do? Is there any way to remove that without taking off everything I just spent the whole morning taking off. Maybe I can drill it out? I'm sure the seal is still locked under the contraption that helps hold the seals in place (only half of the bolt came out the rubber/metal o-ring contraption is still in there). Can I screw a new one in and maybe push the old one out in the process? Anything to avoid redoing this whole thing?

 

[mharrison]

Screwing a new one in won't push the rest of the old one out. You would probably break the new bolt as well. You could:

Try to use a bolt extractor. (EZ-Out) This involves drilling the old bolt and then trying to remove it.

Possibly cut a replacement bolt short to where it would grip and meet the torque spec, but not hit the remaining piece of the old one. (I'm not sure how deep the threaded hole is, so this may not be viable).


Other than that I don't know. I haven't done my VC seals yet, so I can't picture what the other options might be.

 

[Archer28]

I had a bolt break in the head of my old formula firebird once. The guy who runs the muffler shop tacked a piece of steel to it at an angle and we were able to get a wrench on it to break it loose. Imagine an upside down L shape.

 

[NickLS]

I'd go w/ the EZ-out... Used it several times, not on my LS though, with excellent results.. Just alittle time consuming.