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- Protege5 2003
Well this is embarrassing.
I think I stripped one of the bolt holes in my valve cover. While tightening down one of the two bolts that hold down the right coil pack there was a loudish snap. It definitely sounded like stripping metal. This was very unexpected since the tool was just a small hand ratchet and very little force was being applied. However I just looked up the torque spec on those bolts and it's really low, only 6-8 lb-ft, so I must have exceeded that. Aargh. Not wanting to fix whatever it was immediately I didn't apply any more force to the bolt with the ratchet (in or out). The bolt was still holding tight enough that when I grabbed the top by hand and shook it it wouldn't move. The other bolt is in tight, so hopefully the stripped one will hold together for a while by friction on whatever is left in there.
I'm thinking that the bolt probably stripped the threads in the aluminum valve cover. Unless those bolts are brass instead of steel, in which case maybe it's the bolt that stripped. In any case, the next time I change that plug I'm going to have to deal with this. Or sooner, if it starts working loose. Or much sooner if that bolt hole goes all the way through the valve cover so that bits of stripped thread can fall inside.
Repair suggestions? Hopefully something less involved and expensive than replacing the valve cover.
Thanks.
I think I stripped one of the bolt holes in my valve cover. While tightening down one of the two bolts that hold down the right coil pack there was a loudish snap. It definitely sounded like stripping metal. This was very unexpected since the tool was just a small hand ratchet and very little force was being applied. However I just looked up the torque spec on those bolts and it's really low, only 6-8 lb-ft, so I must have exceeded that. Aargh. Not wanting to fix whatever it was immediately I didn't apply any more force to the bolt with the ratchet (in or out). The bolt was still holding tight enough that when I grabbed the top by hand and shook it it wouldn't move. The other bolt is in tight, so hopefully the stripped one will hold together for a while by friction on whatever is left in there.
I'm thinking that the bolt probably stripped the threads in the aluminum valve cover. Unless those bolts are brass instead of steel, in which case maybe it's the bolt that stripped. In any case, the next time I change that plug I'm going to have to deal with this. Or sooner, if it starts working loose. Or much sooner if that bolt hole goes all the way through the valve cover so that bits of stripped thread can fall inside.
Repair suggestions? Hopefully something less involved and expensive than replacing the valve cover.
Thanks.
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