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95 explorer rocker arm bolts

Mdel

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Year, Model & Trim Level
1995 explorer Eddie bauer
While replacing a cracked head and gaskets I snapped 2 bolts for the rocker arms.
Not realizing these would be one time use stretch bolts until I was putting the rocker arms back on I hadn't ordered any replacements; turns out the best I can do to get replacements is a week and a half away.
So i decided to re use the 4 remaining grade 8 stretch bolts and obtained 2 grade 5 bolts to replace the ones i snapped to get me through in the mean time.

Looking for some technical thoughts on the stresses at work here and whether or not people think this is a big bad no no idea or if anyone had experience with a similar situation where lower grade bolts were used in the same application with long term success.

Also as a side note, a interesting string of events that led to my cracked head.
Found a safety seal from a container of coolant during the initial diagnosis.
This seal appears to have made it to the bottom of the coolant resevoir plugging the hole at the bottom. The rad would push fluid out to the resevoir then the seal would plug the hole during drawback eventually emptying most of the coolant from the system(resevoir was full to the top with signs that it had overfilled when I noticed the overheating initially). causing the vehicle to overheat due to lack of fluid which caused 2 blown head gaskets and luckily only one cracked cylinder head.
Very tiring costly repair for a stupid safety seal. So I recommend checking the coolant resevoir for stupidity when buying older used vehicles bahahaha.

So thoughts on the grade 5 bolts/reusing old bolts for the rocker arms? Besides not recomended lmao.
 



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This is why I tear off the whole foil part and throw it away. Worked with truck drivers who would rip half off and leave it attached used to drive me nuts.

Can you go to a hardware store, or Fastenall with th old bolt and try to get some grade 8 bolts?
You’d hate to snap,another one, especially with the engine running
 






That's not a bad idea, hadnt even thought of hardware stores, just been trying auto parts stores. I'll check the hardware store while I wait for the other bolts to get in.
 






Some stores have a great selection, others not so much
 






That's not a bad idea, hadnt even thought of hardware stores, just been trying auto parts stores. I'll check the hardware store while I wait for the other bolts to get in.
@Mdel
I have found the larger ACE hardware outlets have a most amazing quantity of threaded fasteners, tiny widgets, clips, springs, wave washers, pins, etc., but most importantly, a large assortment of both grade 5 and grade 8 bolts, as well as Metric bolts of various grades and sizes. imp
 






Was unable to find the exact bolt anywhere locally, lots that were probably acceptably close but I dont want to settle for less than an exact fit, but the ford dealership is able to order them in at the hefty price of $39 per bolt. To me it's worth the piece of mind, but could have likely been just fine using a more easily available m10x60mm grade 8 bolt and a washer.

Expecting about a 2-3 week wait to get them in, hoping my horseshoe is lodged correctly to keep the bolts intact until then haha.

Bolt is labeled as part number 6A527 at ford if anyone is interested.

I find it odd how impossible it was to find these bolts at the local parts stores considering they are one use bolts. When replacing valve seals it would seem the rocker arms would be need to be removed to change them.
perhaps valve seals just dont get changed on 95 explorers much these days, most people probably just scrap them once they "explode".

15424346470302515307998239370812.jpg
 






$39 a bolt? The there is price gouging!
 
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