Valve cover bolt rounded off

[429CJ-3X2]

2001 Sport Trac Job 2 4.0 SOHC - Driver's side valve cover has been leaking oil for a long time (years). It's gotten so bad I've pretty much stopped driving the truck. Went to change the gasket today, and everything came apart without trouble except the upper rear valve cover bolt. Again, driver's side, not the one on the passenger side everyone has trouble with. I've cleaned the recess around the bolt, and can get the socket on it. Socket feels snug, but slips off when I try to turn it. I've tried 3 different sockets. The other bolts were pretty snug, but once they broke loose, they turned easy. I just can't get this one broken loose. Any ideas, or am I going to have to break the valve cover and deal with this bolt with the cover out of the way and get another cover from the salvage yard?

The gasket is so bad that with 5 bolts out, I can wiggle the whole valve cover - including the upper corner where this one bolt is still tight. Oil is caked on the exhaust manifold, so no question where the leak is.

I don't need to have the truck running immediately, but I don't want it parked where it is any longer than necessary. Might have jury duty later this week or next, so I want to get this fixed!

Interesting note - there are several differences between my '01 and '02 Sport Tracs regarding the stuff that has to come off to access the valve cover. Some things are routed differently, and some parts and connectors are different. Both Job 2 engines.

 

[oklagp1200r]

What about those socket extractors for the rounded bolts like the ones I bought at harbor freight! It worked great when my pin bolt in my rearend was rounded off!!!!

 

[1.8TTony]

What about those socket extractors for the rounded bolts like the ones I bought at harbor freight! It worked great when my pin bolt in my rearend was rounded off!!!!

Nope. Won't work on valve cover bolts as these bolts are 'studded' bolts........maybe try a 6 point deep well socket.

 

[boominXplorer]

Hammer a 7mm deep 12 point on it if you have one. I've got extractors I use but the 7mm trick should work

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Those bolt extractors would work, but none of the local places I checked online have the deep well socket in 8mm I need in stock, only the shallow ones. I have a set, but it starts at 3/8. Worked great for removing a rounded off spark plug.
The other problem with those is, they have to be hammered on, and that'll be tricky in that spot.

I've been using a 6 point deep well socket, both 8mm and 5/16.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I thought about trying a 7mm as I was wrapping up for the day yesterday. I'm not sure it's rounded off enough for the 7mm to work. The 8mm socket is snug, but slips off when I try to turn it. I'll give it a shot though.

The lower middle bolt/stud gave me a similar problem at first, but it's the easiest to see and get to. I'm not the first person to have worked on these valve covers. The valve cover bolts were tighter than the 2 bigger bolts at the bottom of the coil pack bracket, and I think only 1 of the wire looms that slide over the stud part of the valve cover bolts was in use.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Well, the 7mm trick won't work because the stud is too big to fit through the hole at the top of the socket. That led me to confirm something else I'd thought of. 2 of the 3 bolts with studs that I have out have long studs like the problem one. Those studs are slightly longer than any of my deep well sockets and hit the end of the extension. The socket fits snug by itself, but an extension inserted into the socket lifts the socket off the nut/bolt head enough that it slips off when I try to turn it. There's not much surface area for the socket to grab in the first place, and lifting the socket has the tapered part of the socket on the tapered part of the bolt head. I ground the end of one of my extensions off as much as I can, but still had no luck in getting the bolt out. I need a deeper socket or one of the pass-thru kind that may or may not fit in the space.

 

[410Fortune]

A good pair of vise grips
Locked on very tightly
Or

Use a mini die grinder/dremmel to cut the upper stud off then hammer on the smaller socket or use extractor socket (super sockets work awesome)

 

[oklagp1200r]

A good pair of vise grips
Locked on very tightly
Or

Use a mini die grinder/dremmel to cut the upper stud off then hammer on the smaller socket or use extractor socket (super sockets work awesome)

That was my thought dremmel and cut that stud off then!

 

[429CJ-3X2]

It's out, but I need to get another valve cover. Thanks for all the suggestions!
I had thought of both the vise grips and dremmel ideas. Not enough room to get vise grips on it. Tried the dremmel idea, and that led to getting the bolt out. It was almost impossible to see where I was cutting once the dremmel was in position, and then the discs would break. When I'd go back in with the new disc, it was tough to cut the same spot I was previously cutting. Had 3 different cuts, and thought I could break it off. Pliers didn't work, so I hit it with a hammer and pry bar. That both bent the stud and broke it loose! I was able to straighten the stud somewhat, but not enough to clear the valve cover as it turned. Eventually got it out, but somewhere in the process, the corner of the valve cover broke off. Once the corner broke off, I got the valve cover off, and then got the bolt out.
The gasket barely extends out of the groove, and has breaks in it. No wonder it leaks! I'm guessing someone tightened the bolts as much as possible to minimize the leaking sometime before I bought the truck.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I also bought a couple of 3/8" drive deep sockets that are considerably deeper than 1/4" drive sockets, but harder to find. They're there, but you have to be looking for them to find them. Most 3/8 drive sets and sockets start at 10mm. The bolt head was already rounded off, but I'll be using those at the salvage yard and when I reinstall the valve cover.

 

[410Fortune]

Well done
Sohc engines can be a real pita to work on

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Finally got it finished, and no more smoke! I didn't have time to get to the salvage yard until this morning. Quickly found an '03 ST (only the 2nd one I've seen there), and had the valve cover off in no time. There are actually 3 STs in the salvage yard right now, but the other 2 are Job 1s, which have different valve covers. The '03 ST, an '01 Sport, and 1 Ranger, were all I saw with Job 2 engines.
I drove my '02 ST to the salvage yard, another 1st Gen ST was leaving as I was going in, and another was in the parking lot when I left. With those 3 STs, and the 3 in the yard, we could have had a mini Sport Trac meet!

You can see how much oil was on my exhaust manifold. The upside is, if I ever need to disconnect the exhaust pipe from the manifold, the bolt has been well oiled, so it should come apart relatively easy!

I sprayed some degreaser on it, and scraped some of the oil off. Got everything back together, and it smoked a bit when I started, but I knew it would as it burned off the old oil and the degreaser that didn't wash off. I let it idle about 20 minutes, and the smoking stopped, and it didn't smoke after I shut it off like it has been. Other than the front side, the old gasket was stiffer than #9 wire, but more brittle. The passenger side doesn't seem to be leaking, so I'm going to leave it alone.

 

[410Fortune]

WELL DONE

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Made a 22 mile round trip across town this evening. It's like I'm driving a different truck now that it doesn't smoke! When I drove it to take my grandson to daycare 2 weeks ago, it smoked like it was on fire when I exited the freeway after 12 miles.

 

[1.8TTony]

Geez........what a nightmare!

Love it when a seemingly impossible situation is overcome.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Right after I got this finished, my '02 ST started leaking oil (and this '01 locked up and quit). I was convinced the leak was only around the PCV valve. The nubs the PCV valve is supposed to grab were both gone. I tried twice to seal the valve, but it still smoked. The cover I put on the '01 above held the valve tight, but only has 1 nub, so I went to the salvage yard to try to find a better one. Only 1 vehicle in the yard - an early '04 ST - had the proper valve cover, and the PCV was tight. I put it on today without any real issues. (TIP - the engine won't start unless you plug in the connector to the coil pack!)
As I picked up the "new" valve cover to install it, I noticed the top rear bolt hole was cracked, just where the one above broke. I got out the Super Glue and baking soda and glued it together. I didn't torque it down too tight, just to be safe.
Looking at the valve cover I took off, the gasket was leaking along the bottom toward the rear. The gasket was flat there, and there was a break. Oil along the edge of the head confirmed it.
No more leak or smoke!