bimmerjeeper
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- USA
I am in the middle of replacing my VC gasket.
The front bolt right next to the two coolant hoses isn't going back in right.
I thought maybe the valve cover was seated wrong, and causing the bolt to misthread.
So, I removed the cover entirely, and tried to thread the bolt directly to the head with no cover in the way.
Just to make sure it wasn't the cover causing the misthread.
This didn't work. It still gets stuck very quickly after like 2 turns. All the other bolts can be hand tightened for many turns before resistance appears.
It looks like it's going in slightly crooked, but I've backed it out the tried hand turning this bolt for the last hour.
I can't get it straight no matter how many times I try. So, I think the hole got misthreaded, and now it only goes in slightly crooked.
I have no idea how it would have happened, b/c all I did was take the bolt out earlier.
Also, it's not the bolt itself. The bolt threads fine in other holes, and other bolts don't work in this hole.
What are my options?
Should I "power through" the misthread, and hope it seats correctly after a few more turns?
Can I just drive it without this one bolt?
Should I reinstall the valve cover, and just leave the bolt one off?
Or, will there be a major leak with only 1 missing bolt?
If I really do need to get this bolt taken care of, is the car at least drivable for a short distance to a local mechanic, with a missing bolt? (Like 1/2 mile)
Or should I tow it only?
What will a mechanic most likely do in this situation?
Can he use one of those tap/die sets to re-thread the hole?
Or will he helicoil it with a smaller bolt size?
Looking for the one guy who understands this issue,
and can offer his guidance to get out of this jam. Thanks.
The front bolt right next to the two coolant hoses isn't going back in right.
I thought maybe the valve cover was seated wrong, and causing the bolt to misthread.
So, I removed the cover entirely, and tried to thread the bolt directly to the head with no cover in the way.
Just to make sure it wasn't the cover causing the misthread.
This didn't work. It still gets stuck very quickly after like 2 turns. All the other bolts can be hand tightened for many turns before resistance appears.
It looks like it's going in slightly crooked, but I've backed it out the tried hand turning this bolt for the last hour.
I can't get it straight no matter how many times I try. So, I think the hole got misthreaded, and now it only goes in slightly crooked.
I have no idea how it would have happened, b/c all I did was take the bolt out earlier.
Also, it's not the bolt itself. The bolt threads fine in other holes, and other bolts don't work in this hole.
What are my options?
Should I "power through" the misthread, and hope it seats correctly after a few more turns?
Can I just drive it without this one bolt?
Should I reinstall the valve cover, and just leave the bolt one off?
Or, will there be a major leak with only 1 missing bolt?
If I really do need to get this bolt taken care of, is the car at least drivable for a short distance to a local mechanic, with a missing bolt? (Like 1/2 mile)
Or should I tow it only?
What will a mechanic most likely do in this situation?
Can he use one of those tap/die sets to re-thread the hole?
Or will he helicoil it with a smaller bolt size?
Looking for the one guy who understands this issue,
and can offer his guidance to get out of this jam. Thanks.
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