Thread: valve cover bolt broke off. advice?

So I have a valve cover bolt broke off in the head. It's on the front head and easy to get to. Any advice on how to get it out with out pulling the head off?

Remove cover, drill hole in bolt, use easy out type device.

Originally Posted by Bio248

how did you break it in the first place? those are supposed to be hand tight.

I've never taken it off before. The only time it's ever come off was when it went to gm for that fire recall. I'm in the process of doing my lim gasket and lifters and that's when I noticed it was broke off. Some one had used some epoxy to hold the head of the bolt on the valve cover so it appeared to be on there.

use vise grips if you can otherwise mark the bolt with a punch and use a left handed drill bit or easy out. use good tools don't buy cheap they dont work here.

Depending on how much of the bolt is still sticking out of the head once you get the valve cover off I typically just get a dremel (or anything that can cut a fine slot) in there and cut a slot in the top of the bolt and use a flat screwdriver and out she comes. Worse case I used a cold chisel once to punch a dimple into the top and it backed out using the screwdriver as well.

Bill's suggestion will also work great if you can't slot the top. Just take your time and it will come out. Maybe spray some PB Blaster on it as well to help it along.

And I would avoid the use of any vice-grips here as I've seen them turn one problem into 2 really quickly. If you chew what left of the bolt up or it breaks off flush w/ the head surface then you have to drill and easyout what's left, which just cost you more money.