Thread: Valve Cover issue....

Installed the cams today, got it running, drove it around the block and came home... Cams/Timing everything was perfect, but when I parked the car, I saw smoke pouring out from under the hood, popped the hood and saw that the VC bolt that is right next to the dizzy was loose, and oil was coming out from under the VC, so I tightened it a little bit, it got tighter and then all of a sudden got loose. I can't use a different one from my black car, because the DE in my red car actually has studs, the DET in the black car has bolts.

So my question is, do you think the threads on that bolt are chewed up? And if so, how hard would it be to replace one of those studs?

I need to use the car, so I RTV'd the shit out of that area and letting it sit over night so I can get to work tomorrow without smelling like burnt oil

Either the threads where the cap goes onto the stud are stripped, or the threads that hold the stud are stripped. You need to figure out which is which lol. The studs thread in the same as the bolts.

Lesson learned: When working on an aluminum engine, you cannot over tighten anything. Sorry you learned it this way, I wish you the best of luck in the repair. Hopefully that RTV will hold it.

Go to gspec.com for new studs or bolts

i never like to be the guy to say "do this do that"

but if you were unsure you should have used a torque wrench, there is a sequence.

i dont use one anymore cause i have a feel for almost every bolt on the car, but when i was starting out i did alot of things like the book said.

stratton.

Well the thing is, I didn't over-torque them at all. Actually, this one wasn't even tight all the way (compared to the others) and thats when it started getting loose again. And when I tightened them all, they were tightened opposite of each other, not necessarily "by the book" but the gasket sealed properly.

Is there any way to get these studs out without drilling/tapping? Just in case the RTV doesnt hold....

Chances are you forgot to tighten that bolt at all or you just hand-tightened it. In a panic after coming back from your drive, you over tightened something. They do not strip themselves. Not even the vibrations from the loose nut over the stud from the engine would cause the stud to be stripped. Especially since you had zero problems with this before you did the install.

We aren't perfect, its ok. It is not hard to change them, twist the old one out and turn the new one in. G Spec Performance !

Alright, thanks for the info. I'll see how the RTV held up in the morning, if it held, I'll just replace it when I get outta work with one of the ones from my black car (If the bolts are the same size)

The studs unscrew, the same as the bolts. I took out all my studs and replaced them with the bolt setup from the newer cars.