So I was doing head gaskets on my 03 hemi but in the process I broke 7 rusted valve cover bolts in the head. I've tried removing them by using left hand drill bit and the screw extractor but it broke before it removed. So is it possible to re tap the head for the bolts or no?
The key thing is if you are going to drill out the entire broken bolt you need your hole to be centered. Be sure to use the proper tap drill size and sometimes with a sharp probe you can peel out the remainder of the bolt. If you must tap it then be cautious, use thread cutting oil and go slow, because if you break the tap off in there if will be even more difficult. A lesson for the future if one breaks don't go any farther without trying something different. First with a flat faced punch tap on the center of the bolt to break it loose without rotating, then turn cautiously, if it starts to move but gets tight again go back the other way and continue to go back and forth and be patient as extracting and or drilling will take much longer. If it doesn't come loose then tap it again a little harder each time. Heat can help but with the valve cover on heat will most likely not get where yo want it to be.
As aircommuter said, be careful with the heat. You may ruin the covers. Heat the head around the bolt and strike the bolt with the punch to jar the rust. I am curious to see this mysterious "punch tap" though.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
DodgeTalk Forum
4.7M posts
289.9K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to all Dodge owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about Hemi’s, RAM trucks, Mopar performance, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!