Zeferint

iTrader: (2)

Hey guys... sorry I haven't been around for awhile. Had some extra stuff for college and have been crazy busy with the car. Will post up results after.. quite a bit of body work and other misc. stuff

Anyway so I've ran into a dilemma... awhile ago I discovered what "torque specs" are the hard way by snapping a valve cover bolt (the back right one next to the oil cap). Since I didn't have any of the fancy tap&die tools I took it to a shop and for ~$50 they..er, "fixed" it. Basically what they did was put some sealant over it and cut the new valve cover bolt short so that it would fit the thread. Now 6 months later when I go to do some work on the head, as soon as I put it back together oil starts seeping out of the top of the bolt. At this point I have two options.. and I don't like either of them:

1) take it to a dealership
2) replace the head

What would you guys do? Any other suggestions? I can't really mimic their half-*** job and I can't really do anything about it since it was fine until I took the bolt off.

Thanks

MindBomber

Hmmm... are you still on your stock head gasket?

Zeferint

iTrader: (2)

Nope. It's..well "aftermarket"...Now that you mention it I'm wondering if it's just the valve cover. I didn't actually try putting the old one back on. The new one sits on the gasket just fine it's just leaking out from the top of the bolt.

MindBomber

Well, if the bolts snapped off in the head I would remove it and let a machine shop drill it out and put in a helicoil. The shop that “fixed” it sounds like they did a pretty sketchy job, anyone can cut a bolt short and put some sealant on it. They essentially duct taped and problem they should have been able to easily repair.

Zeferint

iTrader: (2)

Sorry for the delayed response.. just a quick update. I went to inspect the thread to do a helicoil and basically when the shop attempted to tap the bolt out they cracked the thread hole in 4 different places. I got a 2nd opinion from a friend at the local honda dealership and they said the only way that damage could've been caused is from attempting to tap and drill out a screw.

With this information should I go to the shop that did it and tell them to buy me a new head? It's possible for the cracks to be welded and rethreaded by a machine shop but there really needs to be some accountability taken here.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

You don't have a leg to stand on since you caused the initial damage. I don't think your going to be able to get anything out of them but you can always try. That really sucks though A new head can be had for pretty cheap though.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

yeah, found one in my area for a 7th for 150, 60k miles - did not buy, though, mine seems fine

02civicsi02

Why would you need a new head for this? So your just sayin a valvecover bolt just broke off and is stuck. Pics would be nice but there is always a way to get a bolt out. If you can use something to wessel it way out, use an easy out, drill it and tap it.

Zeferint

iTrader: (2)

I'd get pics but right now there's a temporary fix on there and im afraid to touch it until I get a new head.

Imagine looking at the thread hole where the bolt would screw into and having that being cracked in 3 different places. My only concern is that there's a part of it that's loose. This damage was caused from the shop attempting to tap it out and cracked it instead. I called the guy at the shop explained what happened and he wrote me off a check for $500 (115$ he charged me to do the hack job and 385$ for the new head) He excessively apologized and admitted that he knew what they did and knew it was wrong. I was surprised, but admired his honesty. I guess there's a lesson to be learned here.. if anything engine related goes wrong.. take it to a legitimate machine shop.. Or even better.. research the damn torque specs before hand..

02civicsi02

So they cracked your head tryin to tap it out lmao what the hell were they thinking and how can you even do that my god. I swear shops today most of them don't kno wat the hell they are doin that's why I do everything myself no matter wat it is

MindBomber

I'm surprised he owned up to it and cut you a check for $500, it takes a very honest person to do that.

If I were in your position I would scrap your head and buy a replacement, they're easy to find at junk yards for $50-100.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

02civicsi02, the heck is your new avatar?!? bwaaahahahaha!
Zeferint, i agree with MB, having a spare head is an insurance in your case.

02civicsi02

Lol its zach galifianakis from the hangover. Its been a while so I needed a new avatar

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Wow awesome that he cut you a check.. Good news there now put a **** ton of sealant on there and see how long u canrun without it leaking < Bad Advice!

MindBomber

Sketchy seller, but check this out https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...ne-worked.html

Zeferint

iTrader: (2)

^^ Thanks man I recently came across that. My parents give that shop a lot of business so I'm sure the owner wouldn't have done that for just anyone. I talked to a Honda mechanic and they said that they rarely do tap procedures because of the risk involved (unless of course they break the bolt themselves). I guess when the grease monkeys at the shop tried to do it they put way too much stress on the head and cracked the damn thing. Ah well...

Zeferint

iTrader: (2)

Sorry for the double post but I figured I'd use the same thread for asking the question--if I do get a new head aside from the head is there anything that I should replace? Like....radiator hoses? Solenoid filter? Or is all of that really unnecessary?