Cam Cover Bolt Seized & Bolt Head Broken Off

[Guest]

Was removing the cam cover on my '82 GS1100GK to check & adjust the valve when I found two of the cover bolts rusted up & seized. One eventually came out, but the other would not budge & it's head broke off! That bolt's shaft is rusted solid in the cam cover. So, the bolt won't loosen from the cover. So, I can't the cover off & then back the bolt out of the head.

My present thought is to slit down the cover with a small sharp cold chisel on the outside of the bolt hole. That would distroy the cover, but get it off the engine. Then, I could remove the rest of the bolt & move on to adjusting the valves. It is the front outermost cam cover bolt on cyl #4 intake cam.

I'd just get another good used cam cover off Ebay.

I've got to believe that I am not the only one on this forum who has had a cam cover bolt break right at the head because the bolt had rusted solid in the cover.

So, how has anyone else dealt with a POS like this.

I knew I would run into a few issues like this when I picked up this much neglected bike!

[chuck hahn]

Take some wedges and place around the cover to lift it as high off the head as possible. Remove the breather cover for max clearance. get a shop vac and psoition it so it will suck any shavings up and then take a hack saw blade and cut the bolt off as high up as you can. Then remove the cover and work on the rest of the bolt. Heat it up real good and soak the penetrating oil to it. Get it moving and work it in and out to grind loose the oxidation. You can maybe weld a nut to the rest of the bolt and use a wrench to get it wiggled loose.

[chuck hahn]

Little heat on the cover and oil on the bolt will help get it to slide up so you can cut it off below.

[LarryJ]

The problem seems to be that the bolt shaft os rusted to the cover. Once I get the cover off (there is plenty of clearance to lift the cover up high enough to get it out with the bolt shaft still in the head), that bolt will back out of the head real easy. But, that bolt is rusted real solid through out the entire length it goes up the shaft.

Already tried to wedge the cover up & it is not going to release that bolt any! It's been soaking all night,with penetrating oil on the top of the bolt, trying to get some down the shaft to loosen the rust up. Maybe a little heat will do it. IDK?

Just a real hop in the butt!

[LarryJ]

On the other one, that did back out, it was tough the whole way out. I had to work it back & forth the entire threaded length. That rust in the cam cover hole was grabbing it to the very last threads. I was oiling it & working it back & forthe a couple of turn at a time, until the very last threads.

This is a bike that has been neglected & weathered for the last 10 years or so. I am finding all sort of stuff in the engine finning & deep in the fairing. Lots of small leaves, dead spiders & critter nestings. I am surprised, the wiring seems to be all intact! So, this cover probably has not been off in 10-15 years & some moiture got down a couple of cover bolt shafts & rusted them solid to the cover their whole length. Just the fun of bringing an old bike back!

[rustybronco]

After the likes of this one, they're all easy. http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d4...o/PICT2670.jpg

http://thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=1626498&postcount=257

http://thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=1626600&postcount=265

[chuck hahn]

Litle wedges right along side both sides of the bolt and some heat and oil. Gently drive in the wedges along side the bolt and keep it heated and oiled. I can think of any other way to get the cover high enough to get to work cutting the thing off!!

[chuck hahn]

Wood wedges may be best...at least they will deform before the edges of the head and cover will. Hope it comes off and no damage to the mating surfaces for you!!!

[Agemax]

if it is the outer cover bolt you should have enough clearance to run a drill down through it. start small and gradually increase the drill size. once you get upto 4.5 or 5mm, keep wiggling the cover and the bolt should snap off.
once the cover is off it will be easy to drift the remains of the bolt out and give you the access to remove the rest of the bolt from the head.

[LarryJ]

Cold chiseled the outside of the cover casting to break off the metal surrounding the broken bolt & got the cover off. Cut off the broken bolt, flush with the head, after unsuccessfully trying to crank it out with a small pipe wrench gripping it. Drilled an 1/8th inch pilot hole into it, until the tip of the cobalt coated drill bit broke off in the hole.

Should have been using left handed drill bits, but couldn't find any locally.

The next effort is going to be to get a set of left handed bits, online, & go after that bit tip with them.

If that works, then I'll use about a 3/16th left handed bit to drill down & hopefully back out the remaining broken piece. If it doesn't come out, I do have a 4mm bit & the 6mm tap to create some new threads.

Do not want to pull the head to have the broken bolt EDM'd out!

Right now, Oil will almost pour past that area on the cam cover while the bike is running & the cover is on with all the other bolts.

At least I got all the valve clearances shimmed into spec!

How does this sound, so far?

[ClarkRU]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Tlm6FJLTZM

I recently had to use a torch to get a damaged exhaust bolt out. I didn't need their kit, it came out on it's own, however I have used another product from this company on smaller sized stripped hardware and it worked great. Since the expansion rates of the metal that the bolt is made out of, and the metal that the head is made out is different, when they heat up they expand at different rates, breaking apart that rusty bond.

Also, pick up a product called PB Blaster (it's like WD40 on steroids). Apply it to the bolt and let it sit for a day. Then go back, apply heat, and use an extractor kit like the one in the video. The links to their product lines can be found in the description of the video. Amazon.com carries their products for a decent price.