Valve cover bolts - longer and shorter?

[Guest]

First day of laying into my new project - 78 GS1000 that I got with electrical problems and a valve cover leak. I'm investigating and I see that some of the shoulder bolts are 40mm long (below the shoulder) and some are 35mm long. I suspect that the previous owner may have mis-allocated them.

Can someone please direct me -- Which go where? Currently it looks like the outside bolts are shorter, and the inside bolts are longer...

Parts fiche does not specify...

Thanks.

[tkent02]

Just arrange them so they all stick out the same amount when dropped in the hole but not screwed in at all. They are usually all swapped around by now anyway. Originally the long ones were in the holes with the locating dowels, at least on some models. There should be six short ones and ten long ones on your model, is that what you have?

[chuck hahn]

What he said..if they stick out more than about 1/4 inch they are in the wrong hole. And use an INCH POUND torque wrench ..not foot pounds like so many have and stripped the threads out.

[tkent02]

And use an INCH POUND torque wrench ..not foot pounds like so many have and stripped the threads out.

Better yet, finger tight then just a little bit more with a short tiny little wrench.

Too loose is so much easier to fix than too tight.

[chuck hahn]

But the inch pound wrench gets them just right.

[tkent02]

Unless they strip.

[chuck hahn]

Only way they would strip is if they are already on the verge or if the operator doesnt know how to set a torque wrench right. Other than that there "shouldn't" be an issue.

Join the era of precision tooling Tom..LOL

[azr]

You guys are funny...Yes some are longer than other, like these guys said, put the bolts into the cover until they bottom out, at that point they 'should' be sticking out about a 1/4 of an inch, if they're more or less than that they are in the wrong hole. Just move them around until you get them all about 1/4 inch.

[tkent02]

Other than that there "shouldn't" be an issue.

Shouldn't and isn't are not necesarily the same thing. Probably won't strip and can't strip are not synonymous. Screws get overtorqued, get tightened up with sand in the threads, or just worn out from a lot of use. Some of the threads can be pulled out already. The inch pounder is fine for case screws, cam cap screws or something that isn't likely to have been jacked around before.

Valve covers and oil filter covers, I'd rather go by Braille sometimes.

[TowPilot]

Valve cover bolt length

Just took mine off for valve adjustment. Like they said probably since these have been off before not correct. Honestly they do not make much sense but here is how mine were :

Front of engine ^
< Left Right>
S S S S
B S S L

S S L L
L L L S

Key :
S = Short
L = Long
B = Don't know - Broken

[A-train]

Just arrange them so they all stick out the same amount when dropped in the hole but not screwed in at all. They are usually all swapped around by now anyway. Originally the long ones were in the holes with the locating dowels, at least on some models. There should be six short ones and ten long ones on your model, is that what you have?

Get along boys

Just did mine, and took a wild guess on the longer ones where I had alignment dowels... Seemed to work out ok - nothing bottomed out, and no leaks.

What's the inch/pound spec on these? Worried now that I over-cranked mine...

[Sbenjam]

Thanks. This forum is awesome. I'm realizing I WAY over tightened the bolts. I'm going to have to loosen them.

How many inch pounds should they be?
Is finger-tight (plus a quarter turn, maybe) really appropriate?

[tkent02]

Thanks. This forum is awesome. I'm realizing I WAY over tightened the bolts. I'm going to have to loosen them.

How many inch pounds should they be?
Is finger-tight (plus a quarter turn, maybe) really appropriate?

Depends on the gasket, but that's probably tighter than it needs to be.

[Steve]

What's the inch/pound spec on these? Worried now that I over-cranked mine...

The torque spec is 6.0 to 7.5 foot pounds, so that would be 72 to 90 INCH pounds.

.

[Sandy]

If I remember correctly 8 short ones go on the outside left and right sides. The remaining 6 long and 2 short ones go on the inside, you'll notice that 2 of the bosses where the remaining 8 go are shorter, use the 2 short ones there.