need help cam cap screw broke

[odl777]

I was torking my cam cap screw and it broke after all was almost finished. Should i take it out or leave it, it is just one of the four that is broken. if i do get it out what would be an easy way. read other threads but dont have time to wait for a coil. thanks

[Cajun Cycler]

Are you talking about the chrome caps that cover the cam ends? If you don't want to drill them out then I would suggest using something like a silicone adhesive to help hold it on. They are mostly decorative items. Not necessary for the function of the engine. If you are talking about the cam cover and one of the bolts that may be a problem. if the bolt is in an area where the bolt goes through it may be possible to drill and use an easyout to remove the bolt. I dont torque the cam bolts, I do snug them down so the gasket will seal. Watch to not get too aggressive on these old bolts. Realgaskets.com has a silicone gasket about a 1/4" thick that seals nicely without having to torque the bolts down so far to keep from leaking.

[Billy Ricks]

That could cause the bearing to fail. That's what it is is the upper half of the bearing. It's going to want to wobble. Can you get to any of the bolt at all?

[odl777]

no

i cant get any of the bolt out and i tried drilling it but just cant get it, i might leave but i dont wan to heart anything what do you think. has three holding it but is that a enough?

[SqDancerLynn1]

It's a blind hole, it is very impportant to make sure they are clean when you reassemble the motor IF the hole is full of oil, the oil will take up space & the bolt will bottom before it is torqued. You need to get the bolt out even if you have to take the head off again. If the motor hasn't been started it should be fine to reuse the gaskets

[odl777]

What will happen if i leave it like this, any one done this before

[Cajun Cycler]

That cap makes it possible for the cam to ride on a thin film of oil to lubricate the cam. If it isn't there the cam could warp, heat could build up to make the cap and the other bolts fail, and ruin your engine. Like it or not it has to be fixed. you may have to take the bike to a machine shop to have someone drill it out.

[Billy Ricks]

You've already said you tried drilling so you obviously can get a drill at it. Take a punch and make an indentation as close to the center of the bolt as you can. Then use a bit smaller than your bolt to drill a pilot hole. A 3/64" bit would be about right. Then come back with another bit the right size for tapping new threads. The stock thread is most likely 7mm. That's kind of an oddball size. In your case I think I'd start off trying to tap for a 6mm bolt. You're going to have to drill as straight as possible. Check one of the other bolts to see how deep you can go. Stay just a bit short of that depth and use a slightly shorter bolt. Cover everything under the valve cover. You need to only expose the area you're drilling so you don't wreck your engine with a metal shaving. Clean up the tapped hole spotless. If you go 8mm you may need to increase the size of the hole in the bearing.

Don't try this if you don't think you can do it.

[Billy Ricks]

What will happen if i leave it like this, any one done this before

Once things start distorting you lose oil pressure throughout the engine. If you start losing pressure at that spot due to clearance issues the whole valve train will suffer. Ridden gently you might get away with just the 3 bolts holding it down. The reason there are 4 bolts holding the center bearing caps down is the chain is trying to rip the cams out of their bearings.

[odl777]

thanks for all the tips do you tthink i can use my head and cam cover gasket still. i have started the motor and took it for a liltle ride. maye of been a mistake but i didnt use any glue or anything for the gaskets. thanks.

[Billy Ricks]

You can probably get away with using the old gaskets if you retorque after the next heat cycle they go through. Valve cover definitely reuse but why risk having to pull the head again after this.

[RacingJake]

Call a few machine shop's and see what they say. Cover the exposed area and let them take care of it. Should take less than 5 mins to do it.

Also make sure your're using the correct cam cap bolt, they're a special type.