BlackNite3

I'm working on an '88 4runner with the 3vze and had a cam bearing cap bolt strip the threads in the head. I read some threads that talked about using longer bolts and the machine shop agreed before trying helicoils. I replaced all the bolts with longer ones on the undamaged head, but only torqued them to 11ftlbs instead of the recommended 12. I was nervous I'd strip another one. Is this going to be a problem? Still not sure if the longer bolts will fix the problem on the other side.

Thanks!

MudHippy

Yeah, been there. I made some long studs out of grade 10.9 bolts with grade 8.8 nuts and lock-washers. Then I wasn't so worried about twisting the rest of the threads out. 11 ft-lbf instead of 12 lb-ft is probably fine. Hell, your torque wrench could be off by that much(meaning it could be ~10 ft-lbs too...of course).

BlackNite3

Woohoo! The longer bolts worked :-). Just finished prepping the other head and all bolts torqued to 11ft lbs :-). I torqued the stripped one to 9, then 10, then 11 and there was no significant difference from one setting to another. Couldn't see the bolt turn at all. I used 40mm Allen head bolts without washers since the head of the bolt was the same size as the oe washer. $10 in bolts should be part of every 3vze head job.

Patrick

scope103

What length bolts DID you use?

(And like MudHippy said, unless you've got a Calibration Certification with a recent date, I doubt your torque wrench is that accurate anyway. Particularly at that low torque.)

PismoJoe

A torque wrench on the bearing caps is really a waste of time, bust out the 1/4" ratchet and snug them down in a uniform pattern.

Replacing the cam bearing cap bolts with ones that are about 1/4" larger should do the trick, there is nothing to interfere with below besides just bottoming out which you will feel. I seem to see a lot that strip coming out, gotta love working on 3vzs that have been apart a few times and put back together with FIPG to cover errors.

BlackNite3

I used 40mm bolts. The 45mm I bought to test was too long. It bottomed put. I hope I never have to do this job again, not for a while anyway.

Fritz the Cat

Thanks for the thread, the M8x1.25x40mm grade 10.9 cap bolts worked for me too! $0.85 fix at the local hardware store, FTW...
Had one strip coming out, and somebody had already put in a stud on the other head that got replaced as well. I'd imagine a loose nut and washer in the valve cover could wreak some havok, but the bolts are long enough the valve cover keeps them from coming out of the hole, even if they do get loose. Failsafe.