Valve Cover bolt stripped...

[MVRS]

Long story short, while cleaning the engine I noticed some oil seeping around 2 bolts of my valve cover. Thinking they were loose I tried tightening one and over did it, now the bolt is spinning freely . Definitely killed the mood for the day and major lesson learned...

Just wanted to know if anyone had experience fixing this sort of problem?

[grannyknot]

I've run into a few times on used cars I've picked up over the years, if you want a simple quick fix then a Helicoil will do the job, if you want to fix it permanently then Timesert is the way to go. https://www.timesert.com/

[3002 tii]

Echo the above, I’ve used helicoil before and they work fine. Just to be clear, I get the thread are stripped but did the head snap off or are you at least able to pull the bolt out?

[MVRS]

Originally Posted by grannyknot

I've run into a few times on used cars I've picked up over the years, if you want a simple quick fix then a Helicoil will do the job, if you want to fix it permanently then Timesert is the way to go. https://www.timesert.com/

Okay perfect, I seen some posts from the e90 forum about helicoils and it seemed like the way to go. I just wanted to ask fellow z4 owners. Appreciate the quick reply.

[MVRS]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

Echo the above, I’ve used helicoil before and they work fine. Just to be clear, I get the thread are stripped but did the head snap off or are you at least able to pull the bolt out?

The bolt is still intact, I am able to bring it up, but not fully out. Do you remember the size or specs of the helicoil you used?

[3002 tii]

Originally Posted by MVRS

The bolt is still intact, I am able to bring it up, but not fully out. Do you remember the size or specs of the helicoil you used?

Sorry I should’ve clarified I’ve used before in other scenarios but not the n52 vcg specifically. But I do know this pretty common so I’m sure between zpost and e90post (na section), someone can definitely chime in.

Quick search on zpost:
https://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1908085

[MVRS]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

Sorry I should’ve clarified I’ve used before in other scenarios but not the n52 vcg specifically. But I do know this pretty common so I’m sure between zpost and e90post (na section), someone can definitely chime in.

Quick search on zpost:
https://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1908085

Okay, definitely will give this a look. You and grannyknot’s advice calmed the nerves a bit haha.
Really appreciate the help!

[86Zed]

Originally Posted by MVRS

The bolt is still intact, I am able to bring it up, but not fully out. Do you remember the size or specs of the helicoil you used?

Is the bolt seized or just spinning freely (galled / stripped) in that spot? Should be able to apply some tension or move it with a pair of vice grip pliers?

[MVRS]

Originally Posted by 86Zed

Is the bolt seized or just spinning freely (galled / stripped) in that spot? Should be able to apply some tension or move it with a pair of vice grip pliers?

Spinning freely. It stripped the hole because I see some of the aluminum shavings came off the bolt. Ima try your recommendation of the pliers over the weekend. Seems like if I can get that out, it should be easy to apply the helicoil/time sert without removing the whole cover.

[FrenchieTacoZ4]

I broke 2 while changing the valve cover gasket. I used a craftsman drill/extractor. The bolt is aluminum with not much torque, came out pretty easy I purchased a complete bolt set from the dealer, around $70.