I am performing my valve clearance adjustment yesterday on my 2012 fit. In the process or torquing the 8 valve cover bolts back on something didn’t go quite right. One of the bolts snapped/ sheared off.

i figures I can remove and order a new one from Honda or Bernardi or some other o supplier. Everywhere seems to not have the bolts or they are back ordered through Honda of America. Even the local dealer has none. Does anyone have some suggestions? The flange doesn’t the particular bolt doesn’t have anything behind it so I could use a longer bolt. Would advance auto be able to match the threads from one of my bolts or is that u reliable? I’d hate to get a bolt that is slightly off and ruin the threads where the bolt goes. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
-Brian

 

You're about to enter a whole new world, my friend. No, not a hardware store, not Ace. A HARDWARE STORE. or construction supply. It depends on where you live as these places don't advertise since their purpose is commercial business, still they do take walk-ins, or did before COVID. Back in San Diego I had Ababa Bolt. Walk in with a bolt, they give you a hard time because you're not ordering a thousand and you dont know the dimensions, only that it's metric.. They ask you the type of head it should have, the metal type it should be, ect. You'll be offered different grades and compositions (like stainless steel, with it's variety of ratings)..

The biggest challenge is finding the freaking places as a google search for hardware stores might not yield what you need. Out here in Newnan GA it's Fastenal Construction Supply. They may also be able to point you to a bushings/shims/washers section if needed or give you a list of options.

Throw out that inch-lbs torque wrench you got from harbor freight and switch to one from Lowes or CDI (snap-on affiliate). Just. a good one. As for bolt extraction, you may be well served to visit an exhaust shop and trouble them with the job. There is the issue of.. ain't our valve covers plastic with like, brass threaded inserts? At any rate, if you aren't adept at bolt extraction, talk to a reputable exhaust shop. that's like, half their job. Just don't let em bully you into a janky fix.

Another option!! Purchase a micrometer/digital calipers from a local big box store or amazon that has the little needle tips to fit between threads. With that info you could buy online from McMaster-Carr or whatever the hell its called. You'll need the diameter, length, thread pitch, and to take a guess at the metal density. Typically I go fancy high-density, but that ain't ideal for all applications as different metals expand and contract at different rates with temp flux. So you may wind up re-tightening a few times. I can tell you that exhaust requires grade 8/metric's 10.9 do withstand temp flux.

Sorry for this mess of a response, but I hope it's helpful! hit me up with any questions.

 

It wasn't clear to me if you already removed the broken bolt from the head? If you have removed it, I would re-arrange the remaining valve cover bolts so the remaining bolt hole is in the area on the front of the valve cover, that's accessible after you re-install the windshield wiper cowling. etc..I would reconsider torquing those bolts. I've never torqued these small diameter bolts on any Honda I've owned when doing valve adjustments. I've always replaced the valve cover gasket when adjusting valves, which cuts down on the chance of oil leakage. I just snug the bolts down and then tighten a small amount more. In looking at the diagram on College Hills Honda's website, it looks like the bolts have a knurled portion on the bolt. It looks like that knurled spot on the bolt will stop the tightening of the bolt when it comes in contact with the head. Any tightening of the bolt after contact with the head, looks like it could easily shear the head of the bolt off- especially with the use of a long handled torque wrench- just my opinion after looking at the bolt illustration.

As far as replacing the bolt. I see two options. First, are there any wrecking yards in your area that has a similar year Fit as yours? That could be your donor car for the valve cover bolt. If no yards or similar year Fits available, I would take one of your valve cover bolts to a local hardware store and match it up for length and thread pitch with a regular bolt. If you're careful, you can use the bolt temporarily until Honda replaces stock. Just be careful to snug it down and DON'T over tighten it. Also don't forget to use Hondabond on the corners of the gasket to help in preventing leaks.

 

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone!

I was able to find some donor bolts at the junkyard, luckily. I tried first to extract the remaining portion of the bolt with a speedout bit, to no avail. Luckily it was a bolt in the front, and had the flange outside of the block such that the bottom of the bolt threads protruded. I was able to slowly screw it out through the bottom with needle nose pliers, but only after completely removing the intake manifold. I replaced all gaskets, including the valve cover gasket.

Things I took away form this:

1) I used a good torque wrench, but getting the 10 ft lb that the shop manual recommends is a receipt for disaster. I agree just get em tight enough no need to torque at all really.
2) Valve clearance adjustments aren't hard after you've done it once
3) Junkyard is a lifesaver, if you can find a compatible vehicle.

 

The bolts broke because you over tightened them , read the factory manual 9.8 Newton meters or 7 foot pounds for the valve cover bolts, not 10. You’re lucky if the bolt broke and you didn’t strip out the aluminum threads.

 

Only one of his valve cover bolts broke. Also, I doubt 10 foot lbs of torque would strip out aluminum threads in a head. It's more probable the side of the valve cover bolt, where it bulges, cinched down the gasket until the bulge in the bolt came into contact with the head and the top of the bolt was then twisted off.