My patience is draining. Well, at least this may settle whether or not I have to pull the head. The answer to this could very well negate the fact that there is currently a #2 pencil laying on top of my number 1 piston.

The last time I took the truck down the road for a spin, testing MSD springs, got back to the shop and noticed a little water coming out of the intake/head bolt that is nearest to the number one cylinder. This is the first bolt on the passenger side, at the front of the motor. The bolt goes through the intake and into threads that are deep down in the aluminum head. Or at least they were. The next day, when it was cool, I took that bolt out for an inspection, and it was covered with rust and junk. Looked pretty bad. Makes me think that the guy that built the motor maybe didn't even clean the bolts that he re-used. This thing hasn't even been together long enough for that bolt to look like that.

After giving the bolt a good scrubbing, I put it back in and it would start to screw in but NEVER got tight. Not even close. Then pulled the one out of the opposite side of the motor, and same thing. The aluminum threads in the head are stripped.

Is a heli-coil pretty much the only solution to this? And whatever the best fix is, can it be done without pulling the head? May have to pull it anyway to get that darn pencil out, but I think it all pivots on this right now. If I can fix this thread issue without pulling, then I'll be more diligent to try and fish the pencil out through the spark plug hole. But, if the head absolutely has to come off to fix the threads, then I won't waste any more time fishing.

It's always something. Almost makes me scared to fix anything anymore for fear of what's next!

Check the gallery below for pics of the bolt. It's at the front of the motor, just stuck it back in. Sticking up about a 1/4 of an inch.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gal...1&albumid=5398

 

Well, as for intake bolt stripped? Been there!
I usually get the next longer bolt and see if it threads in okay. If there is enough thread left in bottom of head, then you'll be fine. Been there.
I've bought longer bolts, then had to shorten them to fit right(they might bottom out). Seems hardware bolts are too short/too long and the factory ones were made just right.

As for #2 pencil. Try hand cranking the motor over til it smashes the pencil. Unless there is the metal top with erasure too! Might be hard to eat that part. If you can mash it up a bit a vacuum might suck it up thru the plug hole? Maybe vac it up before you smash it? Might pull it right out.

 

Have you cussed it yet? That seems to help me out alot.


i am not sure but could smasshing the pencol bend something. like a vlave?

I was thinking that you could take something like a stiff wire and work the pencil around to the top of the bore so that it would start to fall back down get it work so that one end would be inline with the plug whole then try to grabbed it with the 3 prong pick up tool.

I like that idea about the longer bolt i will have to keep that in mind.

 

As I recall I think that the bolt holes in the E-bocks are already helicoiled; that's what they claim anyway. Maybe you just need to replace the helicoil? You can try a longer bolt but I'd be tempted to pull the intake and get a good look at the problem. If it was leaking water there's a fair chance it will keep leaking. On the other hand, if you're not sure about the bolt (or the engine build) maybe the bolt was never right to begin with. How long is it?

 

Was not thinking Ebok heads..........could have screwed up the original helicoil? Maybe not. I would try a longer bolt and see if threads are okay. Worth a shot.

I know I pulled a couple threads on bolts on my race car once. Needed longer bolts. Seems the inserts were okay, since I never had to replace them.

 

Is anyone else wondering how a pencil got in there?! Magnet might attach to the eraser...

 

Read his other thread

Longer bolt might be the way to go - the bolt you have may only have grabbed the first few threads and it couldn't take the torque.

Not sure, but are the first few bolts into the water jacket into the head and should be sealed with RTV or something when assembled, like the water pump bolts?

I used stainless bolts for the intake on my 390.

 

No, the bolts SHOULD NOT be into water. If they were loose, then I could see coolant leaking around them and out the front or into the valley.

I know on my old 302 gaskets, the gasket had a groove running around the port so IF the gasket leaked it tended to let the water leak OUTSIDE the motor..not INTO the motor. Not sure if it worked or not?

To this day, the front bolts of my intake are rusty. Doesn't really leak, but I know the bolts get damp and rust.

 

So THAT'S what that was for

 

the small block gasket design was a good one... but I have some old Victor FE gaskets with that design..don't they make them that way anymore??

 

It won't change the problem, but you just might feel better.

Now the bad news: if you have crud on the bolt, you have crud in the hole. An accurate torque reading requires that all threads be absolutely clean. If you have any **** tendency, this is the time to let it take over.

Were there any silvery specks of aluminimum in the bolt threads? Hopefully not. Helicoils are made of a hard stainless alloy, they only come out if installed improperly(hole too big for the helicoil, no thread locker). It's more likely that the thread on the bolt will wear out.

I don't know if Ed's have inserts or not. Mayhem Bob over at net54 has had several problems with his aluminimum heads (not sure of brand) and has installed thread inserts. If you do have to go there, just as well to do all the holes at once and get it over with.

Good luck, Mike

 

Intake bolt threads on ebocks are not helicoiled from the factory.. only the exhaust are, but I don't think they extend into the water jackets.. the intake bolts should only be torqued to 35lbs tops...

 

OT: (big time): I saw the grooves (straight through) in the gaskets on one of my FE's attempts at living