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California98Civic · 06-29-2014, 11:30 PM

"Maintain before mod"

If I will ever have a full undertray (bellypan) I need to resolve persistent fluid leaks in the engine compartment.

So today I replaced the two valve cover bolt grommets that have been leaking. They visibly leaked a little oil regularly, but they might have been leaking a lot when the engine got really hot on the 100-150 mile trips the car sometimes does.

1. Here is one of the OEM bolt/grommet/washer combos:

Notice there is a bump on the bolt neck. It will prevent removing the grommet. So you have to cut the grommet with shears:

2. The grommets, cut, and the washer, which need not be cut, and the bolts:

The slightly tricky part is installing the new grommet.

3. To install the new grommet, you first clean the bolt. Then lubricate the it and its threads. Finally, you need a method to push the grommet past the bulbous section of the bolt. I decided to use a 3/4 socket to contact the grommet, and a 3/8 deep socket as a head to gently hammer on until the grommet slipped into place. Was amazingly easy, but the FSM was not helpful on this point. A pic of the results and the stuff I used:

4. I then MADE A MISTAKE that I wouldn't mind some advice on. The factory service manual has torque specs for the bolt in the valve cover. I tried to meet those and over tightened one of the two bolts, definitely compromising the threads, but apparently not so badly to produce an oil leak when I took the car for a long test drive to see if it would leak. Here it is in place:

I imagine I'll probably have a heli-coil adventure in my future sometime, but do you think I can leave it alone for now? I can't loosen it with my fingers and it has no visible play. Just watch for leaking? Ugh. I tightened the other bolt with a simple ratchet and it seated perfectly. Any thoughts?

Also:
I resolved the coolant leak a few days ago simply by remaking a seal on the upper rad hose. No thermostat needed, apparently. Also bled the coolant. Old stuff on the left, new on the right (yikes):

06-29-2014, 11:30 PM	#137 (permalink)
California98Civic Cyborg ECU Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Coastal Southern California Posts: 6,299 Black and Green - '98 Honda Civic DX Coupe Team Honda 90 day: 66.42 mpg (US) Black and Red - '00 Nashbar Custom built eBike 90 day: 3671.43 mpg (US) Thanks: 2,373 Thanked 2,174 Times in 1,470 Posts	Valve cover bolt grommets (install trick) "Maintain before mod" If I will ever have a full undertray (bellypan) I need to resolve persistent fluid leaks in the engine compartment. So today I replaced the two valve cover bolt grommets that have been leaking. They visibly leaked a little oil regularly, but they might have been leaking a lot when the engine got really hot on the 100-150 mile trips the car sometimes does. 1. Here is one of the OEM bolt/grommet/washer combos: Notice there is a bump on the bolt neck. It will prevent removing the grommet. So you have to cut the grommet with shears: 2. The grommets, cut, and the washer, which need not be cut, and the bolts: The slightly tricky part is installing the new grommet. 3. To install the new grommet, you first clean the bolt. Then lubricate the it and its threads. Finally, you need a method to push the grommet past the bulbous section of the bolt. I decided to use a 3/4 socket to contact the grommet, and a 3/8 deep socket as a head to gently hammer on until the grommet slipped into place. Was amazingly easy, but the FSM was not helpful on this point. A pic of the results and the stuff I used: 4. I then MADE A MISTAKE that I wouldn't mind some advice on. The factory service manual has torque specs for the bolt in the valve cover. I tried to meet those and over tightened one of the two bolts, definitely compromising the threads, but apparently not so badly to produce an oil leak when I took the car for a long test drive to see if it would leak. Here it is in place: I imagine I'll probably have a heli-coil adventure in my future sometime, but do you think I can leave it alone for now? I can't loosen it with my fingers and it has no visible play. Just watch for leaking? Ugh. I tightened the other bolt with a simple ratchet and it seated perfectly. Any thoughts? Also: I resolved the coolant leak a few days ago simply by remaking a seal on the upper rad hose. No thermostat needed, apparently. Also bled the coolant. Old stuff on the left, new on the right (yikes): Attached Thumbnails __________________ See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.