gonna need some help on this!!!!

[ldelisle]

Yeah well the daughter laughed it off, i told her if it was anybody else i would have knee capped them from under the van. God you wanna talk about a sick feeling just hearing that opps oh s**t from under there it was a pretty sick feeling. I was thinking of giving an easy out a try, i've had quite a bit of experience doing it, and it broke off almost dead flat. If it gives me any problem what so ever i'll yank it. god i just got the gen. and exhaust all put back together too.....i also bought a new torque wrench tonight the craftsman 3/8. They didn't have the 1/4 but this one should get the job done. Yeah i had them tightened down but never put my big torque wrench on them, he i think was trying to torque them with the lobes in different positions, i know he was putting lub-a-plate on the lobes and every now and then he would ask me to turn the engine. I don't know i really thought he knew what he was doing.......thanks.....lar

[12Ounce]

If you don't have a 1/4" torque wrench ... you don't have one small enough for these small screws ... you'll have to "guess it".

I would plan on buying a full set of cap bolts ... how do you know others are not fractured and ready to break?

[12Ounce]

If your 3/8" torque wrench reads all the way down to "zero" ... maybe it will be some good for this application. Let's see: 106 lb-in = 8.8 lb-ft .... so, if you use your torque wrench to limit the torque to under 10 lb-ft ... it would probably keep you from breaking new bolts.

Who knows, perhaps the bolts were fractured, by some unknown earlier mechanic, before your helper even touched them .... would make your guy feel better anyway.

[ldelisle]

Well we got that one out of there, now my next question is where do i buy something like that? I still need 1 manifold stud and one of the bolts that hold the e r g valve on i took them to a/z and they said a place like napa but i can't seem to find one here. Any ideas?......thanks ....lar

[12Ounce]

Wow, what a piece of luck! Good deal!

Your local Ford dealer should have, or be able to get for you, all of those bolts and studs. If not, let me know.

On the cam cap bolts, if you replace them one-by-one .. you should be able to do them in any order. Just lightly snug them up as you install them ... and then later torque them in sequence.

And don't forget the way that cam chain tensioner works ... if the cam is ever loosened/lifted ... the tensioner will advance ... and you will not be able to back it off without the front cover removed.

[ldelisle]

Yeah i feel like i'm the luckiest guy around, i think the fact that it broke so clean and flat helped alot but it wasn't very tight either. When he screwed the extractor in the bolt just screwed out in his hand, very very lucky. He said he talked to the ford people down here and they told him he has to deal with Mazda, so i'm still looking. I don't imagine the home depot has anything i can use do they? I still got the ex's cousin and the daughter has a few friends she is going to check with this weekend, i just keep plugging along. got the main seal and crank pulley on today also finished off the oil pan. I didn't get the new bolts for it either. Do you think i could get up in there with a crows foot adapter for my 3/8 drive. .... Thanx....lar

[12Ounce]

Those cap srews are the same for all Duratec engines ... Mazda, Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Jaguar, Land Rover, etc, etc ... some service folks just don't have time to bother with us. Wonder why they are in such big trouble?

I have had more luck finding screws at AdvanceAuto than AZ. (Almost no good luck in NAPA.) Some good luck at HomeDepot. But it all depends on how well the local people keep the shelves stocked. I'm also lucky to have, at least some, good Ford service folks ... I know whom to ask, and whom to ignor. Too bad it has to be that way.

I would steal a screw from another cap ... and go hunting for a match.

If you carry a sample exhaust stud to any dealership, foreign or domestic, bet they will be able to help you. Don't expect help over the phone. You could make sure the RH head has a full set of studs ... and finish out the LH side later when you can.

[12Ounce]

I found some extra studs and nuts, in bags, in my shop. I THINK they are the ones used on the Duratec engine ... May not be however!

Ford part numbers:
shorter exhaust studs: N811313-S431
longer exhaust studs: W701768-S431
exhaust nuts: W701706-S2

[ldelisle]

i'm gonna head out to advance and depot in a bit. The only thing that bothers me a bit is the grade of the bolts. the guy at a/z said oh those are grade A bolts you gotta go to napa or the manufacturer. My daughter is going to check with a guy that goes to her church tomorrow. Yeah i was thinking of stealing a bolt from the front head and using it to button up the back one, but if i can get a whole set i do want to replace them all. I copied those numbers down and i'll bring them with me........thanks ......lar

[12Ounce]

The cap bolts are "hard", or high-strength, I agree. Usually high strength bolts are black-finished ... regular strength bolts are plain steel or bright finished. (Just for info: I've never seen an Allen socket head screw that was not high-strength.) I have bought high-strength hex bolts from AdvanceAuto ... they have them in a separate area in the fastener bins. Manifold studs are regular strength steel. You could use Allen socket screws for the cam caps if the valve cover will clear.

I called "my guy" at the stealership: Ford does not list the cam cap bolts as replacement parts ... they are included in the head assembly, therefore don't list them separately. Does not mean they don't have the same identical bolt used somewhere else as a replaceable part ... but as the camshaft cap screws they don't list them. This is when you need a friend who is willing to go through the parts bins to see if he can find a match. Or, find it somewhere other than a Ford dealership. Your NAPA may be better than mine ... which is about to close the doors, I think.

[ldelisle]

Yep by god thank god for a local napa dealer.....i went down to discount and they had a real mediocre supply. when i came out my daughter said oh let me try my new phone trick, she just spoke napa into her phone and it found one about 3 mi away, i never even new it was there and they had everyone of them. Got the erg the manifold and 5 of the cam cap bolts for 5 bucks, i wanted more of the cam caps but that cleaned him out so it gives me a little cushion if i happen to screw up again..... but i will be real careful....i think i'll grab one of the oil pan bolts on monday and try to get those as well. I guess my luck is still holding up.......thanx ....lar

[12Ounce]

Sounds good! (Gotta git me one of them phones!)

[ldelisle]

Yeah i guess she is spending my money well it even gave us turn by turn directions to get there. I'm gonna go out and try to get enough of it together to do a comp. test when ....and if my help shows up tomorrow. I got another blood test on tues and a dr. consult about my gut on wed in miami, so that's gonna shoot those 2 days all to hell. Hopefully we can get the majority of it done this weekend and mon.......thanks again.....lar

[12Ounce]

Good luck on everything!

Can't wait to read some good compression numbers. Remember the test is easier to do without the intake manifold in place ... no one has to hold the throttle plate wide open.

If you are able to replace those two rear screws, on the pan, with socket cap screws ... life will be much better. Make sure you have a long enough driver of some sort to reach up back in there ... I like one that snaps onto a regular 3/8" socket rachet extension.

[ldelisle]

Yeah thats what i was thinking of as well, i almost bought a crowsfoot, but this napa guy has suck a good supply of bolts i think i'll try him first. Yeah we're gonna try the compression test today i think, if everything goes well. Yesterday i put the rear valve cover on and the pwr steering pump, and the front exhaust manifold, i don't know which was worse the exhaust or fitting the valve covers with those goofy gaskets. I'll give a progress report tonight hope i got some good numbers to tell ya......thanks ....lar