Scary noise when tightening cam cover nuts

[Jon Pike <jhpike@domain.elided>]

Well,  that one says it..

I was putting the cam cover on,  after my home made leak down test (look 
for in a post coming soon to a Digest near you)  and as I tightened up 
the cover nuts I heard a sharp CRACK...  first on one,  then on a second 
one!

I pulled the cover off,  expecting the worst..  and didn't see anything. 
The studs seemed OK,  weren't pulled out or stripped, or higher than 
the others (visually anyway)  so I don't know what that was.  It felt 
kind of like a torque wrench letting go, but a sharper crack.  I didn't 
notice space between the cam bearing caps and head either..  (again, 
visually)

Any ideas?  They tightened up ok later..  though I didn't lean on them 
as hard.  I was using an 8" crescent wrench,  hand about half way up it, 
and pulling no where near as hard as I could..

Jon
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided