Broken bolt, VVT device housing on '87 Spider

[AlfaNeely@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 5/20/2003 4:00:09 PM Central Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:

> Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 11:52:01 -0700
> From: Robert Abatecola <robert@domain.elided>
> Subject: Broken bolt, VVT device housing on '87 Spider
> 
> As I was reassembling the engine after a valve clearance adjustment I 
> managed to break one of the bolts that holds the VVT housing to the 
> head.  I had my torque wrench set to 43 ft-lbs as the shop manual 
> states but I never hit the click.  Is this a misprint?  Maybe my 
> torque wrench seized up on me.
> - -- 
> 
>  -Robert Abatecola, San Jose, CA
>   1985 GTV6
>   1987 Spider Quadrifoglio
> 
> 

       The VVT solenoid is attached to the valve cover ( not the head) with 
three Allen head bolts.  These are small bolts screwed into aluminum  43 FOOT 
pounds is way too much.  43 INCH pounds is closer.
       Any bolt that screws into aluminum is subject to stripping out.  I 
doubt you broke the bolt, I suspect you stripped the threads.  Buy an Heli 
Coil kit to fix it.
       I also think entirely too many people want to torque every nut and 
bolt on their Alfa.  I cannot even find torque specs for some of the things 
people want to torque.
       By reference, the workshop manual says the thermostat housing should 
be tightened to 7.4 to 11.8 foot pounds.  That would be similar to what your 
VVT should have been torqued to - assuming the Allen bolts are 8 mm (8 mm is 
the bolt size, not the size of the Allen wrench).
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided