Coil pack screw broken off in valve cover.

[SHIFT_*grind*]

I finally got my car running last night after putting on my new hot piping setup with a recirculated 1G DSM BOV. Car runs great; idles fine, pulls pretty hard, etc. etc. The only thing is, I can hear (and feel) a BLAT BLAT BLAT noise when pulling away from a stop. It goes away, more or less, as the RPMs rise, but the car still sounds a little like a Subaru.

So I do a lot of searching on here and figure that my timing is probably off. Before this I was driving around with boost leaks so I wouldn't be surprised. And then I remember that, when I changed the plugs a couple weeks ago, I had found that the coil pack screw for the #2 cylinder was broken off inside the valve cover :squint: Not my handywork, I only bought this car a couple months ago.

So not only is my timing probably off, but I think I'm getting intermittent spark because there's nothing holding the coil pack on except gravity.

Has anyone ever tried to drill a coil pack screw out of the valve cover? I've never tried to drill anything out, and at 6mm, they're pretty small. Am I better off just finding a new valve cover? :-\

[johngriff]

just drill it out and re-tap it. you will be ok. if you have to overisize to a 8mm, drill the coil pack hole out too.

[opponheimer]

Yea and next time you tighten those bolts use a screwdriver

[SHIFT_*grind*]

I just use an allen wrench. It wasn't me who broke it off =P

Thanks guys.

[lonelydrifter]

Yea get an extractor bit from Snap-On and get that shit out!

[Koopa Troopa]

I've got a broken bolt on my coilpack and 2 broken studs on my valve cover and one missing nut... Not leaking any oil and not having any spark issues..

So



Who cares? You and every other SR20 owner has a broken off bolt in his valve cover.

[nevaland9]

I've got a broken bolt on my coilpack and 2 broken studs on my valve cover and one missing nut... Not leaking any oil and not having any spark issues..

So



Who cares? You and every other SR20 owner has a broken off bolt in his valve cover.

werd 3/4 of mine are broken. if you care that much just shave down a bottle top and put one on each coilpack and then put the coilpack over back on. done

[sr20boostn20]

i got a broken one too

ive never had any problems

i have a screw extractor too im just too lazy too use it

[SHIFT_*grind*]

Two reasons why I care:

1) I checked my coil packs today just to make sure they weren't cracked, and when I started the car back up it was running on 3 cylinders; I had to wiggle the #2 coil and press down pretty hard to get it to run right. Might even have something to do with my WRX exhaust note? And:
2) I don't have a coil pack cover :o Something else I can thank the previous owner for.

[Koopa Troopa]

Nor do I. You got bigger problems than a snapped bolt if the coilpack is coming loose.

[SHIFT_*grind*]

Like what exactly? I can't imagine it being anything worse than a bad coil pack, which would be worse than a broken screw but nothing too serious. What could have happened to it that it wouldn't snap onto the plug well enough to hold?

I'm going to set the timing tomorrow and try to get the coil pack sorted out. Meanwhile, it got worse on my drive home today. Here's exactly what the car's doing:

-BLAT BLAT BLATs like a boxer engine, especially when pulling away from a stop.
-Bogs/hesitates under load in the lower RPM range. Sometimes it's worse than others. Clears up after 3 or 3.5K. Free revving doesn't cause a bog or anything.
-Idle is crystal clear at 850rpm, 19 or 20 inHg of vacuum.
-Ran up to ~4K in 1st and 2nd gear, only seeing about 5psi. Merging onto the freeway at higher RPMs, I hit ~7psi in 3rd and 8 or 9 in 4th. Certainly felt slower than when I test drove it last night.

It has new IC hot piping that I tightened the hell out of, no leaks (unless the IC itself is leaking :( ). Mostly stock save for the FMIC and 3" turbo-back exhaust. New fuel filter, plugs, O2 sensor, water temp sensor. Cleaned the MAF with CRC mass air cleaner.

I'm thinking that bad timing + bad/loose coil pack could cause those problems, but if anyone sees anything I might have missed, please say so.

[2bad240]

i have 3 broke off in mine, no problem. i would change the plugs.

and check for boost leaks, and check everything over again.

and a ez-out will get that bolt right out.

[SHIFT_*grind*]

Plugs are brand new. NGK BKR7E iridium.

[2bad240]

whats the gap?

[SHIFT_*grind*]

.028"

msglength

[2bad240]

i would try the plugs at .030, maybe but that is up to you. probably wont make a difference.

my car was doing something kinda like what yours is doing and i had a bad injector clip, so i would check all the wiring.

[fwuffy squirrel]

I've got a broken bolt on my coilpack and 2 broken studs on my valve cover and one missing nut... Not leaking any oil and not having any spark issues..

So



Who cares? You and every other SR20 owner has a broken off bolt in his valve cover.


LOL hey.......okay yea I just did that :p

[SHIFT_*grind*]

The injector clip was bad? Like, the plug that clips onto the injector? What exactly did you have to replace?

[SHIFT_*grind*]

I drilled the bolt out and got the coil pack bolted down, and it feels better. Still feels a little bit off though, so I'm gonna do the timing tomorrow.

Also, when I was working on the car a couple of weeks ago I managed to break an O2 housing bolt off inside the turbo because it was seized to the inside, so the O2 housing is currently being held on by 4 out of 5 bolts. It's missing the one on the wastegate dump tube, haven't had a chance to take the turbo out and drill *that* bolt out yet. Is there any reason to think that would be causing my problems?

[SHIFT_*grind*]

Is there any reason to think that would be causing my problems?

:( It's a tiny exhaust leak at best...

[Mecha_Trueno]

Sorry to dig out an old thread, but I've got a snapped bolt too now.

To those who have had success in using a screw extractor, where have you been able to find one small enough? All of the reverse drill bits I've seen are too big for this bolt.