I recently bought an 01 blazer and noticed a coolant leak which led me to replace lower intake manifold gasket. While replacing all the other gaskets broke a rocker arm cover bolt when replacing it. I believe the part number is 10201396. I’ve gotten the old bolt drilled out of the hole but I damaged the threads and I need to rethread it. The information I need is a specs on the bolt is it an M8 or an m10 what are the distances between the threads and the thread depth etc. Also any tips on rethreading the bolt hole would be awesome. Vehicle is 2001 Blazer LT with 4.3 vortec two-wheel drive.
To bad I don’t know anyone with a 2001 Blazer LT with 4.3 vortec two-wheel drive that I could grab a bolt from to take to the auto parts store or hardware store,
Maybe you know someone that has a 2001 Blazer LT with 4.3 vortec two-wheel drive you could borrow that bolt from.
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This part is a bolt, valve rocker armature cover (1/4-20 x 3 1/2),
A heli-coil kit is what to use to repair the threads
Tester
That’s the kind of thing where I’d order one at the dealer. Then the thread will be right, and they can tell you the spec for a helicoil kit.
And buy a decent torque wrench, and use it.
Order the bolt at a dealership . . . ?
Easier to just visit your local pick a part junkyard and get a few of the bolts
Almost any 4.3 will have the same bolts, regardless of van, truck, suv
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I don’t have any pick a parts left near me. They all do the “picking.” That actually makes it easier/more reliable for me - for something that small/cheap - to use a dealer.
But by all means, if the OP has one around then it’s a fine idea.
I suspect if you tried to order that bolt from a dealer, it will take a very long time for it to arrive
Quite possibly. A bigger problem might be that they would only sell them as a whole “pack” (Shop GM Parts - GM Genuine Parts & ACDelco) in which case, I’d hit up the junk yard.
I’ll just say that getting stuck in the mud doesn’t end well. The idea is to avoid getting stuck but most of us have been there.
One thing I have been doing for years now and just becomes routine, is when inserting a bolt, rotate it backwards until you feel a click, then go ahead. This insures that it is not being cross threaded. Another is to feel the resistance when removing a stuck bolt to know when to stop and change tactics.
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Awesome that’s just the info I needed. Also, I know that bolt sits between 2 valve springs and is hard to get to. Do you know if the hole that it sits on bottoms out and if it does and I go all the way through do I need to reseal the hole before returning the bolt?
Watch the video.
Tester
Also good info. But im wondering if the wrench is long enough to get to where I need without having to take the rocker arm apart or the entire head off. Also if I went all the way through when drilling out the old bolt do I need to reseal the hole or will I be ok?
I can’t see the engine. So I don’t know. But if the tool isn’t long enough, you’ll have to get creative so the tool reaches.
If you drill thru, then you’re to going want to add a thread sealant to both the Helicoil before it’s installed and the threads of the bolt before it’s installed.
Tester
Man you are really making my day with all the knowledge you are sharing. This Is a pic of the area I need to get the helicoil in
Looks like you can get both a drill and the insertion tool in there.
Tester
Measure how deep the hole is, then cut a piece of hose and slide it over the drill bit leaving only the amount needed without drilling to deep, or use a lot of tape for the same purpose, all you are doing is making a poor mans drill stop… not hard… you can check a different hole if needed…
coffee straw works great to check how deep the hole is…
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