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I stripped a lower valve cover gasket and had to cut the head off of it with a dremel. Worked like a charm. All the torque was released and just screwed the remaing stud out by hand.
I don't think a Dremmel cutting tool will fit in the space without causing damage to the surrounding structures as the space available is limited as you can see in the picture. I tried to use one but ended up slightly scraping the valve cover so I stopped using it - I sanded down the roughened are with 1500 grit sanding paper and lightly spraying the cover with matt black paint which sorted out the problem. I tried everything possible before I ventured into the hacksaw method whcih really needs patience - something I struggle with (hence I got into the problem in the 1st place).
Wow, great write up. I hope this is in the DIY section too.
Funny, I found that I couldn't get ANY of my 3 different spark plug sockets in the hole for the pass-side upper plug. So I took one and ground the outside down to make it smaller in diameter, and it fit fine. My mechanic says this is typical. Surprising that I haven't read of others having this problem.
This is typical of 911s in general. You need a really thin-walled (and strong) socket to remove the plugs. I did the same thing 21 years ago when I got my first 911. I too ground down the outside. I still have that battered and bruised socket- it is held onto an extension with friction tape. I have seen many that have been welded to the extension. IIRC, Ray Calvo (you are sorely missed) posted a pic of his fabrication at one time or another.
If you ever loose a socket and spark plug inside the motor, you will always put tape on your extensions. My first go at a plug change, it took me over an hour to fish out the socket and the plug after the extension detached right as I was removing it. They can get sideways inside and be really nasty to remove.
To remove the 6mm hex head bolts, you’ll need a standard hex head bit about 6” long. There are 3 of those bolts per side. For the bolt in the middle where the plug wire loom runs through the opening in the tin, it’s better to use a 6mm ball head hex bit instead. See my pics. Attached is a Craftsman Hex Bit set that has served me well for a handful of plug/wire jobs.
04-15-2008, 07:07 PM
