Broken Valve Cover Bolt on an ISC

[Dave Fernandez]

Just to let you know that I found a broken valve cover bold on my 2001 Alpine with a 350 ISC. I accidentally found this while cleaning the engine compartment. I have ordered the new redesigned bolts from Cummins and will install them in a couple of days. While at Acacia RV I was telling the techs about the broken bolt they told that they just found the same thing on another ICS Cummins. You may want to check your valve cover bolts.

[Sixpack98]

Thanks for the heads up. While I have an ISL the ISC and ISL share many common components. How do you extract the broken bolt? Is this something Cummins should do or can it be done with an ezout? How in the world does a valve cover bolt break?

mark

[Dave Fernandez]

I just finished extracting the broken bolt using an ez out. I was easier than I thought it would be because of the size of the engine and the access I have on the Alpine to the engine compartment. The new bolts have been redesigned and are about $24.00 each and you will need five. I replaced all five because of the new design and if they should brake they will be easier to extract.

The original bold had a long shank and at the base it was reduces to a threaded end about a ¼ X20. The bolt is designed for the shank to bottom out on the head as the threaded portion has plenty more before it would bottom out. The bolt broke where the machined treads end and the larger shank of the bolt starts. I hope I have explained it where you can under stand what I am trying to say.

[Wayne R]

I had this happen on my 2000 Alpine with the ISC 350 back in 2001. Mine made a heck of a mess before I got it fixed.

[Lindenberg]

Hi Dave,

I'll be checking mine out also. Seems like there is always something to check on.

[hax]

I found a broken one on my 2001 Alpine. (ISC 350). One of the guys at Cummings in Phoenix told me that they had originally installed the wrong bolts or had a batch of bad bolts and that there was a service bulletin to replace all five bolts.

[Ray,IN]

If the bolt end cannot be removed by gentle tapping CCW with a small punch;
like Dave said, use an EZ-out extractor. When you drill the proper size hole for the extractor, use a left-handed drill bit. Quite often the left-handed bit will simply unscrew the threaded tip of the bolt.
A word of caution_ if you break-off one of these extractors in a bolt, get ready for spending $$$. They are so hard no drill bit can cut them.