That one bolt you skip on a timing cover always comes back to bite

Last month at a shop in Columbus, I saw a guy slap a timing cover back on after a water pump job and leave two of the small bolts out because they were stripped. He figured the gasket sealant would hold it, but two weeks later the owner came back with oil weeping down the front of the block. Took us an extra hour to pull the cover again, tap the holes, and put new bolts in, plus the parts cost ran about $45. My rule now is if a bolt is questionable, I stop right there and fix it before reassembly, has anyone else had a shortcut like that turn into a comeback job?

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1 Comment

beth55914d ago

Oh boy, that is the oldest trick in the book and it never pays off. I swear, shortcuts like that are just future problems you get to fix for free later. Hope that guy learned his lesson the hard way, sounds like he did.