This is the 2nd time I’ve removed the valve cover, to remove the upper side chain guide. As I’m rebolting the cover back on, I noticed that the front centre bolt (one of the long ones) won’t tighten up. So I pulled it back out, it seemed OK, so I put in back in. Same thing, so I’m thinking I might have nudged the centre rubber gasket off as I slid the cover on, and decided to pull the cover off again to make sure. All the bolts came out, except the front centre and centre ones.
They turn with minimal force (both ways), which is alarming, and they aren’t winding back up the holes so that I can remove them (even more alarming). I’ve just tried to unbolt them again and now I’m seeing metal shaving coming out from underneath one of them (shit!!). I’m at my wit’s end.
What should I do? What so I have to do to pull them back out?? Should I tap a hole on the bolt like I would with a stripped bolt and use a removal tool?