Hello, I had a question about the few valve cover studs on the lower side with threads facing up. They are rusted to a tooth pick, how would I replace these with bolts like the other ones? I dont know, seems simple but I dont want to start this valve problem with cover problems. It's my only ride and I got kids in school, so only got a weekend, you know how that goes.. Thanks for any thoughts.

 

My first question is why are they rusting so much? Do you live in an area with lots of salt? Near an ocean, salted roads? You may have LOTS of other rust problems to be found!

But back to your question. These studs should have a hex head where the stud meet the valve cover. If these are intact, it should be no problem taking them out and getting new bolts. If they are rusted badly also, you may have fun getting them out. If there is enough solid metal to get vice grips on it, you may be able to get them out that way. It will just be trial and error! With Murphy's Law, mostly error probably!

 

Soak them down really good multiple times perhaps overnight even with PB Blaster before you do anything... with any luck they usually come out much easier... good luck!

 

Even better than pb blaster is kano kroil. My grandpap would always joke around saying that stuff worked so well, all you had to do was spray it on, then go sit down and wait until you heard the nuts/bolts fall on the floor. The only downside is you pretty much have to order it online, I've never seen it in stores.

 

That's interesting... ill have to try it sometime as i have never heard of it.

 

Kano rocks. I worked as a toolmaker at Briggs & Stratton on large die cast molds with 1.5"+ bolts and Kano was used everywhere in the company for a penetrating fluid and nothing works better. If you try it once you will never pick up another can of PB or WD again.

 

Hello, Thanks for the advise. I was under the impression that the studs were somehow connected and a the hex head was a nut. The manual kept showing referance to were they were located, so I thought they were special. And to let you know, rust in a huge problem around here in Pittsburgh. We have a bad combonation snow, hills, and lots of people who cant drive. So they salt the hell out of the roads. The roads stay white long after the snow is gone. I bought this durango 1 year ago. I had little trace of rust on bottom of rocker panel. Now I have a hole the size of a cucumber, the tailgate bottom rusting through, and rear fender behind the wheel has a brown bubble the size of the palm of my hand. This crap makes it so hard to keep any older truck nice. Anyway--- Thanks again, and for the insede tip on the kano Kroil !!!

 

Oh trust me, I know how the winters are up north, I lived in Pittsburgh my whole life until a few years ago, and still go there a couple times a year. And trust me, people in Pittsburgh drive like gods compared to how people drive in the rest of the country.

 

WOW. thanks "That_Guy" for anouther way of looking at it. Worse drivers everywere else makes me fell better and worse at the same time. Guess rust is better than a" head on" or a "T bone". Mabe I will try to wash it even more through the winter...

 

The best way to keep the rust at bay ( accidental rhyme) is lots of oil. Every fall before they start putting the salt on the roads my dad always coats the undercarriage of all of the cars with oil using a big tank rigged to an air compressor. My grandpap does the same thing and it works great. He still drives his '83 Pontiac and there isn't any rust on it. I also take an oil can and squirt oil into the holes in the bottoms of the doors and the hatch every so often, as well as inside the bumper and seams inside the fender. Pretty much anywhere you can get oil to sit so that water doesn't. Now that I'm in school in SC I don't spray the whole bottom in oil since there's no salt on the roads here in winter, but I do still put oil in the doors, hatch, and everywhere else.