The V8 Owners Forum -

Building up my 4 litre engine, again, and have just fitted the stretch head bolts, that was a concern torquing them up to 25nm and then turning 90 deg + 90 deg but all done now.
When I came to fit the rocker shaft bolts one of them just sheared off as I was doing it up hand tight, luckily managed to get the broken end out okay. When I examined the bolts I noticed that they were of the same design as the cylinder head stretch bolts. I thought that the rocker shaft bolts were reusable? Am I right?
If I am wrong let it be a warning to others not to reuse them.
Anyway will have to order 8 off new bolts tomorrow.

They are reusable. I think they look the same so there is room for oil to pass between the bolt and the pedestal to reach the rocker shaft.

Chris.

I had exactly the same happen with a rocker post bolt. I never figured out why it sheared when lightly reinstalling it. I imagine it was fatigue at the necking point.

ChrisJC wrote:They are reusable. I think they look the same so there is room for oil to pass between the bolt and the pedestal to reach the rocker shaft..

Correct.
I had a rocker shaft bolt shear on my Land Rover when I did the head and it turned out it had an old partial fracture that failed on torquing.