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Now i need a new Lower Rocker Arm Pressure Switch, Please help

1137 Views 43 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  a1smith
Continuing My Previous Post asking about the VVT Solenoid Gaskets, I Obviously had to buy a set on ebay. Installed it tonight, the top piece of the lower gasket didnt fit perfect until i put it in where it holds it aligned, i doubt thats normal but i had no choice at that point, the Original one was definitely old and flatter and really stuck in there, and that lower one had snapped when removing it. Got everything done and Put back together, and very very slowly i would see a drip of oil just below the dipstick, so it was leaking. looked up torque specs to be about 8-9 ftlb, And realized that the bolts felt fairly loose, especially compared to how tight it was when breaking the bolts free. so i started to tighten, and after like 4 turns one bolt snapped. the entire time i turned it never felt like it was getting any tighter. I just re-disassembled it, the other two bolts are stretched and would have snapped too. I tried to get out the broken bolt piece, but its only got like 2mm sticking up and its not flat, so i cant get a grip with pliers. i guess in a way im lucky enough that it seems to be stuck in a Lower rocker arm Oil pressure switch, and not something major, But now i have to replace this rocker arm Oil pressure switch. i took out the two visible bolts and it won't come off. looking up a picture of it, it seems like there is another small bolt under the valve cover? so now im looking at removing the intake so i can remove the valve cover just so i can get this rocker arm switch off? And then i would have to purchase a GATES VVS320 Which Comes with the entire solenoid and rocker arm all in one that could be bolted on and done with. Is this what i need to do? or is there another way to this? My crosstour has no plates because the DMV takes forever to send a state transfer title, so i have to get this one fixed reasonably quickly. Ebay Has the GATES VVS320 Shipped from my state for like $20 more than rock auto, so hopefully id have it the day after its shipped. Opening up the valve cover also means i need a new valve cover gasket (which was just replaced a year ago for $200) Right?
Obviously now i couldnt even drive it to my mechanic if i wanted to, so thats not an option. i don't have money to be towing it places let alone to pay for labor to have it fixed. Sorry this post is so long, But i need to know everything about what i now have to do before i attempt it and something else goes wrong.
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But then I need some kind of thread chaser kit that has the exact width and thread size that will work for this?
Yes, if you need to chase threads. Here are typical values - you need to confirm. For 10mm hex head it is usually an M6 bolt. I'm guessing that bolt is coarse threads, not fine so the thread pitch is 1 mm.


So, you would need an M6x1 thread chaser. You can confirm this before ordering by trying an M6x1 nut on those bolts (just go to Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace, fastener store, etc and try one). You can also measure the pitch, outer (major) thread diameter, etc and look it up in a metric thread table.

Here is a set for M6x1 and M8x1.25. Amazon didn't list the thread pitch but Summit Racing did.
Yes, if you need to chase threads. Here are typical values - you need to confirm. For 10mm hex head it is usually an M6 bolt. I'm guessing that bolt is coarse threads, not fine so the thread pitch is 1 mm.


So, you would need an M6x1 thread chaser. You can confirm this before ordering by trying an M6x1 nut on those bolts (just go to Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace, fastener store, etc and try one). You can also measure the pitch, outer (major) thread diameter, etc and look it up in a metric thread table.

Here is a set for M6x1 and M8x1.25. Amazon didn't list the thread pitch but Summit Racing did.
The bolts went and easily by hand so I didn't bother, maybe it was just severely over tightened last time. I am following the TSB torque as I install right now.
Update, I put on the Dorman solenoid, drove about 12 miles total and it doesn't seem to be leaking. If it is then it's extremely slow. I'll have to monitor as I drive more. The first time I tried to fix it it would be visibly leaking after a few minutes of driving or idling, so that's better than before. I tightened to I think 4.8ftlb (sb says 6) at first, later I tried to tighten a little more and it started to do the same thing as last time where as soon as the bolt started to move, the torque meter went down rather than up, so I immediately stopped and didn't try tightening anything anymore, but as long as it doesn't leak then it's fine. Hopefully that was the actual cause of this oil leak.
I tightened to I think 4.8ftlb (sb says 6) at first, later I tried to tighten a little more and it started to do the same thing as last time where as soon as the bolt started to move, the torque meter went down rather than up, so I immediately stopped and didn't try tightening anything anymore, but as long as it doesn't leak then it's fine.
Here is a really good bolt torque calculator I found.

To support a recommended torque of 6 ft-lbs you need a grade 5 bolt. A bolt that starts to yield at 4.8 ft-lbs is somewhere between grade 1 and 2.
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