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I went to change my valve cover gasket and when I inspected the bolts for the cover, which seals the gasket, I found the rubber was worn out or unusable on 10 out 14 of the bolts.
Ive been searching online and it appears Ford stopped making these pieces and one bolt setup cost upwards of 25$. Having trouble finding a replacement grommets online that will definitely fit. Going to try the pick and pulls tomorrow but probably a long shot.
Seems like a common issue and was hoping someone found a grommet set that worked for them and could suggest. Would be so grateful for help and suggestions, really like the truck.
I went to change my valve cover gasket and when I inspected the bolts for the cover, which seals the gasket, I found the rubber was worn out or unusable on 10 out 14 of the bolts.
Ive been searching online and it appears Ford stopped making these pieces and one bolt setup cost upwards of 25$. Having trouble finding a replacement grommets online that will definitely fit. Going to try the pick and pulls tomorrow but probably a long shot.
Seems like a common issue and was hoping someone found a grommet set that worked for them and could suggest. Would be so grateful for help and suggestions, really like the truck.
2001 Ranger 2.3L 186k+ miles
I know it has been a while, but wondering what you ended up doing? I'm in the same boat now as you were. I have heard of people going back with the old broken ones and having luck. Another guy seemed to suggested these Mazda LFBL-10-237 valve cover bolts works. But Mazda parts websites claim they do not fit the 2.3L. I had to spend over $100 on these and they show up and won't even work.
I ended up going to a pick and pull and used all my charisma to explain the situation. One of the techs pulled the bolts out of the only truck on the lot after half a day of persistence. They werent perfect but it has held since.
Word of advice, once you find the correct bolts, dont even torque to spec because I ended up destroying a couple. Tighten it down evenly in a cross pattern like most diagrams show. I could not find the torque sequence online.
From what Ive learned this is a rare engine in that it was only in the ranger for about two years (01-02). If I were you I would call every pick and pull in the truck state area because there is not much on the internet.
Godspeed.
Last edited by Curbe Winco; Feb 8, 2021 at 10:18 PM.
I ended up going to a pick and pull and used all my charisma to explain the situation. One of the techs pulled the bolts out of the only truck on the lot after half a day of persistence. They werent perfect but it has held since.
Word of advice, once you find the correct bolts, dont even torque to spec because I ended up destroying a couple. Tighten it down evenly in a cross pattern like most diagrams show. I could not find the torque sequence online.
From what Ive learned this is a rare engine in that it was only in the ranger for about two years (01-02). If I were you I would call every pick and pull in the truck state area because there is not much on the internet.
Godspeed.
I always figured these were on all of the 2.3L Duratec engines, but then I remember reading that in 2004 they changed to a plastic valve cover, so it makes sense that the bolts would change.
Thanks for the reply. I have a "Pull-a-Part" around here. You have to remove the parts yourself. Unfortunately on these you have to remove the intake to get most of the valve cover bolts off. But I will definitely give that a shot.
BTW, I have the manual from 2002 that shows the pattern. I know you don't need it anymore, but if someone comes across this thread it might be useful to them.
Wow, I just went through this. I found a set of valve cover bolts on Amazon meant for a 2005-2007 AUDI A4 for $25 that would probably work out of the box. Instead I used the grommets from the Audi bolts on my Ranger bolts. In this pic, the Audi bolt is on top and the Ranger bolt with the Audi grommet is on the bottom. Maybe this will help someone. Here is what I bought.
