HELP! 1997 Escort LX valve cover gasket

[bobmc]

My valve cover was very oily, so I went to change the gasket. The auto parts store sold me a Fel-Pro VS50476R gasket set, which is the part number all the auto parts stores show for this year. The set included new "grommets" for the 3 bolts which hold down the cover. The new grommets are about 1/4" thick for the portion above the valve cover, while the old grommets were about 1/2" thick above the cover (see attached photo). I did not think much of this, just figured it was a new design.

When installing the cover back on, the bolts got hard to turn before they were seated. I thought it was due to trying to push the grommet through the cover, so I tried tightening a little more, and one of the bolts broke off in the cyclinder head! With these shorter grommets, the bolts are too long.

So I go to the Ford dealer to get new bolts and grommets. They tell me they are not sold separately, nor is the gasket. I have to buy the cover, gasket, grommets, and bolts all together to get a single piece, and it will cost $180!! WTF!

I guess I can get some bolts from the junk yard, but now I'm not sure I'll get the right ones. Does anyone know the difference between these short and tall grommets and the bolts that go with them? Was I given the wrong parts at the store?

Other odd thing is that the my valve cover has a groove for aligning the gasket, and my cylinder head is smooth. The new Fel-Pro gasket has its alignment ridge on the cylinder head side, not the valve cover side. But it does have alignment tabs to hold it in place periodically on the cylinder head side. Again, I figured this was an updated design. But now I'm wondering if I got wrong parts.

I can extract the bolt out of the cylinder head, but want to put a new gasket on with the right parts. And I do not have $180 to spend on this. That is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard from an auto dealer. Is there anywhere to get these bolts besides the junk yard? What is going on with these different parts?

Any light anyone can shed on my problema would be greatly appreciated.

[apacman28]

i went to RockAuto.com and found the right valve cover gasket for a 1997 ford escort. It is made by Corteco and it is part # 19747. There weren't very many left so u might want to rush on it. I don't know why Fel-Pro makes a different gasket than what the car requires. Hopefully, this will help you.

[phantom_smack]

I believe the felpro gasket is for the updated valve cover

[Matt1]

Babmc,
I have the exact problem. Busted two bolts before I figured out there was spacing problems. did the Corteco part # 19747 from Rockauto work?

thx!

[bobmc]

Matt1, I did not try the Corteco parts from RockAuto--that reply came over a month after my post. I went to Ebay Motors and found 3 guys selling valve covers that looked like my '97. Two of them said they would sell me the bolts separately, so, to cover my bases (I had to get the car back on the road) I bought the bolts from both of them, '95 and '97 I believe. Both turned out to be the correct bolts, so I now have some spares. If you want some, PM me and you can have them for what I paid.

By the way, NAPA ordered another Fel-Pro VS50476R gasket set at my request, since the one I bought had been opened and resealed. Though Fel-Pro's photo of the set shows 6 grommets, the unopened one also only came with the 3 incorrect grommets. So what I got is what Fel-Pro is shipping for the 1997 2-liter, but they are too short for the bolts. I never took the trouble to contact Fel-Pro, though, since Ebay Motors had me back on the road in less than a week. The Fel-Pro gasket itself has worked fine.

The busted bolt was very easy to extract, since it is not seated against anything = zero torque. I taped plastic over the head, except for a small hole where the bolt end was. Taped all around the hole. Drilled a small hole in the bolt, and used an E-Z-Out. Vacuum up with the shop vac before removing the plastic. Took all of 20 minutes. Good luck!