First valve adjustment done - advice needed please

[pinzy76]

I have a 1976 911 with 2.7L engine. With the help from posts on Pelicans and Waynes book, I just did my first valve adjustment.
I found the following object lying in my Left lower valves:


I put the new gaskets in (standard ones) and closed everything up before Identifying what this thing was - Rookie mistake
The other problem is now all the lower valves are leaking! Previously they were dry. The car does have turbo lower valve covers I believe. I'll go back and double check that everything is nice and tight.

From doing some further reading is this a pulled head stud?
Where do people recommend I go from here - should I
- Remove the valve covers and try to re-insert it?
- Will it need to be taken to mechanic immed?
- Or can I carry on for the time being know that at some stage down the line I will need to get it addressed?
The car is not a daily driver, it a weekend car only comes out on summy days so doesn't see much mileage through the course of the year.

[r-mm]

Looks to be a lower head nut, not head stud. I would most certainly pull the valve cover to check the condition of all the head studs. I suppose its possible that the nut came off but the stud in in good health. Someone wiser than I will advise if the right course of action would be to just torque down the missing nut or to untorque and retorque all the nuts.

For the leak, make sure the valve cover is in fact flat and use the (very low) factory torque values so as not to distort it.

[HarryD]

To install the factory gasket, as noted above, a very light touch is needed.

When I do mine, I tighten them like a head. Start in middle and cris cross to the ends. The first pass is only until they touch. I go over them again making only a quarter turn on each one in the same pattern.

Once I had to go back and add another eight turn to each to seal.

[Flat6pac]

The diagnosis will be that the stud is pulling from the case (read pulled stud)
There is a washer in there someplace that goes with the head nut.
You can reinstall it but you ll never pull torque value.
The fix is complete disassembly, drill out, tap, and case saver inserts
24 new dilivar studs.
Youre spending $1000 doing the inserts and studs with the case completely disassembled because of the magnesium flakes getting all over the drill and taping.
Now its rebuild or replace stuff "while youre there"
The 2.7 rebuild costs are high and actually makes 3.0 not out of the ball park for better option.

Bruce

[Trackrash]

Do you have any history on the car? Is the motor original? Or has it been rebuilt? If it was rebuilt at some time and case savers were installed, you could get lucky and it just came loose. (if it wasn't re-torqued).

[pinzy76]

Thank you for the replies.
I do not have any history on whether the engine had been rebuilt before.
Before I go back to remove the left lower valve cover, will I need to drain the oil again? Or can I get away with jacking up the left side of the car.

[Bill Jennings]

You can just jack up the left side but have a drip tray ready for the bit of oil behind the cover.
Cheers
Bill