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Thought this thermostat replacement was going to take 10 min and was soon proved wrong after one of the bolts securing the housing snapped.
This is what remained of the bolt after I tried to use an extractor that just snapped it off more.
This is after taking the torch to it, the dremel to make a flathead incision, and a flathead bit that just stripped the cut I made.
Been getting a lot of advice to weld a nut to the nub but that seems a bit above my skill set and I would not know how to properly prep the area.
Am I able to replace the upper part of the housing shown here for relatively cheap?
Looking for any advice on how to proceed.
UPDATE:
hit it with a few drill bits and tried to use an extractor bit, this is what it looks like now:
I’m tempted to replace the entire water passage but those bolts look pretty bad, don’t want to go from one snapped bolt to multiple. Should I just keep drilling and hope for the best? Maybe hit it with a chisel now?
Last edited by OpulentSpider; Oct 15, 2021 at 03:14 PM.
Reason: Update to situation
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Re: Snapped bolt during thermostat replacement
Did you try a reverse drill bit?
You could try using quick-dry JB Weld or other high strength adhesive on the (small) end of a bolt to create an extension (similar to welding). Definitely give it time to cure (24 hours).
Don't get any on the block. It's an inexpensive attempt but you don't want to have a lot of hope that it will work.
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Re: Snapped bolt during thermostat replacement
Originally Posted by Colin42
As long as you're intelligent when you tighten the bolts it should be fine. The torque spec is what like 20 ft-lbs?
OP, you may want to consider the closest standard (non-metric) size hole/bolt if it will be closer in diameter to the original bolt compared to next size up metric.
Last edited by Wankenstein; Oct 10, 2021 at 08:07 PM.
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Re: Snapped bolt during thermostat replacement
Originally Posted by sdaidoji
he means tap a hole so the drill/extractor does not move out of position
That makes sense. It's easy to miss that step if never attempted before.
Spraying some PB on it an hour or so before the removal attempt might help. Heating it up with a torch would help too.
I would start with the smallest drill you can, not too small so it doesn't break and slow on the rpm's. Then increase bit size just under the tap size so you don't bust the ear off the block. Have someone watch your side so you know the angle of of attack is good. Good Luck.
