I got a thermostat housing from Rich...
I was going to install it and started to loosen the FIRST BOLT and gave it about a 3/4 turn and it just broke right off....

This is my ONLY TRANSPORTATION and I need to know what to do ....

I know I guess I need to drill it out but, I don't have any tap's for the thread's..

Now what do I do...???

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Steve....
SmoothGT......
Custom Built W I D E B O D Y ~ GT!!

is it flush or is ne sticking out but you may end up drilling it

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thanks for telling me it showed up
im still wating for your $$ from it, to give to cliff

quote Originally posted by fiero1969: is it flush or is ne sticking out but you may end up drilling it

I just went and tried to remove the other bolt and it felt like it was going to twist-off like his brother did...
I went reeeeaaallll slow and FINALLY got it out...
WHEW!!

To answer your question, It is sticking up only about an 1/16 of an inch..

Am i in trouble...???

Ok thanks

WHEW.... lmao

Back to my problem... I have to work in the AM....

You will have to drill it out, at least partially. You can try and soak it in a good penetrating oil such as PB Blaster or Kroil. You then need to try an easy out to see if it will come out. Sears has some that will drill and remove broken bolts in one step. If that doesn't work you will need to carfully drill out most of the broken screw and try and run the correct size tap thru the hole to recut the threads. Good luck, The moral of the story here is soak the bolts before you attempt to remove them, especially if the are the original ones.

Easy out.

And if that doesn't work you will have to drill it out.
Be careful drilling it out, it is easy to get into the intake manifold too far.

quote Originally posted by avengador1: . Good luck, The moral of the story here is soak the bolts before you attempt to remove them, especially if the are the original ones.

LMAO... I know that now... I had just got the paint to dry on the new housing and was just kinda excited I guess to get it on...

I will try to drill it out and use an easy out and hopefully that will work.. I forgot I had the easyout until you mentioned it.

I already did.

Look at the other bolt for length, that's how far you have to go. But, even if you go into the water jacket in the manifold it's no big deal, just put sealer on the threads before installing the new bolt.

The most important thing is to keep the drill centered in the bold. If it gets off-center it will wallow out the aluminum pretty badly. Start with small drill bits and work your way up to larger sizes.

JazzMan

quote Originally posted by JazzMan: Look at the other bolt for length, that's how far you have to go. But, even if you go into the water jacket in the manifold it's no big deal, just put sealer on the threads before installing the new bolt. The most important thing is to keep the drill centered in the bold. If it gets off-center it will wallow out the aluminum pretty badly. Start with small drill bits and work your way up to larger sizes. JazzMan

Whew.... I am glad to see The Jazzman show up... I feel lucky!!

I started with an 1/8" bit and then went up to 1/4" and then tried the easyout... NO LUCK, it wont even budge!
I went then to a larger bit(forgot size) but it is NOW too BIG of a drilled hole for the easyout...
So I guess that I will just drill all the way down to the water jacket and put sealer on the thread's like you said!

BUT,
After I drill it out how do I get the rest of it out of the hole to RE thread it..??

Thanks Jazz for the help... Please give me a lil' more advice...lol
Pretty Please!!

This is a tough one. As you drill progressively larger holes the outer shell of the bolt will get thinner and thinner. If the holes are perfectly centered eventually just the threads will be left and you can pick them out of the aluminum threads. However, seldom does it work out that way. Eventually you will start getting aluminum shavings as you drill with larger bits because the hole is off-center of the bolt. At this point you can continue to try and pry the old bolt remnants loose and work them out, or you might end up drilling out the aluminum too, and then you'll need to helicoil the hole or drill and tap for a bigger bolt. Helicoil kits are expensive if you don't already have one, usually in the $55-70 range, so it may be much cheaper to go to a larger bolt size. As far as the depth of drilling goes, you can put tape on the drill bit at the length of the threads of the other bolt and use that as a guide to know when to stop drilling.

JazzMan

[This message has been edited by JazzMan (edited 04-03-2004).]

Thanks Jazzman, I will just keep screwing w/it until I get it... I might have to go to a larger bolt like you said...

Thanks again!
I wish I could give you ANOTHER +..lol

is the intake still ON the motor?
if so, i suggest removing it so all the shavings dont end up inside the cooling system

it will be more of a PITA, but easier to work on out of the car

Do you or someone you know have a wire welder? I usually stick a large nut over what is left of the bolt and weld them together. The heat from the weld is not enough to do any damage and will help to dislodge the offending bolt.

quote Originally posted by $Rich$: is the intake still ON the motor? if so, i suggest removing it so all the shavings dont end up inside the cooling system it will be more of a PITA, but easier to work on out of the car

I might try going ahead and removing the intake and work on it like that.... I thought about that this afternoon, but I could'nt rememberIf I had to remove the valve cover's, etc...

What do I have to remove to take the lower section off..??

ps. I had to call in work today, but I HAVE TO DRIVE THIS MONDAY!!!

Thanks for ALL the help that I have gotten from all of you guy's, I could'nt have done any of this(including building this car) without you and PFF!!!! Thanks Cliff!

[This message has been edited by NotAFieroAnyLonger (edited 04-04-2004).]

i say go get a gasket set, and take 20 min and trar it down it will be easier in the long run, i thnk the valve covers can stay on, then is a great time to inspect all vac. lines aswell but be carefuf because there brittle also get new injector O-rings, there cheep enough and inspect them aswell its not hard, just a little time consuming, but nothing you cant accomplish today providing you can get the gaskets, which shouldnt be a problem

If this should happen again, you might try a reversible drill, and a set of left twist drill bits. The thing about eazy outs is,(whoever named them never broke one off) they apply pressure to the walls of the now hollow bolt expanding it outwards and actually making it tighter in the the thread bore. I've had good luck with the left twist bits in the past. They don't always work, but it's a relief when you are drilling along, and suddenly the broken bolt comes unscrewing out on the end of the bit.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 04-04-2004).]

You'll need an intake gasket set, you'll need to pull the valve covers and the upper and middle intakes off. Most importantly you need to drain the coolant from the block.

Basically you start from the top and work your way down, it will take a good hour or two to get the intake off the car.

At this point I would consider attempting the repair on the car. The manifold will likely need to be replaced, but unless you can get one today the best bet is to get your car running and then you can plan on replacing it at a time when it's more convenient. If you manage to completely bugger the threads you can get an epoxy thread repair kit from the auto parts store. This kit comes with a release agent that you coat a bolt with, then you epoxy the bolt into the hole. When the epoxy is done you unscrew the bolt, leaving behind threads. Another alternative that you can do with JBWeld is to get a bolt, cut the head off, and JBWeld it into the hole leaving it sticking out like a stud, then use a nut on that side of the thermostat housing. As far as metal chips in the coolant go, just spread some grease around and it will catch most of the chips. The few that escape will sink to the bottom of the block and stay there, they're too heavy to do much else.

JazzMan

OK... I talked to my brother and he said I could use his Van for work tommorrow, so that is taken care of...lol WHEEEW!
I will go to the wrecking yard and pull the lower intake off of the Formula I have hidden..lol and just replace it...

Don't you think that would be easier then going through all the repair stuff..??

I just wanted to thank EVERYONE that has helped me again...
With all the help ya'll ALWAYS provide sometimes I really feel stupid..lol

Steve

Just an afterthought, when you get the "new" manifold, instead of using bolts to secure the thermostat housing when you put it back together put in a threaded stud.

I do this on all aluminum manifolds, that way there's no bolt to break off, you just unscrew the nut.

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Where will the road take you today?

That might be a good Idea...

Thanks

I'm going through this same thing. Broke the boke, tried to drill it and retap, but wasn't
sucessful. I found a used lower manifold for $20 (with bolts). If you go this route you need,
Intake Gasket set (make sure you get rubber valve cover gaskets), thermostat housing
gasket, Cold start O rings, maybe fuel injector O rings, Fuel line O rings. You will need
to remove the valve covers as the lower manifodl has the upper edge that they sit on.
There are two methods to the lower intake gasket, one is to cut them, or you will have to pull
the push rods to route them through the openings in the gasket. The gaskets I bought
actually have written on them where to cut them. Some people debate if this comprormises
the integrety of the gasket or not. If you pull the push rods, you will need to adjust the
valves afterwards. Need to drain the coolant before taking off the lower intake. 12 point
sockets are needed to pull the upper intake off. While I'm there, I going to replace the
vacume lines with stainless (just being preventative). You need to replace all the bolts in
the same spot they were taken out from. Use a piece of cardboard to put the bolts in and
note thier location for correct replacement. What a XXX just for breaking a bolt huh? I
feel your pain.

1988 GT (3.4L Push Rod - Crate Engine conversion)

just cut the gaskets, work'd well every time 4-me

quote Originally posted by NotAFieroAnyLonger: I will go to the wrecking yard and pull the lower intake off of the Formula I have hidden..lol and just replace it...

Where are you in East Texas? I have a V6 lower intake that I will give to you if you want it.

I am in Denison. Sorta North central Texas.

quote Originally posted by Larry Nakamura: I'm going through this same thing. Broke the boke, tried to drill it and retap, but wasn't sucessful. I found a used lower manifold for $20 (with bolts). If you go this route you need, Intake Gasket set (make sure you get rubber valve cover gaskets), thermostat housing gasket, Cold start O rings, maybe fuel injector O rings, Fuel line O rings. You will need to remove the valve covers as the lower manifodl has the upper edge that they sit on. There are two methods to the lower intake gasket, one is to cut them, or you will have to pull the push rods to route them through the openings in the gasket. The gaskets I bought actually have written on them where to cut them. Some people debate if this comprormises the integrety of the gasket or not. If you pull the push rods, you will need to adjust the valves afterwards. Need to drain the coolant before taking off the lower intake. 12 point sockets are needed to pull the upper intake off. While I'm there, I going to replace the vacume lines with stainless (just being preventative). You need to replace all the bolts in the same spot they were taken out from. Use a piece of cardboard to put the bolts in and note thier location for correct replacement. What a XXX just for breaking a bolt huh? I feel your pain. 1988 GT (3.4L Push Rod - Crate Engine conversion)

I don't want to go through all of that for just 1 friggin' bolt... I mean this suck's!! I might as well just do an engine swap(sound's easier)...lol
Thanks for all the information!
"+'s" to all!!