waynelambright

That is pure genius. Thanks for saving me the future hassles.

sstrickstein

Of course its easy for me to stand here in the Arizona desert and talk about how to remove bolts from engines that have lived a life in a 10% humidity environment. One of the reasons I moved from Michigan to Arizona some years ago was to enjoy older classic cars. I've struggled with bolts on 10 year old and up cars when I lived in Michigan.

tlister67

I recently installed the water bridge in the replacement engine and used regular hex head bolts versus Allen heads. Cleaned the holes out real well and ran bolts in and out. Hope to never touch them again.

Mrmerlin

FWIW it would be a good idea to add some PTFE pipe thread sealant to the bolt threads before installing the bolt, this will keep liquid from corroding the bolts,
same goes for the water pump bolts.

To remove the bolts,
you have drain the coolant from the block,
wire brush the remaining bolt then put a nut on the stud,
and have this welded,
then unscrew the stud.

This process works very well on these aluminum engines.
It saves damage to the block and heads.

It wouldnt hurt to try some deoxit soak prior to welding

WallyP

I have a set of Bluepoint bolt removers that differ from the normal EZ-Outs. This set includes:
- A set of specifically-sized drill bits.
- A set of hardened steel tubes that are a good fit over the broken bolt and the drill used to remove it. Each tube has a stepped hole, with two different sizes, one end fits the broken bolt, the other end fits the smaller drill bit. This holds the drill bit in the center of the bolt.
- A set of splined, hardened rods the same size as the drill bit. When the rod is driven into the drilled hole in the bolt, the raised, sharp splines bite into the inside of the drilled hole.
- A set of hardened steel fittings that look like thick black nuts with a splined hole rather than threads. The fitting slides over and intermeshes with the splines on the rod.

You use the guide and bit to drill the end of the bolt. Drive the splined rod into the hole. Slide the fitting on the rod, and apply torque.

This obviously can't apply more torque than you could with the head of the bolt, but it gives you a fighting chance after you have heated, beat and lubricated the broken bolt. Much, much better than an EZ-out or ViseGrips. And if all else fails, you have a centered hole to make drilling it out safer.

mkriete

I have been heating, applying penetrate (with clay dams), repeating. I have used vise grips and jam nuts and have not been able to turn the studs. I'm concerned about the amount of heat I am applying. I noticed that I have melted the wire sleeve for the aux air valve and cold start valve wires and melted the shielding on the Green Wire (this will be another thread), due to the proximity to the flame. I think I can clean the threads enough to get a nut back on. Now I'm trying to find someone that can make a house call and weld the nut for me.

I'm not familiar with the Bluepoint extractors. I thought, I'll get a set, then I saw "SnapOn." $$$$$$. I'll see if I can find a used set or a find a set I can borrow. If I knew the hole was centered, I would feel a lot better about drilling the bolts out.

Thanks again for a the suggestions! I'll keep you posted, though my ADHD has me off on another project, the 14 pin connector.

mkriete

If I did mention, I'm stubborn. I was waving the white flag this morning. When I got back from church, I got a new pair of vise grips, and tried on more time. Two of the bolts are out!! My vise grips were worn down and the new pair really grabbed the bolt. One left (I ran out of time). Patience is key.

I can't say thanks enough!

mkriete

Well now I've done it. I broken a drill bit off in the last bolt. I have not been able to get the last bolt to move, so I figured it was time to drill it out. I removed the mangled top of the bolt, smoothed the surface and started a nicely centered hole. I got near the bottom of the bolt and my bit sheared off. I don't want to make this situation any worse than I already have.

Here are the facts:

1. The bit I used is a 5/64 HSS bit with tungsten coating
2. I have a little less than 1/8 of a inch of bolt still exposed above the block
3. The bit broke approximately 8 mm below the top of block

I figure I have the following options:

1. Pull the engine and have machine shop drill out the bolt
2. Use a carbide drill bit and risk breaking it in the bolt as well
3. drill out and retap (or helicoil) as deep as I can. Install a shorter bolt with loctite. An 8mmx1.25 bolt generally needs to be 16.5 mm deep to achieve 22 ft-lbs of torque, so I may not get that tight, but I could probably get close. All I need is tight enough to seal. The loctite would prevent the bolt from coming loose.

Any other suggestions? Is my third option crazy?

wpgshark

I have had some success with really bound bolts by increasing the temperature difference across the bolt.

Heat the bolt and the metal surrounding it, and then put a piece of ice on the bolt only. With any luck the bolt pulls away enough to easily remove it. At the very least it should allow for more of whatever you're applying to seep down.

This method also works well with frozen ball joints.

Good luck,

Lance

mkriete

Look mom, no leaks!
I finally loaded it on a trailer and took it to a mechanic. He welded a nut on the end and removed the bolt. The threads were gone, so he replaced it with a helicoil.

For first time, I don't have coolant leak! The engine temperature is finally where it should be!

Thanks you again for all the great advice