Ky944TurboNewbie

Just another broken water pump bolt problem. My studs and bolts were awful. I have the water pump out. I broke off one bolt. I still have the studs left to remove.



It looks like the best next step is to try to weld a nut on the end of my broken bolt and combined with PB Blaster and patience, see if it can be turned out. Unfortunately, I am not a welder. Can I use a torch and heat up the bolt some and after it cools use JB weld to put the nut on the end of the post? Is this a bad idea?

What is the best way to work with the remaining studs to keep them from breaking off?

Thanks,

Michael

lart951

ohh......... I feel your pain, yes try a lot of heating cycles, patience, and they MIGHT come out.

Tedro951

Welding a nut on might work, but my bet is that it would just break again just below the nut. If it were mine, I'd toss up 2 options:
1. Leave the unbroken, unbroken. Drill out the offender carefully with a cobalt bit, then chase the threads.

2. Spray all the studs, heat the block a little, tap on the end of the studs once or twice, then try to remove. Drill the ones that snap. Long day....

Again, just my opinion.

Good luck!

lart951

Yea, I was wondering why was he taking them out, just a little wire brush cleaning and they still okay.

Tedro951

I'm with Lart. The corroded studs will get replaced down the road, when the engine gets rebuilt. If it never gets a rebuild, the old studs are probably up to the task.

lart951

Now, on the other hand with that broken stud he just opened a can of worms and push that car closer to my line of work.

Tom M'Guinn

Back away, it's a mere flesh wound...


Drilling those studs is intimidating the first time, but if you use a good set of cobalt bit, it's not that bad. Center punch the stud first and then start with a very small bit, staying as centered and square as you can. Then work up to larger bits until you can't get any bigger without hitting the aluminum of the block. Then get out the rest of the steel using a tap. Even if you end up chewing up the original threads, it's just a matter of drilling it a bit bigger so that you can helicoil it back to the original M6 threads. For the non-broken ones, try a wire brush on them and see how much metal is really left before deciding whether to try pulling them. Chances are that some or all will break no matter what precautions you take, but better to break them now than after you assemble the car and are driving down a deserted highway at midnight...

Removing the radiator will help you get better drilling access...

VWaddict

Lart can wait...

lart951

Mike, what's your zip code i need to calculate auto transport cost.

Ky944TurboNewbie

Lart is circling... That vulture pic is totally earned. This car isn't that bad. Just been neglected too long. Engine has about 86,000 miles on it. Totally stock. AC is converted and cold. It needs a bunch of work, but I am in the process of a new PS rack, a rebuilt PS pump, belts rollers and all front engine seals except the camshaft seal, and obviously a water pump.

Sounds like I have to drill out the broken bolt. I am not looking for trouble so I will be cleaning up the studs and leave them alone. I have the right angle drill and the radiator fan has been removed. It is damn near impossible to get the drill hole started level and centered. I have the old pump and don't have a core charge on it. Is there anything that I can do to make a guide with the old pump to keep things centered and straight?

PorscheDoc

Since there is a bit sticking out of the block, I would take a grinder and grind the end nice and flat. This will allow you to get a good flat surface to center punch it as close as you can and start drilling. Just takes patience. If you get it a little off, you can still time-sert it no problem and just enlarge the hole slightly on the waterpump housing. No biggie.

spanky

This happened to me on both cars last summer, 2 bolts on each car. You must go very very slow with this , heat the block, spray Liquid wrench, repeat this block heating/ spray cycle 5/6/ times. Attach a small pair of vice gripes and rotate the broken bolt to the right first as if you were tightening it. reheat the block and while its still warm rotate it to the left then go back abd forth R/L. Keep applying Liq wrench spray and then heat to the block. It will come out if you take your time doing it. Good luck.

Crazy Eddie

Oh Ted
I though for sure you would have dropped that great quote you used a while back, on why one should leave those studs alone ....

Hey Tom
Why don't you tell him about that idiot you know, that just couldn't resist the temptation of trying to remove that stud ....
What Tom said is absoultly true, and I am living proof
Stud snapped and I drilled it out being careful to stay on center and then just chased the threads and replaced with a new stud ... Worked like a charm .. but then again, I had this guy who has looked death in the face and laughed, hanging over my shoulder
That sure helped
Best of luck
Ed

Chris White

Leave the old studs alone…..just like some of us on Rennlist – old studs can still get the job done!

Tedro951

Ed, I don't remember my previous "stud" quote, but I'm lucky to find my car in a grocery store parking lot!

Hot girls, and guys with an 1/8" of WP fastener showing seem to (or should) "leave those old studs alone". Exception: A smoke filled American Legion at 1:30 AM. Anything can happen....

Chris, I confess to being a fan of most music, but country plays in the shop often. "I aint as good as I once was.....but I'm as good once as I ever was" about sums it up!