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chaneyclan
New User
Jun 22, 2012, 8:00 PM
Post #1 of 4
(4851 views)
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Have a 2002 chrysler town and country 3.8 litre engine. While taking water pump off, i broke two of the bolts and cannot get them out. Any suggestions? Cannot reach them with an easy out or drill.
It is the top one and the bottom one, 3 left.
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Sidom
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jun 22, 2012, 8:24 PM
Post #2 of 4
(4823 views)
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Those can be accessed with a drill. A 90 degree drill will get in there or you can take a motor mount loose and raise or lower the engine to make it more accessable for a regular drill.
If the bolt were just plain rusted & not crossthreaded, it would be best to soak them with PB penetrating oil for a while. While not easy to find, a lefthanded drill bit works real good on broken rusty bolts since it is spinning in the opposite direction, I have had ones just pull the bolt out I was drill after a good soaking. You want make sure you center punch the bolt so the bit is drilling the exact center of the bolt because if the bit doesn't get it out & an ez out doesn't work either then you last option is to drill the bolt out & insert a heli-coil.
Good luck......one thing to consider, if you don't have the proper tools to do this, it would be best to tow it to a place that does because once you start drilling & tapping, if you aren't exact, you might just wind up costing yourself double, triple or more if you do have to take it to a shop.
Removing broken bolts is bad enough but when someone has gone in and messed it up, it makes it way harder and the labor price usually reflects that....
(This post was edited by Sidom on Jun 22, 2012, 8:25 PM)
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jun 22, 2012, 8:26 PM
Post #3 of 4
(4819 views)
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Those are a PITA. Had one 2 weeks ago that the customer attempted to replace the water pump and snapped off three bolts. The puny 6mmx1.0 bolts that break are usually mechanically welded because the holes they screw into aren't blind. The end of the bolts are exposed to the weather and due to dissimilar metal contact they weld themselves to the aluminium.
You can probably get a right angle drill in there, but forget about using an easy out. The best thing to do is drill out the broken bolt(s) making the hole one size bigger and re-tapping it for a larger bolt. I suggest using studs and nuts instead of bolts as a replacement fastener. If you can get the cover off and on a drill press, your holes will be a lot prettier and you won't have to worry about a hand held drill walking off the broken bolt.
On the vehicle we repaired, we ended up removing the timing cover to drill out the broken bolts.
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Jun 22, 2012, 8:30 PM)
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zmame
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jun 23, 2012, 11:40 AM
Post #4 of 4
(4760 views)
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I would suggest welding a nut on to the remaining bolt if it's flush or protruding a little first (if possible). If that fails then I would drill it out.
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