MICAH HERRON

iTrader: (3)

My car is torn apart due to a timing chain and I wanted to check the oil pan for junk that may have been collected in there, well, we torq'n things to the service manual specifications, one of the pan bolts broke ! It is flush to the service and around it and under it, the bolts are all nice and snug and I thought, it should be okay, but if any of you have any ideas on how to get it out (I know take it to a machine shop), please help me out.

Thanks,

Micah

kossuth

iTrader: (12)

You said it is flush even huh? If that is the case I would pull the pan back down and see if you can get a good mark on it with a center punch. I find it hard to believe the bolt broke if you are only torquing it to 18 ft lbs like you should but hey **** happens I guess. That would be cause enough for me to consider replacing all of them. Something fatiged those bolts. Anyways, get a center punch on it and hit it a few times as close to dead center as you can. You don't want the drill bit to walk at all. I'm gonna assume you didn't bottom the threads out here. Get a reverse rotation drill bit and keeping the drill bit perfectly in line with the bolt start drilling. One of two things is gonna happen here. Bit will snag on the bolt and back it out, or you will end up drilling it out. At that point you will just have to put a helicoil in it. Hopefully it just backs out. Being you have an aluminum block you can heat the side of the block with a propane torch "no oxygen" just propane or map gas. Aluminum will expand about x2 that of steel so that will help it along as well. Don't get the seals hot though. This should get it out without too much heartache.

jyeager

After drilling a hole in the bolt you should be able to get it with an easy-out. This would not require drilling the block threads out and using a heli-coil.

You probably do need to get this bolt removed or I'd expect some oil seepage there.

blazerls1

iTrader: (23)

I broke a side main bolt while removing it?.They had never been removed until It broke.I got lucky because the threads left in were only finger tight.I just took asmall screwdriver and turned the remaining threads out...

angel71rs

^^^ agree with blazer. On valve cover bolts, oil pan bolts, a lot of times there will be no force on them with the head broken off, so you can use a sharp punch to spin them out with light taps around the outside edge. Just don't hit so hard that you peen the broken stub in place.

MICAH HERRON

iTrader: (3)

I am going to attempt the easy way out and a reverse drill bit and see if I can't get things to work out. First step of the reinstall and this had to happen.