Re: Broke water pump bolt...time to pull the motor
 

I have a 92 and there is deffinatley enough room to get at it. Just take your time and drill it slowly, if you're breaking bits then you're not putting even pressure. I had to do this to a friends mercedes and there is easily as much room in a teg. Try having a friend hold the drill straight and put your hand in between the back of the drill and the strut tower so you can put even STRAIGHT pressure on the drill.

One other thing I did to keep the bit centered was take another bolt and throw the head in a vice. Then drill a small hole through the center of it and cut the head off. We threaded the rod leftover in as a sleeve into the hole with a broken bolt. it held the bit centered and probably also helped keep it from bending a little.

After you get the hole drilled in the broken bolt, spray some PB blaster in through the hole and let it soak before you try the easy out.

---- worked perfect and took only 15min max.

Re: Broke water pump bolt...time to pull the motor
 

Yeah there's a lot of little tricks to breaking fastners loose and getting broken fasners out. I'm guessing with the water pump removed the bolt is not sticking out at all? Or is there some stub left?

To help break it loose:

heat the aluminum block around the steel. Aluminum expands more then steel, so the hotter the area, the less the aluminum will pinch the bolt.
Center punch the ---- out of the bolt. The shock will help break the threads loose.
Penetrating oil like Kroil. Better, heat the ---- out of the area, then Kroil. Almost guaranteed to work.
If the stud broke off flush to the block, use a dremel to cut a notch into the bolt and then use a big screwdriver to unscrew it. Also beating on the screwdriver with it in the new slot will help break the threads loose. Try tightening it too to break them loose.
Or drill the bitch out. Center punch and then start drilling one size at a time. You have to punch it dead in the center and drill straight though.
Also, left hand drill bits. They cut in the counter clockwise direction. So once you drill it close to the size of the ID of the threads, put the next size it in, drill, and then "jam" or hang the bit and it will grab and either break or spin the bolt out.
Breaking off an easy out in the bolt won't work.

I guarantee you can fix this without pulling the motor.

Re: Broke water pump bolt...time to pull the motor
 

well thanks for the extra ideas. guess ill pull the pump this weekend and see if i can get a better angle, or hold on it. bolt is flush with the block, so wish me luck. this will be the last weekend i try to do this, then its gonna have to come out. its been on blocks in my garage for a month.

Re: Broke water pump bolt...time to pull the motor
 

Spray it down with brake cleaner to get the grease off then weld a nut to it. Just get a bigger size nut and keep the heat on the bolt and let it puddle to the nut. Its not like its a cast block and it will all weld together, it might scar the aluminum a bit but it will only stick the steel parts together. Assuming you have access to a mig...

Re: Broke water pump bolt...time to pull the motor
 

Right angle air drill with a cut off bit.

Drill a hole in the center.

hammer in a T15 Torx bit and back it out


wouldn't hurt to heat it up first either.