Thermostat housing Bolt Snapped

[sh4rky514]

Repalcing my thermostat after check engine came on. Was loosening the bolts on the thermostat housing, the front bolt came out easy, the back bolt snapped at the head.

Am I cooked, or can I still get the thermostat housing off and then using vice grips take the bolt out? Or do I just need to take it into a shop?

It looks like there is a white substance surrounding the threads on the snapped bolt.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Oxidation... dissimilar metals do that.

If just the head twisted off... there might be enough to grab with the housing off.

Penetrating oil and some heat would help with removal.

You really don't have much to loose... if you do attempt removal... Just don't break it worse before hauling it to a repair shop.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Also, if you have a welder, you can extract even ones broken at or below the surface.

Unfortunately it’s a thing that you end up having to deal with sooner or later when you work on vehicles. Broken bolts become a way of life when you do a fair amount of work.

I’d remove the thermostat housing and assess the situation. Clean it up as best you can with a small wire brush. Put some heat to the area, one of those little plumbers torches helps here if you don’t have a big torch. I’d recommend the Mapp gas one if you don’t have a torch. Then spray the broken bolt with like the canned air for cleaning keyboards to quick cool and break the bond. You may have to try this a couple times. Wiggle it with vice grips. If it’s broken flush or where you can’t grab it with vice grips and don’t have a welder, you need to grind or file the bolt flat, center punch, drill and use a screw extractor, but you’ll still want to heat and cool and break the bond. You don’t want to break a screw extractor.