robertwheeler Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 I noticed I was losing a lot of coolant and it seemed to be coming from the general direction of the rear part of the thermostat housing. I didnt realize until After the damage was done that it was the hose in the back that goes up to the turbo thing on the top of the engine that was dry rotted and cracked. The front most bolt snapped off hard.... normally this is a non issue with me and not a problem. There was a good 1/8 of an inch on top and I tried to turn it with the vise grips.... no good... I tried an easy out but i think I picked one too small and it shattered in the hole i had drilled. At the moment I have it sorta glued together with gasket sealer and it has the barest seep... its night time... cant do much in the dark and we do need to get around. There are several options.. but i'm too aggravated to do much of anything now anyway. This bolt is in major tight.. even heating it with propane didnt loose it... and the part on top is getting smaller.... I think my best bet would be to take a cold chisel to it and cut it down flush and then I have two or 3 things that could work.... If the busted part of the easy out comes out I can re drill for a larger easy out and try that again... I don't think I drilled far enough anyway. Looking at the housing I don't think i have to over worry about drilling too far,, as the hole is isolated from coolant anyway.... and that brings me to option 2 .. drill as much of the bolt out as I can... try to salvage the original threads or Option 3 drill it all the way.. but not through the timing cover... and then get a longer bolt from the top and a nut over the timing cover.... a bit of care with washers up top should make this workable without doing a job on the timing cover. This has to have happened before.. bi metal corrosion... how did you deal with it? Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Your best bet is to go buy a helicoil kit from a local autoparts store. Drill and helicoil it and it'll work fine. Since there's like 10 helicoil inserts in a package and since that bolt is a common size on Subaru engines, you'll be using it for a lot more then just the thermostat housing. I got a set and have used it on a lot of intake manifold bolts that go into the head. Everything from an EA82T to a gen 1 EA71. Worth the money IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Drill and tap it to the next size up - go with a standard rather than the next metric and it should be fine. Cheaper than the heli-coil, but either would work. I do that for a lot of bolts - especially the exhaust studs. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertwheeler Posted April 1, 2006 Author Share Posted April 1, 2006 There is something to be said for both options. Helicoils cost more but work great and on the other hand... I have never tapped aluminum before.. can it be tricky? This car has a lot wrong with it.. i mainly got it cause my brother was going to junk it anyway... Cv Shafts front (both) , brakes , 2 tires , at least one ball joint... lots of small things... but I dont like the way the chassis looks in the front... But Im grateful for the comment's Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 1, 2006 Share Posted April 1, 2006 Yeah - you can tap AL easy - do it all the time for the exhaust studs. Works quite well. A bigger bolt will not break as easily either. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertwheeler Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 This might sound a bit silly but I don't have a set of taps or bits. I think that the size might be 5/16 and thread up to me.... Does anyone who has done this know what size bit and tap to use? As for the job itself... its in an almost ridiculously easy place to tap.. long as I can figure what tools I need Thanks Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 This might sound a bit silly but I don't have a set of taps or bits. I fix stripped holes with the helicoils. The kit comes with a tap and i think the drill also - or at leat the recomended size. Car parts stores like NAPA also have individual taps for sale, a lot of the ones I have came with recomended drill size info. http://WWW.mscdirect.com has all kinds of tools, bits, taps, also. Get some anti seize compound. Put it on bolts before re assembly. I never had one stick a second time. Even the timing belt covers. Be careful on tourqueing, sometimes it lets the bolts turn too easily while tightening, makeing the bolt tension higher than desired. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertwheeler Posted April 6, 2006 Author Share Posted April 6, 2006 It isnt the tool's thats the problem.... its the money As much as I would love to get the helicoils or a full set of tap's and bits... I have to save a dollar or 2 incase the motor falls out next week. What I really need is a suggested size of tap and matching bit.. to minimize the outflow of money I dont have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 here's the easiest way to remove a stuck bolt. lay a nut on top of the bolt and weld it onto the remaining stud. yes it's tricky depending on space, but it works well and saves time. had you not bunged it up and reduced it's length this should have worked. NEVER USE EZ OUTS. they suck for this vary reason. all dozen...you'd think i'd learn....have broken. they should be illegal. do not try another one, it will do the same unless you're really lucky. i think the success rate of EZ outs is about 10 percent. and those 10 percent probably would have come out with vice grips or something. drill it out. once you drill down half way or so it will likely be enough to finally slide the thermostat housing up off the remaining stud. at that point, you should have enough to weld a nut to. then you can use a socket wrench on the nut. otherwise drill it out and helicoil if you can't weld. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertwheeler Posted April 13, 2006 Author Share Posted April 13, 2006 My lashup is holding pretty well.... another hose is giving out.... the one that is directly behind the thermostat housing... going up and down... A fairly easy fix if I pop the top off the turbo... I might even to be able to just cut the end for now. What a mess of hoses. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montana Derek Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Yeah - you can tap AL easy - do it all the time for the exhaust studs. Works quite well. A bigger bolt will not break as easily either. GD I know this is an old tread, but after researching archived treads, this one appears to address what I'm currently dealing with. My engine is an EA81 and the top part of the lower thermostat bolt snapped off. I was able to slip off the the housing. I wish I could weld a nut to the remaining part of the stuck stud, but I don't have access to a welder. To make matters worse, I used a chisel and a hammer to try to cut a notch on the top part of the stud (in order to use a flat head to unscrew). Well, the chisel slipped off and slammed the block the housing bolts to, and now I see a crack. I will take a photo and upload. I need advice. I think my easiest option is to use a dremmel, and cut off the portion of the stud sticking out and re-tap. What do you think? I really like this little brat and the engine runs so good. I don't want to screw anything up any worse. There's an independent subaru shop here in Billings, and I'm thinking of just having them help me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montana Derek Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Ok, here is a picture of my current situation. Will that crack above the stud cause coolant to leak out? Is there a sealer or epoxy I can use to coat the crack no nothing leaks out? GD, if you read this, what size tap should I use to drill this out? [/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djellum Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 cutting it off and then drilling and tapping threads is probably the best all around option. when you say "crack" do you mean the chisel mark or an actual crack in the manifold? if the manifold is cracked then i would probaly replace it. the problem with cracks is that even if they dont affect things now, they will grow over time. the manifold shouldnt be expensive or exceptionally difficult to replace. if you cant find a manifold or really want to fix this one, you have to grind (dremel will work) the crack until you have completely removed it, then fill the remaining cavity. Really though with the work it takes to fix the crack you would likely remove the manifold anyway. If its just a chisel mark or you want to chance it and see if it works, Id just dremel it a bit to give you some space and put whatever form of aluminum putty substance you can find in there. just make sure the top gets smooth so you dont affect the gasket seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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