So I changed my thermostat and radiator hose today, fill it up with coolant, and it's looking good, til I turn it off and it starts dripping again. At first I assumed it was the thermostat I just installed, but I saw that the drips were coming out of the bottom of the water pump. I pull out the battery and try tightening the bottom bolt. It felt loose so I hoped maybe it just needed tightening. I go and tighten all the bolts and try the bottom on bolt one more time and it snaps in half and stuck in the water pump. I put the battery back in and started it up again and realized the leak is actually coming from the pulley wheel of the water pump. So it looks like my water pump seal is bad and I need a new one, AND the bottom bolt is broken off inside the water pump, AND my car drips, AND I just put new coolant in AGAIN. I have a bolt extraction kit but the bolt looks hard to reach since it's the bottom one. I think I may be able to get it out, but not 100% sure. Also I need a water pump bolt to replace it. I am pissed right now. Where can I find a replacement water pump bolt! I think it is the shorter bolt.

 

This is the location of the broken water pump bolt. I used Patterson's picture for referrence. My water pump is still on there with the broken bolt in it. I ordered a new pump, but need to get ahold of some new bolts and hopefully get that broken one removed without damaging the threads.

 

I was wondering, could I remove the water pump housing as well and pull the whole pump out so I have better room to extract the bolt? Since it is at the bottom of the water pump, the space is a little crammed. I may be able to get a drill bit in there but I don't think I will have a totally straight shot at it because of the stuff in the way under the battery area. Just wondering if I could pull the whole assembly out or if I'll have to work on it in the engine.

 

I've been reading some tips on how to remove broken bolts. It is probably sheared off right at where the water pump sits against the housing. I think removing the housing might be too difficult, not sure though. I could probably start a hole in the bolt with a dremel then maybe hand twist the extractor bit in there with a rachet if I can't get a drill to fit. Not sure if I should try to remove the bolt tomorrow or wait til I get the water pump and replacement bolts. Probably should get a few extra just in case any others are broken.

 

If you sheared off the head of the bottom bolt, then removing the others will permit
the water pump to be removed. At that point it will look like the picture with perhaps
a stub sticking out.

Otherwise, you can cut the head off and proceed as above.

ps. some formatting would be easier on the eyes.

 

04xtype04, as for the bolt, getting a new one may be as easy as a trip to Lowes/Home Depot/etc. Otherwise, I can garantee you can get a new bolt through a place like Fastenal. You can take in one of your old bolts and based on the markings on the bolt, they can get you an exact match. You can always do a trip to the dealership too. They should have the bolts sitting on their shelves. just not sure what that would cost you.

As for getting the bolt out, it will really depend on what you have to start with. If you have a little nub sticking out that you can get a set of vice grips on to, then give it a good squirt with PB Blaster or other rust removing agent and then hopefully you can simply spin it out without having to drill anything.

If it broke off flush or slightly below, then you are going to end up having to drill down through the bolt and then use some sort of extractor to pull the remaining part of the bolt out. If you are good, you can drill down the center and slowly work your way up in size and then simply use a tap to clean out the remaining threads. But, where the bolt is, that is going to be easier said than done.

If you have a stub sticking out, you may want to also run by Sears and check out their "rounded nut removal tool". This would work to grab ahold of the shaft and then help work it out. It will cost you about $40 for the kit, but it will be useful for other projects where you need to remove problem nuts.