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Seized water pump bolts
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:05 pm
by oz_toffa
My '72 Chev Luv has leaking water seal and i want to replace the pump.
As you would expect from monkey mechanics, no sealing gasket material was used on the bolts and they are all seized solid!!!
any suggestions for lub spray apart from WD-40 or RP-7 as i would like to get it off with minimum damage.
Thanks
OZ
Re: Seized water pump bolts
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:20 pm
by KJB
Cente pop,drill and easy out...not a job to look forward to but at least you get a fair bit of self satisfaction IF it all works OK.........
KB
Re: Seized water pump bolts
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:37 pm
by redback
I try and drill all the way through the bolt and get some WD40 in behind - just be careful. Then some good easy outs.
If that fails keep drilling bigger and bigger until what is left of the bolt falls or is coaxed out.
Cheers
Neil
Re: Seized water pump bolts
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:14 am
by oz_toffa
its actualy worse than that, guys.
the heads snapped off 1-2mm away from the top of the bolt. The full length is seized in the old pump alloy housing
think i will need to drill holes thru the pump alloy down to the bolts and then spray lub like crazy
have easy outs and tap and die set to remove the last of the rubbish
just will be a slow careful process me thinks
Thanks for the feedback
OZ
Re: Seized water pump bolts
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 2:56 am
by 1968GT
Have you been able to remove the pump if it is the bolts head that have snapped off?
If so you may have to take/grind the bolts back to the block before you try the easy outs and drilling process etc, BUT CAREFUULY.

or

Re: Seized water pump bolts
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:20 pm
by JT191
I have found that easy-outs just leave a broken piece of very hard metal stuck int he middle of the broken bolt.
Because it sounds like the bolt is broken off in a piece that is aluminum, I hesitate to suggest this...
Cut the bolt perpendicular, leaving a little bit of a stump exposed above the threaded hole.
Use a center punch to create a dimple in the center of the cut surface.
Drill down the center of the bolt with small drill bits, working up in size to 3/16 inch, or as large as it can safely be drilled without getting too close to the threads.
Using a 1/8 inch cylindrical die grinder bit in a dremel moto tool, gradually enlarge the hole until the base of the threads begins to be exposed inside the hole (heat from drilling and removed material relieves stress).
Sometimes the entire drilled bolt will back out if the exposed shaft is turned with a pair of pliers.
Use a dental pick and a pair of needle nose pliers to wind the remaining bolt threads out of the hole as if winding a piece of wire. Sometimes a large section of bolt will back out once the end is wrapped around the needle nose pliers and turned counter clockwise.
Use a starting tap if large pieces remain down in the hole. It is possible to get the larger pieces attached to the end of the tap and back them out the hole.
Run a bottoming tap into the hole to clean out the small pieces and restore the threads.
The problem with aluminum is that extreme care must be taken when grinding the inside of the bolt, because the aluminum is a lot softer than steel, and it's too easy to grind thorough the side of the threads and off into the soft metal surrounding the bolt.