At my wits end. Water pump just will not come out - 3rd attempt..

[SteveRosenow]

I've decided that I am going to give this a final try before sending it to a shop to have it done. I am going to try using my angle grinder to pop the heads of the bolts off that are stuck and try to remove the rest.

We shall see how this goes!

 

[SteveRosenow]

UPDATE! WATER PUMP IS OUT!!!

Now the conundrum.... How to get the timing cover off! The two studs in question are being a PITA!

Any suggestions?

 

[410Fortune]

weld a nut to them and then try to turn them out back and forth slowly
work some lubricant in there if possible

 

[SteveRosenow]

I don't have a welder. I wish I did but...

 

[koda2000]

Would these work?

SBF Timing Cover Dowel Set 302 5.0 289 351W 260 331 347 Ford V8 351 852670999333 | eBay

Also, I saw a video where the guy cut threads inside of a dowel pin, screwed in a bolt an pulled the pin out with vice grip attachment on a slide hammer.

 

[Turdle]

see if some brake fluid thru a syringe will creep up into the threads. With a vice grips and hammer taps, can you get any movement at all in either direction? ( wait for brake fluid to work first, maybe even overnight or a few hours. Brake fluid should get int there and soften any corrosion.

 

[Josh P]

A right angle drill attachment and a hammer drill, bolt extractor socket.

 

[SteveRosenow]

UPDATE:

I finally achieved success after basically manhandling the A/C and P/S pump bracket (with devices attached, and that was a nightmare) out of the way so I could get the angle grinder in there. Let me tell you, that was no easy task as it is extremely heavy and extremely difficult to move with the A/C and P/S lines still attached!

After I cut away enough of the timing cover housing to get about 1/4" of bolt exposed for the entire length, I blasted it with PB, heated it up from inside the water jacket, then blasted it again with PB and then took a tire iron and pried it right off the block.

I did note the timing chain set needs to be replaced, but that will have to wait another day.

Now it's off to the wrecking yard to see if I can scrounge up the two bolts I need to finish this job. I hope they have them, and that they won't be as difficult! If not, it's off to a hardware store.

 

[crunchie_frog]

Bolts are 5/16" 18 tpi, grade 5. Take care in getting the gasket surfaces clean, the pieces will want to fall straight down towards the oil pan, where you will want to stuff with rags. You probably could pick up a timing chain set at the local auto parts for less than $50, replacement time is short, < 1 hr. Use black, high temp RTV, when putting the cover back on and put the bottom end in first. When I have done this job, I set the cork gaskets on the bottom of the timing cover (or the oil pan) the day before (using the oil pan bolts to be sure they were perfectly aligned). Attached is a link with a video of a fellow that knows what he is doing relative to reassembly, though it is on an engine stand and oil pan removed.... There are also videos out there with engine in using the cork gaskets like this one but his fellow is not nearly as careful as the first one. .

Good luck...

 

[koda2000]

Be sure to use sealant on the W/P bolts where they screw into the water jackets and I'd apply anti-seize liberally to the bolts shafts were they go through the timing cover.

 

[SWIGIN]

UPDATE:

I finally achieved success after basically manhandling the A/C and P/S pump bracket (with devices attached, and that was a nightmare) out of the way so I could get the angle grinder in there. Let me tell you, that was no easy task as it is extremely heavy and extremely difficult to move with the A/C and P/S lines still attached!

After I cut away enough of the timing cover housing to get about 1/4" of bolt exposed for the entire length, I blasted it with PB, heated it up from inside the water jacket, then blasted it again

Do you see where this should have been the first way you attacked it? If you left the bolt heads on you could have simply used a socket to twist the bolt out once you freed it from the timing cover.

 

[410Fortune]

@SWIGIN you leave me confused?

You cannot leave the bolt heads on and remove the water pump and timing cover....the problem is the bolts wont turn instead they snap off. Then you have to pry the water pump over the broken stud followed by the timing cover.. so you are left with just a small metal stud sticking out and you have to try and extract that.....there are no bolt heads to turn? Unless you weld one on, even then they usually just twist and snap again...

 

[koda2000]

@SWIGIN you leave me confused?

You cannot leave the bolt heads on and remove the water pump and timing cover....the problem is the bolts wont turn instead they snap off. Then you have to pry the water pump over the broken stud followed by the timing cover.. so you are left with just a small metal stud sticking out and you have to try and extract that.....there are no bolt heads to turn? Unless you weld one on, even then they usually just twist and snap again...

Maybe he's saying to cut away the timing cover over the frozen bolts before attempting to force the bolts loose? Easier said than done.

 

[410Fortune]

hmmmm I might try that next time
With the engine on a stand I usually am able to save the timing cover and extract the broken bolts.
With the engine in the truck cutting those parts that detailed so the bolt heads stay in place? That would be some serious surgery!

Also if you need to dig this deeply into the front of your engine, go ahead and disco the power steering and unbolt the AC compressor, leave just the AC compressor hanging and use a ratchet strap to hold it up and out of your way......

 

[SteveRosenow]

Do you see where this should have been the first way you attacked it? If you left the bolt heads on you could have simply used a socket to twist the bolt out once you freed it from the timing cover.

Except that was the first way I attacked it when I tried this exact operation a month ago. If those bolt heads snap, the only other way is to surgically remove both water pump and timing cover out by cutting into them with an angle grinder.

That was what I had to do.

 

[koda2000]

Except that was the first way I attacked it when I tried this exact operation a month ago. If those bolt heads snap, the only other way is to surgically remove both water pump and timing cover out by cutting into them with an angle grinder.

That was what I had to do.

Hey, you stuck with it and got-er-done. No shame in that. Hind sight is always 20/20. There's no point in second guessing what you might have done differently that could have saved you some time. Earlier in this thread I said that at some point in some of my projects I just decide to do whatever is necessary, what I call "going mid-evil on it" to move forward.

If in the future you ever have to repeat this repair (I certainly hope you never have to) you'll know what to do and not do. If you never do this repair maybe you can offer advice to another newbie.

 

[SWIGIN]

@SWIGIN you leave me confused?

You cannot leave the bolt heads on and remove the water pump and timing cover....the problem is the bolts wont turn instead they snap off. Then you have to pry the water pump over the broken stud followed by the timing cover.. so you are left with just a small metal stud sticking out and you have to try and extract that.....there are no bolt heads to turn? Unless you weld one on, even then they usually just twist and snap again...

Koda gets it,

If your going to cut off the bolt heads and then weld a nut on your just doing busy work. Rape and pillage the timing cover first then work the bolts out and if they break you can still weld a nut on but why do that first?

 

[410Fortune]

I am sure the day will come again where I will give this method a go!!

Thanks for the tips fellas

Now lets see how this gets resolved, still two broken studs.