Well, things were going well. I removed the old manifold and had worked out all but one of the old studs (the top one, toward the rear). This stud had broken away, past the point of being flush even, so I decided to drill a hole and use an extractor bit to remove it. I couldn't get a grip on it so I moved up a bit size. Foolishly and unthinkingly, I bore about an inch farther than I should have and pierced into the coolant system! And with that, the project ground to a halt.
I quickly got some containers to collect the coolant and opened the drain plug to drain the entire system.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can plug this hole? I'm thinking I could work a tapered plug up in there coated with some kind of sealant to block any leaks. I'm also thinking I may have to tow my truck to the salvage yard after this stunt.
Any suggestions here would be more than appreciated.
First of all get the hole cleaned up and threaded. Use a new stud to judge how deep you have to work with. Make sure it is threaded slightly deeper than the length of the stud that screws in. Put some high temp. red RTV on the threads and screw it in tight. I have worked on engines that have by design bolts that enter water jackets. Just a dab of sealant worked fine.....that's all the books say to do. Good Luck!
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98 Ford F-150.4.6.4x4. Extended Cab 8' Box
2000 Mustang Gt, Black on Black, 100% stock
That's a bummer. I take it you didn't measure a new stud for drill depth? What Spotty suggested should work just fine. Make sure the hole is nice and dry and squeeze some up there.
Geez, there's so many things wrong with what I did! All I needed to do was measure a stud to get my drill depth right, like 00GT said. Instead, I went medieval on the thing, probably because I was ten hours into the job and getting impatient. Rule #1: if you're getting frustrated to the point where you may do something to cause injury to yourself or the thing you're working on, stop. Take a breather. Collect yourself. Return to your work station refreshed and take it easy, Rome wasn't built in a day. :-)
I didn't have any luck with the extractor bit(s). I haven't yet successfully removed any bolt with them. The kit I bought didn't come with any sort of driver, so maybe that's the problem; I've just been clamping on a set of vise grips.
Anyway, thanks a bunch for the quick responses, and the suggestions. I'd be lost without y'all. :-)
Spotty: I'm not quite clear on your suggestion. Are you saying I need to thread a plug in first, then the stud for the manifold? At any rate, I'll need to cut new threads and get the proper sized bolt/stud, right?
Spotty: I'm not quite clear on your suggestion. Are you saying I need to thread a plug in first, then the stud for the manifold? At any rate, I'll need to cut new threads and get the proper sized bolt/stud, right?
What I would do is get a stud that does not have a collar on it like the replacement studs that way it will bottom out in the hole and plug your leak with rtv. You said 10hrs! You must be stressed out! Did you grind the heads off?
Yeah, I grinded them off. I had to, they were too corroded to unscrew (I tried, anyway, before going for the grinder). The top ones were easy with my big grinder. The bottom ones, tucked away under each of the pipes of the manifold, were trickier.
It took some time but I managed to grind away two of them with my Dremel extension and a grinding bit (not particularly efficient). Then I used my grinder to eat straight through the manifold to reach the other heads! If I was doing it again, I'd just use the grinder to saw right through the manifold to reach the bottom ones.
So I'm off to get a tap and die kit tomorrow (and some high-temp. RTV!). I've never used a tap and die kit so I think I'll do a practice run before I tap out the hole in the engine block. I do have a basic understanding of how it's done, thanks to YouTube!
Should I tap out the entire length of the hole I drilled? I'm thinking the new stud should end, say, one quarter inch from where I punctured the coolant line. I'll use a liberal amount of RTV so as to get a good, tight seal. Or should I tap the full length?
Any more thoughts before I go ahead?
I would put some on the threads and just a small amount on the end of the stud before you put it in....I would have to guess that you punctured right into one of the water jackets and you don't want to put to much RTV in the back of the stud hole and have it push into the jacket and block it off, then you'll have some hot spots in that particular cylinder.
Rich
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Current
2001 F150 SuperCrew 4x4 XLT
Hey, I'm just waiting on a tap and die set. A guy I know is going to loan me a kit, hopefully I'll have it today.
Still not clear on my attack plan because it's been about a week since I've been out to the garage ("ground zero" ).
Bear with me here while I go over a few things. This is new territory for me.
Assuming I haven't scored any wider than the existing threads, I should be able to tap out the hole and still use the studs I got from Ford. Yes?
Hang on though, I drilled about an inch farther than I should have.....maybe that's not such a big deal, provided I use the RTV and the stud is threaded perfectly (i.e. no leaking).
It's possible I'll have to re-drill using a bigger drill bit, in order to have a clean, uniform hole to tap new threads. If this is the case, I'll need to get a wider stud (an auto parts store whould have them....or a machine shop).
Is any of this making any sense?
Go slow again go slow when u get 2 the tapping use oil.... Motor oil if u have to but tapping fluid/oil liberally on the tap turn 1/4 to 1/2 a turn at a time then back off a bit to break off the metal if it gets stuck remove tap slowly and blow out hole and start again. R the taps straight flute ... If they are then above strategy if spiral flute then no need to back off when u r tapping. Also mae sure u r square to the hole when u r tapping to b able to install the manifold after u screw in the studs. Other than that good luck and don't put a lot of torque on the tap because it will break and that is a pain...
OK, appreciate the responses. Slow and steady wins the race! I was out at the garage today for a bit and took a look. I remember now that when I drilled the hole I couldn't get square with the drill because there was too much stuff in the way (non-removeable stuff ). So now I'm thinking that I may have skewed the original hole off square a bit, which might be a problem (I'm hoping this isn't the case!).
The red, high-temp. RTV you mentioned is, I am assuming, the same stuff that I just purchased: gasket maker. RTV must be a brand name? The stuff I bought is labelled "Sensor-safe, red, high-temp gasket maker", made by Permatex. Same goop, right?
Also, I just bought a tap and die set from Canadian Tire. I couldn't resist because it was half-price: a nice, Titanium-coated, 46 piece set for 69.99 (regularly priced @ 139.99).
So we'll see how she goes!
I know GT I know but sometimes it cant be said enough.... anyways im a Machinist/Industrial Mechanic and ive broken my fair share of taps and drills. Anyways dont forget the tapping Fluid/oil when you do the job and yes you may have some problems with alighnment if you didnt drill straight. Not alot you can do abt it now....maybe if it os not to far out of alignment you may be ok otherwise you may have to drill out the manifold bolt hole some to take up the alignment issue.
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). So now I'm thinking that I may have skewed the original hole off square a bit, which might be a problem (I'm hoping this isn't the case!).
. Anyways dont forget the tapping Fluid/oil when you do the job and yes you may have some problems with alighnment if you didnt drill straight
. Not alot you can do abt it now....maybe if it os not to far out of alignment you may be ok otherwise you may have to drill out the manifold bolt hole some to take up the alignment issue.
