I am trying to replace the thermostat on my 95 E150 5.0 liter and ran into a huge snag. The bottom thermostat bolt head broke off as I was trying to untighten it! Anyone who is familiar with the 5 liter V8 will know the bottom bolt is very difficult to access. You have the waterpump in front and the A/C compressor on the right side.

I got the thermostat housing with the thermo out but now I have the threaded stud just sitting there. So how do I remove it? Go to Home Depot and buy on of those screw extractor bits, when there is no room for a drill? Any advice would be great as I need the van to get to my first day of a new job tommorow and can't screw it up even further.

 

If you have enough threads stickin out, try to get visegrips on it. If not you will have to remove anything in the way to drill it out. You will need easyouts to remove it after that. If you cant get it out with those, then you will have to drill it and re tap the hole to a larger size or use a heli coil. Good luck Mush

 

Pls do not take this the wrong way -- and sorry for being Monday-morning quarterback -- if you work outside -- winter is not a good time to work with bolts on hot/cold metal parts. Maybe it is me, but I have broken way too many things this way.... I am sure -- you were probably freezing your **** off and had to do it.

Mush is 100% correct in everything he advised.

 

If it's broke off flush or below the gasket surface you are basically stuck drilling it out.

If you can't get on it with a drill you have two choices.

One pull the upper and lower intake off the engine so you can work on it. The second would be to tear down the whole front of the engine until you can get to it. Which could mean pulling the balancer and timing cover too. Personally even though it's a pain I'd pull the intake manifolds off.

 

If there's enough room to get a right angle air drill in there, they're alot smaller, what you could do is try to file it or grind it flat enough to punch enough of a divot to hold a bit, drill it out and use an easy out. Maybe some heat to pursuade it with the easy out. Good luck.

 

If you have a "stud" sticking out...heat the area around the stud with a torch and spray some penetrating oil on it while still hot.Get a "stud-extracter"...it works off a 3/8 or 11/2 dr rachet.It grips the stud with a serated cam.It will remove it easily.The tool may cost a few bucks ,but will save alot of time .If there is not enough stock for the tool to grab onto...try a 4" or 6" pipe wrench with a "cheater".It wont slip like a vise-grip will and will grab tighter as pressure is applied.

 

First off I'd like to thank everyone for helping me out..

Rick1020 your idea is great but there is no room to even turn a stud extractor or pipe wrench more than maybe 3 inches because the A/C comp is on the right and alternator is on the left. (I tried) And you can not put any kind of socket onto the stud from the front because the water pump is blocking access there. Heck even when the bolt was in intact it was very hard to get a wrench on it and actually be able to apply enough force to turn it.

So it looks like my only resort is to pull the upper and lower manifolds like FordMan suggested. Any tips for that? I know I have to go from the top of the engine and remove the intake, distributor, and all that stuff right?

 

The drama continues, I called a mechanic and he came out and removed the bolt. So today I go to put the new thermostat in with new gasket and bolts. Filled up the radiator with fresh coolant and I hear a pissing sound, look under the van and its pouring coolant out the thermostat housing. I am at my wits end, I seem to have the reverse Midas touch.

I dropped the thermostat cover before reinstalling it and a little edge broke off, could that be why it's leaking so much? Now what should I do?

 

You may have cracked it. They're aluminum or pot metal and don't bounce very well. I'd tell you to go to a yard and get one but the pattern will probably continue and you'll have a bolt break there also. Unless they'll take it off for you and then you're golden! Could you get a replacement at Advance, NAPA or Carquest?

You wouldn't happen to be related to Murphy would you? You know the one that made the law that if anything can possibly go wrong it will?

 

If the housing is busted you have to replace it.

 

How much did he charge i have the same issue here.

 

If the bolt is broken off "flush" go get another good used lower intake. If the t-stat bolts are snapping off, the lower intake is eat up with corrosion (around the water ports where they mate with the cylinder heads) and in need of replacement anyway.