Guys,

Thanks in advance for the help, I'm in a bit of a predicament and looking for help. I have a 98' expedition, 4.6, 4whl-drive. I've had a slow transmission leak for a few months now. Late Sunday I noticed a big puddle, and a solid stream of fluid coming out... I thought it was the pan gasket, but after replacing it I noticed that the transmission extension shaft was loose (piece between trans and transfer case).

When I dug into it further (i.e. completely disassembled down to transfer case removed) I found that the top 2 bolts were missing (one's broken off flush), and two of the bottom 4 were snapped of in the transmission (1 thread of engagment, and the remainder is stuck in the trans).


As I sit here today, my expedition is down, and I have 3, of 6 transmission extension bolts snapped off flush, or slight recessed in the transmission.

HAS anyone seen this issue / fixed it?!!?!? What advise can anyone give? My plan is to try and drill a small hole, and use an easy out... but the bolts are small, and the trans is in a tough spot.

Also, where can I find replacement bolts?

Any advice is appreciated.

 

Bump, I called the local Ford dealer today and they said they couldn't get bolts anymore, and that the gasket may be hard to locate as well. I have to call back tomorrow with the VIN.

I'll try to keep this thread updated, but still looking for any similar stories / experiences.

 

Check your u-joints and trailing arms. If those bolts broke I would be looking into why.

 

U-Joints are in good shape, right rear lower control arm is rotted through (just noticed when I was under there). I'll be replacing that at the same time.

 

Update:

I've been working between the rainstorms... but so far the following things have not worked:

1) Welding to the bolts - I tried this several times, every time the nut twisted off before the bolt came out.

2) Easy Out - My Snap-On easy out snapped off in the bolt....

Drilling 2, of the 3 holes has worked... but the threads are mangled, so I bought a heli-coil kit.

Drilling the bolt with the snapped off easy out has been tough... I'm making slow progress. During the most recent rain storm I ran down the street and picked up a tungsten carbide bit for the dremel... hopefully it rips through the easy out.

EDIT:

I also went to the local ford dealer... they wanted $500 for both lower control arms. I decided to buy some on ebay, and if I get the trans extension finished tomorrow I'll use some plate steel to "fix" the lower control arm while I await the new one.

For the record, FORD should use never-seize on the bolts before they're threaded into aluminum... or even better, they should just use heli-coils from the start.

 

Dremel Tool Worked!!!

I'm still buttoning up the truck, but I ran the truck and checked for leaks.

I'll leave a more detailed post when i finish up.

 

Update: I changed the trans fluid and filter today. I figured it was a safe bet after drilling, tapping, welding, etc...

I got some small metal flakes out, but everything was fine. I also had the pleasure of swapping out lower control arms. Every bolt was seized to the sleeve... I got one side out without too much hassle (aka 5lb hammer & persistence), but the other side needed to be cut out.

Overall, the truck drives / shifts better than it has in a long while.

If you ever have to put lower control arms in... DON'T BUY THEM FROM THE DEALER, search eBay, I bought a set for $120 shipped. Not only do they look better than OEM, but they fit perfectly.

 

Hey I'm having the same exact trouble. What bolts size bolts did you use to replace the ones that broke off? My U joints are bad on my 1997 expedition so I'm changeing those as well

 

They were M8 x 1.25, metric equivalent of Grade 8 (I think they have a 10.9 on the head). I picked them up at the local hardware store for ~ $1.50 per. The lengths vary, so make sure you take measurements, or buy a few different lengths.

 

Thanks for the fast response. My easy out broke off into one of the holes today. Man its rough. I'm glad you finished yours. I'm trying to finish mine but got work this week so I'll update you on progress. Got 5 of the six holes ready for rethreading. Just slowly working on hole number 6.

 

I feel your pain. This took me the better part of two weekends, including the installation of the new lower control arms.

Good Luck! lemme know how you make out, or if you have any questions.

 

I know this an old thread but I am having the same issue except it was the top two bolts that have sheared off. I haven't dropped anything yet because I wanted to try to get them out with out taking out the transfer case. Do you think this is possible? Also what did you do with your dremmel to get the bolts out?

 

The top two bolts have their heads sheared off