Seems like I can't catch a break lately. Changing water pump and bolt head snapped off. Have half inch or so sticking out but vice just strips bolt and it's not long enough for stud remover to work. If i take timing cover off it will be long enough but trying to avoid removing cover. Will water pump leak with one missing bolt? Just head snapped off. No grinder or torch to use so any suggestions will help.
Water Pump Bolt
- Thread starter Lovejoy
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rd
Founding Member
Been down this road.
Pull the timing cover. Mine had corrosion in there that probably helped stick the bolt.
Makes it much easier to deal with. Finished at 1 am. Drove to work at 0600.
Pull the timing cover. Mine had corrosion in there that probably helped stick the bolt.
Makes it much easier to deal with. Finished at 1 am. Drove to work at 0600.
dgollem
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Plus one for pulling the cover. Still may need a torch to keep it from snapping again. Should be able to get MAP gas torch at Lowes or Home Depot
Shakerhood
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Weld a Nut on it, the heat will help loosen it and you will also be able to get a wrench or socket on it.
Much luck with that. If it holds go ahead and plan on ordering the arp set and replacing these ASAP. it will leak sooner rather than later.
mikestang63
SN Certified Technician
grind a slot in the head of the bolt and see if you can turn it with a screwdriver. A big plus is to buy a cheap propane torch and heat up the area where the bolt goes into the water pump. The alum will expand faster than the steel bolt- spray some PB blaster in there when you remove the flame. repeat that a few times and then see if you can remove the bolt.
I realize that this is a little bit late, but for future reference, here it is...
Water pump removal problem common to many 5.0 mustangs
A lot of us have struggled with water pump removal. The classic problem is a bolt, or bolts that are stuck and refuse to budge.
Even the best of us get forgetful or in a hurry, and forget the preventive fix for this problem. It is lots of Never-Seez applied to the bolt shanks and threads. I was one of those people, who forgot their own best advice.
I got all the bolts out without much problem except the upper one by the lower radiator hose. It was stuck - realty stuck. Rocking the bolt back and forth proved useless. So did tapping on the wrench handle with a rubber mallet. Now it is serious prayer and thought time, so I paused in my efforts and did both. The answer was PB Blaster - that's simple and obvious enough. But how do you get PB Blaster inside where the rust and corrosion is when the bolt is in the engine block behind the timing cover? Here's where divine inspiration and some tools left over from my days as an A&P aircraft mechanic.
That is a 12" long #40 (3/32") drill bit.
This is where it gets used;
This is the result;
Stick the soda straw on the PB Blaster in the holes and squirt away. Wait a little bit and squirt some more. Rock the bolt back and forth; squirt some more...The bolt starts to turn without excessive force, squirt some more. Then with a 1/2" ratchet, it begins to wrench out without any problems.
The offending bolt; notice the necked down part just above the threads. That is where the bolt would have sheared off if brute force had been applied.
A couple of dabs of JB Weld will cover the holes and keep out any moisture
Water pump removal problem common to many 5.0 mustangs
A lot of us have struggled with water pump removal. The classic problem is a bolt, or bolts that are stuck and refuse to budge.
Even the best of us get forgetful or in a hurry, and forget the preventive fix for this problem. It is lots of Never-Seez applied to the bolt shanks and threads. I was one of those people, who forgot their own best advice.
I got all the bolts out without much problem except the upper one by the lower radiator hose. It was stuck - realty stuck. Rocking the bolt back and forth proved useless. So did tapping on the wrench handle with a rubber mallet. Now it is serious prayer and thought time, so I paused in my efforts and did both. The answer was PB Blaster - that's simple and obvious enough. But how do you get PB Blaster inside where the rust and corrosion is when the bolt is in the engine block behind the timing cover? Here's where divine inspiration and some tools left over from my days as an A&P aircraft mechanic.
That is a 12" long #40 (3/32") drill bit.
This is where it gets used;
This is the result;
Stick the soda straw on the PB Blaster in the holes and squirt away. Wait a little bit and squirt some more. Rock the bolt back and forth; squirt some more...The bolt starts to turn without excessive force, squirt some more. Then with a 1/2" ratchet, it begins to wrench out without any problems.
The offending bolt; notice the necked down part just above the threads. That is where the bolt would have sheared off if brute force had been applied.
A couple of dabs of JB Weld will cover the holes and keep out any moisture
Last edited:
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