I had a simple radiator leak I thought, I know I need a new radiator but I tryed to use some liquid glass to buy some time. It stopped the leak and the thermostat too. I installed new thermostat and in the process I snapped the bottom bolt of the housing. I am only going to do this 1 time so hello JCWhitney! I am going to order a radiator and hoses and new thermo housing maybe water-pump too and be done with it. I installed a 145 degree thermostat is higher better? is there any advice on how to remove the broken bolt? Thanks in advance!!

 

Pretty sure you need a 190 TStat. And yes, get the water pump.

 

i did that (broke bolt in block) on my previous xj, 1990 .. eventually had radiator shop drill it out, retap, new bolt & new housing.. $150

prior to shop ... I thought buying a right angle drill and do it myself would work .. broke many bits, never accomplished it with marginal tools, they did it with no problem


for temp fix I used theromostat specific gasket sealant, let it dry good 1st...
with the one good bolt .. I got by for weeks, but I felt weary it would give out .. so finally just paid the pro's

 

Thanks a bunch man!! and I am going to get the pump.

 

Great idea! Iwas thinking easy-outs myself since I am already removing the radiator. I have done it before with bigger bolts and the 150bucks would buy the new radiator, so I have no choice but to do it myself. I wonder if that thing that is advertized on TV would work? LOL

 

I bought the easy outs .. waste of money / ruined them .. big bolt to deal with .. especially if you torqued the bolt down to breaking it .. its in there good

 

good note on my attempted fix .. have a sweet angle drill, which I use all the time now

the $150 at rad shop included heater core flush / system flush / new t stat too I think .. so just a "drill out" maybe cheaper

most shops here are $100 / hr

 

That is a high cost for an angle drill, I dont want one that bad! This Jeep was parked over a decade ago because of a bad heater core which was only the tip of the iceburg. The fuel system was replaced except for the injectors and lots of electrical problems, so now I am pulling out what hair I have left. I almost have it and have drove it over 20 miles. It runs sweet! It is well worth the time spent so far. It is solid all the way around, and It even looks good! lol Once this cooling system is fixed, it will be a great, dependable ride, Hopefully! And thanks for your advice and I am probobly sure I should 've taken it, but I am going to try to do it myself because I have too!

 

If the busted bolt is sticking out at all then you grind it flush, smack it with a center punch and drill it out. Start with a tiny bit that won't wander out of the punch divit.

If it's not sticking out then you smack it real hard with a center punch (twice) and commence to drilling.

Just don't go too deep with the drill bit.

Easy peasy.

Clean the busted bolt out and chase the threads with a tap. Worst case scenario is you have to open the hole a bit more and run an STI tap followed by a helicoil.

What is that bolt anyway, a 3/8 or something? Not like it's holding a ton of torque anyway.

 

If you are going to go down this road, I just did all of this and a little more and could not be happier with the results. Your profile says you have '94 if you have everything else pulled apart there is the heater control valve that is known to fail at the most inopportune time and is an easy delete. The valve is cheap plastic and was deleted in 1997. If you take it out it is only two hoses that connect right to the heater core in place of what is there. Since you have the radiator out, take a look at your fan clutch, it is easy to swap out 4 bolts. The thermostat is a 195*, I went with a 180* first and the thing ran like it was always trying to warm up so it had to be replaced. I got the one from autozone, I think it was called fail safe and it was a failure. With regards to the bolt being stuck in the block, did you try to grind an edge or two flat and just use vise grips ?

 

Thermostat is 195

 

Thanks for correction.

Good luck with your coolant system endeavors, OP

 

Left hand drill bits are best for removing broken bolts and studs.

 

If the broken bolt is sticking out some you can weld a nut to it. That worked for me.

 

Yes. The heat also helps to break the rust bond at the threads.

BTW David, thanks for taking care of my buddy's rear disc brake needs!!