Thread: @#T^@! I broke a lower pan bolt

My first turbo install was going so well and I was getting ready to roll. I guess it was only time until something happened. Anyways, I was replacing the lower gasket on a DET oil pan and was torquing down the screws when the very last screw broke at the base of the pan. Yes, I was torquing them to proper specs.

I tried a easy out and drilled and it that snapped, so it is stuck. I'm thinking of going to my welder and having a short stud welded in that spot.

Am I wasting time? Do I need to find myself a new DET pan?

For one bolt, I wouldn't really worry about it too much. Just put extra goop in that area.

Is it one where you could drill through it completely and maybe use a nut and bolt?
I'm the kind of person who wouldn't be happy without fixing it properly though, so I'd do what ever I could to get it extracted with the threads in tact. Or eventually replace the upper oil pan if one could be found cheap.

The welding idea might work, but it sounds like he'll be dealing with aluminum, and two very different types of steel (bolt and extraction tool) so that might not work out as planned.

Like I said, if you want to be cheap and ghetto but still decently effective you can drill out the hole completely, widen the hole in the lower oil pan to match, and use a bolt to hold it together.

well.... damn I already took off the upper pan.

I took off the lower pan because it was leaking in the first place.

Wasted about 30 minutes taking the pan off my DE to find its bigger. :o

Good news was I got her started on the first try.

It is one of the capped bolts. I'm being anal with this because of the possible lack of oil thing.

I'm going to go see the machine shop this morning and see what they say.
Cross my fingers it will be a cheap fix. If not, I may try Tekkies idea.

I have a DE upper pan if you're interested...

Its a DET.

I'm having a machine shop mill out the hole and weld the hole and re tap for $35

Same block. Use a DE upper pan with your DE lower pan you have and you're good to go. I've got the DE oil pickup as well as both baffles.

He said he already removed the upper oil pan from a DE he had laying around and it wouldn't fit. My guess is he has an AWD narrow block DET.

2 points for Ben. The DE pan is 2 inches wider and the bolt pattern is the same.