Working on a 2001 5.9 gas engine. Trying to do my timing chain and water pump and seals. But I broke one of the long water pump bolts flush with the timing cover. I also broke an extractor bit into the bolt. It’s the extra long one on the bottom right side of the driver side water passage.
all I need to know is this hole threaded at all in the timing cover. It’s a deep sleeve and my pick feels no threads. But I can’t get it to budge with all other bolts removed. Is it threaded near the very back of the timing cover?
Can I just pry hard af till it budges or is the timing cover threaded in that hole? Thanks I’m really trying to get this finished but have had some serious road bumps.

 

if it is by one of the coolant ports, then no, it's not threaded in the cover, but, you will likely have to drop the oil pan to get the cover to pull off of it.

 

Awesome I’ll try that next. Thanks you’re one of the worlds top admins I swear

 

The broken bolt will be fun when you go to reassemble the cover. It's one of the mounting bolts for the water pump if I remember correctly. You can pull the cover without dropping the pan, just be sure all the bolts are out. You did remove the two on the bottom of the cover where it bolts to the oil pan haven't you? Pull those two bolts, one per side, and you can leave the pan in place if you want. Just stuff some paper towels into the gap to keep junk out of the pan.

 

If its one of the long bolts that goes thru the cover, into the block, he isn't going to be able to pull the cover with the oil pan in place..... Once the cover is out of the way though, getting the bolt out shouldn't be too bad.

 

A broken bolt won't hold the cover in place. Those two small bolts on the bottom will. If the bolt head is broken off, the cover will slide off the broken shaft. With the water pump bolts out, or broken off, the harmonic balancer off, you remove the bottom two bolts from the oil pan going into the cover and it will come right off. It might be glued with the gasket, but that's not going to keep it from prying off. I copied a picture from a listing for a new cover and marked where the two little stinkers hide with red circles.

 

It can be done with out removing the pan. Just more of a pita especially when the broken bold won't let it come up any.

 

And that was my concern. The pan is going to be pressing up against the cover, pushing it against that bolt. Even just loosening the pan bolts would make the exercise easier.

 

Aren't there lever point tabs down below?

Hopefully you can get the cover off then cut the part of the bolt with the extractor. This is why I never use extractors.

Actually I guess I'd put Vise Grips on it then heat at the block.

If this doesn't work then reinstall cover and use it as a guide to drill out the bolt. Make a steel bushing to guide your bit. Use LH drill bits and you might get lucky. But you'll never drill through that extractor.

I've done this with great success on Windsors (which always break the wp bolts). I keep the bushings in a bag in my box as my Windsor wp kit....

 

I would worry the bolt being corroded to the timing cover is more the reason for breaking than the threads stuck in the head?