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In the process of doing my timing belt job, at the step of removing the accessory belt tensioner, I had the heart dropping experience of the 14mm bolt snapping off while unscrewing. It unthreaded normally for a few turns but strangely started to grab and became much more difficult to unthread and eventually broke.
I had a timing belt job done years ago by a private mechanic and this would've been the last if only time that had ever been removed. Not even sure now without gone past this step if that could've been bypassed or he must've removed it then and ruined the threads then somehow. Assuming this is the result of some negligent mechanic work in the past and not destined to happen from the factory, which is aggravating.
First idea to cross my mind is that bolt appears to thread into the oil filter bracket, part 1230A018, but after some searching that part is either hard or impossible to find. Still digging on possible leads for that. Can anyone confirm if that bolt threads into the oil filter bracket or goes through the bracket and threads into the block? I'm either in a ****ty spot or worse depending if the problem is at least confined to that bracket.
Assuming my problem is confined to the oil filter bracket, if I can obtain that part I'll get that and swap it out. If I can't, then I guess I can remove the part and attempt a painful broken bolt extraction myself or see if I can find a machine shop to handle it if that proves futile.
Any thoughts, advice on how to deal with this?
Last edited by mat2; Oct 26, 2022 at 06:57 PM.
Reason: added highlight
The other mounting bolt (upper left) looks like the head is rounded off? Is that correct?
No. Luckily the upper and lower 12mm bolts which appear to attach the bracket to the engine are fine.
Yeah, indeed I was looking at the same page in the manual. Unless I'm missing something, it isn't explicit about which bolts hold the bracket to the oil pump case (19), but I believe it's those two.
If it comes down to having to do an extraction, bracing for what kind of problem that's going to be. I've incidentally seen it done in plenty of videos but haven't had to do it myself.
At a quick check, at least the gasket which would have to be replaced appears to be readily obtainable.
These appear to be the 3 bolts that attach the housing to the cover
Ah, thanks. Yeah, I was chalking one of those bolts up top just holding the lower timing belt cover to the oil filter bracket, but whatever the case with that, 3 bolts involved.
Tomorrow I'll find out, but not expecting simply removing the bracket is going to be a big problem, although looks like it will be enough of a hassle with all the fittings, gaskets, o-rings, etc. that have to be dealt with.
Bracing for the bigger problem to be extracting the broken bolt and fixing the threads that are presumably trashed. Will be grateful if I can find one of these in stock and not have to contend with that.
Mine did the same thing 2 years ago. I had to cut off the tensioner because the large center mounting bolt seized inside the oil filter housing.
From the looks of your picture, you're going to need to extract that bolt. Whether it means cutting the bolt flush with the oil filter housing, or welding a nut on the end to turn it out of the oil pump, since that's where the threads are located for that bolt. After you extract that bolt, you should be able to separate the oil filter housing from the oil pump.
Good luck. What a pita. I been through it. Be careful tho, everything in there is aluminum.
Mine did the same thing 2 years ago. I had to cut off the tensioner because the large center mounting bolt seized inside the oil filter housing.
From the looks of your picture, you're going to need to extract that bolt. Whether it means cutting the bolt flush with the oil filter housing, or welding a nut on the end to turn it out of the oil pump, since that's where the threads are located for that bolt. After you extract that bolt, you should be able to separate the oil filter housing from the oil pump.
Good luck. What a pita. I been through it. Be careful tho, everything in there is aluminum.
Whoa, no way. Do you have a theory how that happened? I was thinking it had been previously over-torqued in the prior timing belt job and was still a fluke for it to play out like this.
Yeah, going to attempt the welding on a bolt to obtain purchase technique. Is that what you did? Planning to be ginger with it but wary of how able I'll be to apply torque without threatening to break it again. Hopefully the benefit of the heat cycling and penetrant will do it.
That one timing cover bolt threads into the oil filter housing as well so you're going to have to remove the timing cover to remove the housing.
I took the 3 obvious bolts out of the oil filter bracket, broken 14mm auto-tensioner bolt stub remaining. It still feels solidly attached. Rapping on it hasn't made a difference. Do you recall if that 14mm bolt threads into the part behind it, the oil pan case (MD366260)? Digging up pictures of the oil pan case it does appear there's a corresponding hole. I can't tell well enough to see that it's threaded and not just a recess but I would figured it's threaded and now the oil filter bracket can't even be removed from the car without extracting that.
Just noticed another thread in which multiple people talked about the same bolt breaking off but the only problem referred to was getting the auto-tensioner off (which wasn't any problem for me). I'm scratching my head why there's no discussion about the issue I'm having, which is the remainder of the bolt being stuck in the oil filter bracket and pinning the oil filter bracket to the underlying oil pump case.
I'm still not sure about my assessment and maybe that's just adhesion by the gasket holding the oil filter bracket but does seem logical that remainder of the bolt is holding the bracket to the case.
That bolt only goes into the oil filter housing, not into the front case/oil pump. This is a fairly common occurrence if the bolt gets over tightened even a little bit. We put anti seize on the threads and actually go to the the low end of the factory torque spec (30ft lbs IIRC)
It's not a big deal. Remove the OFH, cut the bolt flush to the housing, Drill the bolt out (use plenty of rapid tap cutting oil), put in a time sert and go on with your timing job.
DO NOT attempt to extract the bolt. It has galled and seized. All you'll do is break the extractor off in the bolt. Use sharp drill bits in a drill press and lubricate liberally with rapid tap. It'll drill out just fine.
That bolt only goes into the oil filter housing, not into the front case/oil pump. This is a fairly common occurrence if the bolt gets over tightened even a little bit. We put anti seize on the threads and actually go to the the low end of the factory torque spec (30ft lbs IIRC)
It's not a big deal. Remove the OFH, cut the bolt flush to the housing, Drill the bolt out (use plenty of rapid tap cutting oil), put in a time sert and go on with your timing job.
DO NOT attempt to extract the bolt. It has galled and seized. All you'll do is break the extractor off in the bolt. Use sharp drill bits in a drill press and lubricate liberally with rapid tap. It'll drill out just fine.
Thank you for the response. I haven't experienced galling firsthand but from my understanding of what it is, it did make me suspect that's what happened (although I didn't previously realize it was susceptible to happen between steel and aluminum, that it was something with e.g. stainless steel).
Given I've got the other bolts out and it still feels like it won't budge, can you give me an idea how firmly it should be on there with just the gasket holding it?
It's not a big deal. Remove the OFH, cut the bolt flush to the housing, Drill the bolt out (use plenty of rapid tap cutting oil), put in a time sert and go on with your timing job.
Hold the presses. This is my goof up. I only got the lower timing belt covered loosened but not removed completely and it was blocking from sight one of the bolts holding the OFH. I was going on the idea that there were 3 relevant bolts and I was counting the small bolt holding the lower timing belt cover onto the OFH as one of them, which it wasn't.
