Was it one of the pan bolts or the drain/overflow one?

 

Broken bolt extractor. Im guessing it was one of the pan bolts. A lot of times people don't realize that torque specs change when threads get soaked in atf.

I broke a pan bolt on my old buick that way. Never fixed it, never leaked in 50k miles. That said, the broken bolt extractor is the correct way

 

I got one of the bolts out with the bolt extractor,the extractor broke inside the other bolt so I have absoluetly no idea what to do now.

 

pan bolts, I tried the extractor and it broke inwide the bolt. Im si lost rigjt now.

 

The smaller extrectors are prone to do that

 

Wow Dan there are more than one broken?
And Victory, what do you mean the torque specs change?

 

Wet threads have less friction than dry threads. The bolts will stretch more and often break before the proper torque value is reached.

 

Is there anything I can do with the broken extractor bolt?

 

Probably something best handled by a machinist. Tough situation Dan, since more than one bolt was broken I assume all the pan bolts were over-torqued, this would mean all the bolts are over-stressed. If that's the case all the bolts should be removed and replaced.

At this point it might be worth calling a good machine shop or auto shop (with experienced machinist) and see what they recommend.

Hope this gets resolved as painless as possible, good luck!

 

Dan, man, this is unfortunate. Can you post a picture of what you got? How deep inside the opening is the broken bolt with the broken extractor? Sometimes you can use a pointy punch and a hammer lightly tapping on one side of a broken bolt in a counterclockwise direction. I managed to undo a broken differential cover bolt on my Wrangler not long ago.

If that doesn't work, and adjacent bolts are fine, install the cover anyway torquing other bolts to proper spec. Like Victory had mentioned chances are it's not going to leak. Even if it does, it should only be a minor seepage and you can address the issue within a month or so at a shop.

What was the torque setting on the wrench when it happened? Because like Blnewt had mentioned over tightened fasteners lose their strength properties and best to be replaced altogether.

 

Good to know. Thanks for the info.

Dan, sorry to hear about that man. Hope what the others suggested helps you out.

 

I'll try and post a picture soon, I was at 72 in lbs on the torque wrench. I've been so stressed all night. My heart literally sank when that bolt head snapped off. I put the cover on and this time without using the torque wrench. I hand tightened them until they felt pretty snug. I don't trust that torque wrench I got. Must be garbage.

 

your torque wrench is probably fine, its just that with wet threads the torque measurements on the wrench are meaningless. If you had sprayed the bolts and holes with brake cleaner to degrease them before reassembly, it probably would have been fine.

I don't see any problem with hand tightening the pan. For most things, hand tight is good enough. The pan is not subject to any forces that would require such precision.

My advice is to not worry about the one broken bolt. Clean the outside of the pan thoroughly and check for any leaks after you drive it around a bit. It will probably never leak

 

 

I did clean the bolts with brake fluid but not the holes. I also cleaned the outside of the pan with brake fluid where the gasket is.