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Drilled into the water jacket - Can it be fixed


darkflounder
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Well, I did it. I did the big bad no-no. I was drilling a broken exhaust stud for an extractor and I accidentally kept drilling and into the water jacket.

 

So, the big question. Can it be fixed?

 

I can access where I drilled into the jacket. It was the lower stud, so I can easily access it. Can I mix up some J-B Weld and fill the hole with it? I've used J-B Weld before successfully, but never inside the water jacket.

 

And it's a small hole (1/16 drill bit).

 

Please, let this be a relatively easy fix.

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this may seem ignorant but can you butter up the stud threads with some high temp sealant and just seal it with the stud when you put the manifold back on?

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this may seem ignorant but can you butter up the stud threads with some high temp sealant and just seal it with the stud when you put the manifold back on?

This was my thought also. It should be possible doping the threads with something, but you would always have the risk of leaks and I'm not sure how long the stud would last...

 

B

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What is the absolute worst that could happen if he were to put some JB Weld in the hole and then replace the stud? The seal could eventually fail and then a small amount of coolant would leak out gradually. That would be the easiest and cheapest option. A welder is obviously the best solution, but cost could be prohibitive. So it seems there are three options:

 

Cheap = Seal the hole and put the new stud in with fingers crossed.

Moderate = Hire a welder

Expensive = Replace the head

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This was my thought also. It should be possible doping the threads with something, but you would always have the risk of leaks and I'm not sure how long the stud would last...

 

B

 

 

my guess is it would last pretty long, coolant has a rust inhibitor in it becuase it already has to combat the effects of dis-similar metals in a cooling system. ex; mixing metals like steel/iorn, brass/bronze, coppper or alumium can accelerate corrosion since most cooling systems contain @ least 2 or 3 of these metals. Rust inhibitors already exist and I assume they would protect a stud thats sealing a water jacket as long as you keep on top of your coolant changes.

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I can't remember how deep the threads are in the block but I would guess you could slap some sealant onto a 3 or 4 thread thick set screw (one of the alan head screws) then if the stud breaks again or vibrates out you won't spray all your coolant out...if it develops a leak then you can get it welded or try again but I'd bet the sealant will do the trick...i mean it keeps the thermostat housing from leaking and a bunch of other gaskets

 

added comment to my youtube video just for you ;)

 

Edited by unccpathfinder
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I gotta agree with uncc for the reasoning he gave. RVT seals other areas perfectly fine and if it don't work at least the stud will come out easier since it was just put in...

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Welding would by far be the best option for repair of that head, replacement of the entire head would be an equally good method (depending on the costs of both options)

 

Although everything I know says do not just use sealant, I do have to agree that it would probably work just fine for a long time.

 

Things to watch out for would be... putting to much sealant in and actually clogging the water jacket, this would include screwing in the set screw too far since you drilled through, not sealing it good enough and causing it to leak early. Also watch out for metal shavings getting into the cooling system from drilling and/or turning in a set screw (either creating threads in the drilled section or by tapping it for the new set screw)

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Lots of engines have head bolts that go into water jackets and require sealant, IIRC, permatex#2.

 

Could you tap this 1/16" hole such that a tiny set screw with some sealant on it could get in there with a long hex key?

 

Even if the answer is a set screw can't be done.... If it were mine, I would make CLEAN, like kick ass eat off of it clean, and JB it and then put some sealant on the threads of the bolt (use a NEW bolt). My bet is it'd last 50k miles +

 

Good luck

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Well, here's what I did about this today.

 

After some very thorough cleaning (involving some degreaser and pipe cleaners), I filled in the hole with some J-B Weld. After letting it sit overnight and cure, I'll put some sealant on the new exhaust stud and start re-assembling the engine.

 

I know this isn't a permanent fix. But if I can get 10-20k miles out of it, I'll be happy. By then, if a leakage problem arises, I'll be in a better position (financially speaking) to properly fix the issue.

 

And I'm replacing all the exhaust studs with new studs, washers and nuts from Nissan (turbo engine studs mentioned elsewhere on the site).

 

I am worried the exhaust manifolds have warped (they were driven quite a while with broken studs and leaked). Any idea how much it might cost to get them planed?

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arround here my buddy had his manifold faced for 60 bucks IIRC they faced the block side(4cyl) and the turbo flange. so for a v6 NA I imagine it'd fall arround 80-100 bucks for the pair.

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