How Do I Fix a Broken Bolt on My 1993 Chevy Corsica

Reader Question

Dear Mr. Davis,

I am hoping you will be able to advise me on what else I can do to fix my problem. I have a 1993 Chevrolet Corisca, 6 cylinder 3.1 L MFI.

One of the bolts that connects the overflow or is it a bypass from the water pump broke as I was removing it to change the worn gasket. I recently purchased this car from someone who has all the repair records. The water pump is fairly new.

The bolt was either cross threaded or overtightened is my best guess, because the other bolt came out easily. I started to drill it out to use an easy-out when a guy in my neighborhood said he knew what to do to & could help me fix it. I was not able to watch him as carefully as I should have. He ended up slamming a tap beside the broken bolt & said he had fixed it & left. I was able to remove the tap & have been trying to drill out this bolt to no avail.

I have been trying to drill this out & have just about lost my mind. I re=checked exactly where I was drilling, & I have been off to the side a bit. What I need to know is, how can I get this bolt out & not have to replace the water pump or what. I have a larger area drilled than the original bolt area. I don’t know what to do. I cannot afford to take the car to a mechanic at this time & I need my car.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time in reading my email.

Karen

Hello Karen

I am not really sure what to tell you do to be honest. I would need to see what is actually happening and figure out what to do. If this is the overflow hose that goes to the plastic overflow bottle on the side…there might not be much pressure on it and you might not need to worry to much about it.

Is this something you can use epoxy or JB Weld on? Removing broken bolts can be costly…..and sometime you can do more damage if you don’t know what you are doing. If you can’t epoxy this part, maybe you can ask one of the local car mechanics in your area to come by after work for a discounted fee and give his opinion. Christmas is usually slow for repair shop…you might find someone who needs a little side cash on his way home.

Blessings,

Austin Davis