Need help finding a intake manifold - thermostat housing for my 87 rx turbo. I have a stripped therm housing bolt that nobody can get out. As the therm housing is cast into the intake - i'll need the entire part. Does anyone know what years interchange with this motor (ea82)?

Pics of the damage?  This can probably still be saved...

Use a left-hand drill bit and if you screw up, either tap for a larger diameter bolt or use a helicoil. 

Any decent machine shop can repair this damage. 

 

If the engine uses the flapper AFM, 85 and 86. 

Edited August 1, 20187 yr by john in KY

bolt already has a left-handed drill bit broke off in the bolt. I'm thinking of removing the entire intake and taking it to a machine shop. Thank for the comeback.

Weld a nut to the end of the broken bolt.  Need a skilled welder.  The heat will also loosen it up.  Carefully unscrew as soon as it is not glowing.

 

Other tip, for future repairs - before attempting to remove any of these bolts that have never been removed, get the engine up to normal operating temperature.   Then carefully begin to work on the bolts involved.  Makes a huge difference in getting them out successfully without snapping them. 

Maybe post up a photo of whole inlet manifold to jog memories. Someone may have one. I can think of two different manifolds - flat and spider. There were two versions of the flat for turbo in the vacuum hard lines and maybe throttle body too..but if you strip and swap. 

Has anyone ever had a broken bolt stud remover actually work? I throw mine away now when they turn up so not to tempt me

I have replaced some boltwith stainless. Others get anti sieze grease everywhere. Those manifold to head bolts are the worst for rusting up in no thread area

i would'nt know to post a photo on a computer. It's a spider type manifold (i think) and it looks fairly simple to remove.I'm afraid i'll snap off more bolts is the process.

spider type feeds air in from the rear, flat type from the top side. Hmm, its with these old things you need to snap a few bolts, learn a few skills in thread repair, skin a few knuckles.

 

Think it happens to most of us so you are not alone. positive side is that once I have fixed mine, never had same bolts threads corrode up on me as bad, ever in 20 years

Heat it up with a space heater and a heat gun before you attempt to remove any more bolts.  Get it near normal operating temperature,  it makes a big difference. 

When you reassemble,  use anti seize compound.   I would not use stainless steel in an aluminum block.   The electrolysys and corrosion that occurs is worse than steel.

thanks for the advice.

stainless and electrolysis eh ? They are softer/weaker as well. My stainless not been in use yet/for long so far.  Think they will need to be checked. And yep, copper grease is in my toolbox

 

Yes, I built my roof rack with aluminum and used stainless hardware.  Sometime later, when to check or modify, and yikes, bolts were very stuck in holes.  Investigated a bit, and yes, it is a thing, bad combination.   I re did the thing using anti seize, been Ok since.  I didn't go to steel in that application,  to avoid.rust stains on the paint, but on an engine, that's not an issue.   The strength and expansion rates are.   The anti seize solves the stuck bolts  problem on the engine.

Edited August 6, 20187 yr by DaveT
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