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Non-mustang/Non ford question--Honda

flysure100

Member
Okay--here it is--stepson bought a 2008 Honda civic 1.8 litre 4 cyl with bolt broken off in the block, it is belt tensioner bracket bolt---guy that had the car tried to drill the bolt and went past the bottom of bolt into block and into oil passage--had bolt taken out today and shop wont weld hole shut in block because it is too deep--They suggested sawing a slice of wooden dowel the size of the bolt and sticking it in and use the bolt to put pressure on the dowel slice and plug hole that way--I also wondered about a wad of aluminum foil and coating the bolt with good sealant--also considered jb weld ahead of the bolt and on threads-(kind of permanent) this car has 20 thousand miles on a complete new engine Honda put in, 99 on complete car---he bought it planning on putting in a salvage motor but thought he would try to McGyver something with this motor first---I figured with the vast amount of knowledge available on this forum someone would have a suggestion---this is a really screwy bracket on this engine and is prone to breaking--thanks
 
Aluminum or iron block? I have no clue with a Honda what it would be. I do have a few ideas though to solve the problem.
 
my son rebuilt his Bobcat (Pinto) 2.3 and the cam is hollow. Oil pressure tends to leak out of the cam bolt if not sealed. He used a lock tight product on the cam bolt threads he got at Auto Zone. Works like a charm
 
Being aluminum negates first thought. Simplest idea, which is not too far off the shops suggestion, is to put something in of larger diameter than the drilled hole breaching the oil galley which the bolt would compress when tightened. Make sure to do precise measurements to get the length (depth) of plug and bolt to deliver desired compression. If squashed too much the plug will fracture with bits getting in to the oil gallery which is not good! Obviously, wood is a poor material as it would breakdown, fall apart and cause likely worse issues than just an oil leak. A silicone plug would expand upon compression creating likely a leak proof seal but by also using a thread sealer on the bolt you would gain certain success.
 
I think if it is just a case where the oil could leak past the threads, a thread sealer should work fine. In the case of the 2.3 cam bolt it sealed up nice. The difference I guess would be the cam bolt is "set it and forget it" and shouldn't need to be touched again. The idler pulley bolt may be different. The sealer (592) my son bought was made specifically for this purpose.
http://na.henkel-adhesives.com/industrial/vehicle-repair-maintenance-thread-sealants-22184.htm
 
Or just ask at a Honda dealership if they have a solution . If it is common , they should have a solution.
Or log in at a Honda forum. They have probably the same solution as Honda does , at a cheaper cost you can do it by yourself.
 
I think if it is just a case where the oil could leak past the threads, a thread sealer should work fine. In the case of the 2.3 cam bolt it sealed up nice. The difference I guess would be the cam bolt is "set it and forget it" and shouldn't need to be touched again. The idler pulley bolt may be different. The sealer (592) my son bought was made specifically for this purpose.
http://na.henkel-adhesives.com/industrial/vehicle-repair-maintenance-thread-sealants-22184.htm
My concern would be that sealing the threads to prevent a seepage type leak is different than trying to seal off a breach into the pressurized oiling system. The approach I described would offer much greater insurance in such a scenario. It is basically using a silicone gasket approach PLUS thread sealer.
 
Given the ham fisted prior owner, i would be concerned with metal shavings in the oil galleries. According to the on line Pick & Pull price list around here, a short block is $120 + core and a long block is $150 + core. At those prices, why mess around with a McGyver fix?
 
i would be loathe to try and plug the leak with something jammed into the opening for fear of possibly blocking the oil passage, or having something get into the oil and cause other issues.

the best solution is a new block. the next best solution is thread sealer on the bolt. anything beyond that is only slightly better than a child molester.
 
If the eventual "best fix" is a new block...which means either an engine swap or engine rebuild...plug the damn hole and seals it up first. If something catastrophic occurs because of the attempt to fix it this way nothing is lost. But it likely won't and it will work out just fine.
 
Thank you for all the replies --- good thread sealant and non wood plug is where I am leaning--plug it/seal the threads--drive it till it blows again--then go the replace route---this is a rust free, near dent free--(one on top--two door dings) near new tires, no tear interior, no cracked windshield---it has clear coat peel on some top surfaces--the guy was so wanting it gone he sold it to him for $225.---I am not a Honda fan but come on--most of our newer "American" cars have quite a few foreign parts.
 
dont even bother with a plug, the bolt with sealant will do just fine.
that's what I'd do. Sounds like a good buy but with not much invested I'd drive it till it blew up and get a couple hundred for it at the scrap/recycle center...
 
Did the thread sealer alone--fired it up after setting two days and all good, left it overnight and fired it again--oil ran out, took bolt out and put silicone sealer heavy on bolt and put rubber plug ahead of bolt--ran it around quite a bit--so far so good!
 
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