Torque and Chrome

Water pump stud broke. Am I screwed?

1994 Geo Metro XFi. The lower left water pump mounting stud broke as I was trying to torque with a Powerbuilt click type torque wrench good for between 10-150 foot lbs. My manuals (cliton’s and mitchell’s) both said 115 Inch lbs for the torque spec. 115 inches pounds = 9.58333333 foot pounds. So, I figured it would be ok to just set the wrench for 10 ft lbs and I’d be ok, in fact it’s so close to 10 ft lbs, I don’t know why they didn’t just say 10 ft lbs. Unforntuately I didn’t have the right extension to get on that lower left nut and was forced to use my u-joint, which I know you’re not supposed to do, but it was exactly the right length and I held it perfectly straight with my other hand so I figured it would be just the same as a straight extension. It ended up breaking the stud. Now I’m not sure what to do. I can feel the stud sticking through the back side of the water pump mounting surface. Is the stud pressed into place? How do I get the stud out to change it? Where can I find a replacement stud? Thank you very much for your help.

Public Comments

1. The main problem now is not getting another stud but rather getting the old stud out. If it's broken off with access to it, try a pair of vice grips. If it's broken flush, try a reverse turning (CCW) drill bit - it may back right out when the bit bites into the metal - if it doesn't, you will have a nice hole to try an easy out in. If all else fails, drill it completely out, re-thread it for a heli-coil and you'll be good to go. Don't despair - it's sometimes normal for a 10 minute job to turn into a frustrating hour or two.
2. The stud is not pressed in. You'll have to use an extraction tool for the broken stud. If there's enough thread try using a vise grip to take out the stud. You can purchase replacement studs at your local autoparts store.