Thermostat housing broken bolt((

Howard

Zorg Addict
French Zeds
Joined
Nov 17, 2016
Points
64
Location
South West France
Model of Z
3.0i (manual)
Hi Guys, recently replaced my thermostat on my Z3 3.0i, one of the bolts sheared. Ressembled with out replacing the offending bolt due to time restrictions.
So yesterday removed radiator (more accessibley) removed the thermostat, about 10mm of thread well and truly stuck in the cylinder head, no amount of wd40 etc had any affect. So borrowed a friends mig welder, tacked a nut on to the stud, applied heat (oxyacetylene) and after 10 mins it moved. How much grief one little bolt can cause. One very happy bunny now. Had dreams about drilling and Heli coils etc!
Hope this helps anyone that might come across this in the future.
Howard
 

Sean d

Zorg Expert (I)
Supporter
British Zeds
Joined
Sep 29, 2015
Points
201
Location
Lincolnshire
Model of Z
Z3 2.8
Nice one, normally the heat generated by the mig is enough to break the bond.
 

mwpe

Zorg Guru (V)
Supporter
Joined
Dec 8, 2011
Points
178
Location
Camberley
Model of Z
3.0
Well done, unusual to have a bolt that bad on a BMW engine.
 
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