oil drain bolt broke

[grypnon1]

I must have turned the oil drian bolt the wrong way and it broke!
got the bolt plus 1 turn of thread the oil came out ok where did the back half of the bolt go?
Can i just get a new bolt.
will it cause any harm if the back side of the bolt is in the bottom of the oil pan?
Do i need to remove oil pan and get the back part of the bolt out?
this sucks

[moto]

Grypnon1. Last year when I had the oil changed
at the dealer, The mechanic broke the drain plug
while tightning. I was there and it seemed it just
cracked . As he started to loosen the plug, it just
broke in half. The tip section was still in the pan.
All he did with no problem was to use a screw
driver and started to turn counter clockwise on
the broken tip. I hope this helps.

[KillFox]

I believe there is a special type of screw driver with a sharp tip that you stab into a bolt and then turn, to remove stripped or broken bolts. I would go to the local auto shop and ask about it. If that doesnt work for you, you may just as well tow the car to the local mechanic and they will take car of you, or convince one to come to your house and fix it there :P

Here is a replacement bolt on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=38657

[gordo325xiwagon]

Check your drained oil carefully. If it is not in the drained oil; and it is most likely that it is not there; then it is in your oil pan.

It is simply too risky to drive around with a broken bolt stem in your oil pan. One bounce over a pothole and the piece could jam itself into any part of the reciprocating parts of the crank, rods, pistons, etc. If that happens, your engine will be severely damaged...like a hand grenade. I wouldn't even crank the motor over with the starter.

First attempt to capture the bolt with a magnetic tipped flex shaft. If you can drag it to the oil drain plug hole, there is the slight chance that the length of the bolt stem is shorter than the diameter of the drain hole and you can pull it out.

However, I doubt that you will be able to get it out without pulling the pan.

Any other ideas? gordo

[peterkulesza]

the bolt should be solid. drill a bolt remover into it (say 9mm) with a regular black and decker drill (use loctite red). then use the head of the remover to counterclockwise remove the broken bolt. have new plug ready and presto ur done. 15 mins at most.