I am an idiot. I overtighen the bolt and the hole broke.

What are my options?




Very sad

 

Very sad indeed

 

I would try welding it back on if possible.
Some may suggest JB-Weld

I see a very nice porous surface

 

Look for a welding shop that does ALUMINUM WELDING in your area.
Replacing the pan with new ATF pan is the best obviously, but that can be welded and re-used. Good luck.

 

Um.. i may be misspeaking but i don't think there a "ATF Pan" like there's an oil pan.. It's just the transmission housing no?

 

He has a 6MT not an auto so no oil pan here. Your best option is to tow it to a shop that can weld it. Not sure if JB weld will hold that together.

 

Ouch. Yeah, professional shop. Last think you want is it breaking while you're driving and all the fluid spilling out. It's a manual but there isn't any sensor (to my knowledge) that would alert you of the fluid being low. And even a manual will get damaged without fluid obviously.

 

Thanks for clearing that up, I was thinking it was a manual transmission (based upon the look of the case and the color of the drip just downstream of the hole) when I looked at the picture, but all of the talk of a pan threw me (I've never looked under an automatic equipped TL).

 

I would clean with brake clean and use some JB Weld to get the "shell" back on the housing. If that works, a drain bolt would be out of the question because of thread alignment and pressure created when inserting the bolt. Possibly an expansion type rubber plug, but once again pressure exerted when expanding the rubber might break the "weld".
Don't know if a rubber hose could be inserted into the overflow or fill hole to use suction to evacuate the fluid in the future, but if so, I'd use JB Weld to close everything up, hole and all, not pretty but might work.

 

Sorry, I'm not familiar with 6 speed MT. If there's no pan to detach, then aluminum welding is next to impossible if not impossible. Even a small trace of oil inside the tranny housing will ruin the weld. Any weld should be done both inside and outside, but I'm not an welding expert. Good luck.

 

But looking at the picture, there seems to be bolt connection, meaning the area can be detached, am I hallucinating?

 

Thanks guys.

Yeah I am still iffy about JB weld or hiring an welder to do the job. Some suggested that they need to remove the transmission to weld for best result, which I guess makes sense. However, if it was that big of a job, then I might as well get a new case for $400 and just suck-it-up on the labor. I am more concerned about the weld broke while I am driving as the fluid can be drained completely within seconds ...

I think the safest might be to just get a new case

 

dam how much force you apply on the bolt? I would say try JB weld and see how its hold up, then if its still a problem then go for housing replacement.

 

Damn torque wrench must not be calibrated properly ... so i didn't hear the click ...

 

Most (inexpensive and uncalibrated) torque wrench doesn't work well on its lower limit.

 

I normally tighten the drain bolt about 1/8 of turn (or a bit tug) after they come to complete stop, I never had any problem with drain bolt being leaking fluid or bolt backing out one me. I only use torque wrench on part that potentially has run out.

 

I just do wrist tight, and then a subsequent tug on the drain plug and call it a day.

 

First JB Weld isnt gonna do what you want so I'd pass. The best option is to swap out the cover and determine at that time while its out if theres any PM for trans to perform Id take this opportunity to perform it. Also, looking at that pic with broken piece it doesnt look like bolt is flush with surface did you back it out or is that where it was at when it snapped?

What did you think you were torquing it to?

 

good eye on it not being flush.
maybe misthreaded?

 

Threads look pretty clean, I doubt it was cross-threaded.

 

It's definitely not cross-threaded. I simply over torqued it due to stupid torque wrench. Anyhow, I have it welded back but the opening was not flat due to welding .... so there's a little sip of fluid coming off ... for now I just use rubber band but I will use JB weld for the finishing touch I think ... basically put JB weld on the opening and then sand it flat so the contact between the bolt and the opening can be as flat as possible. Regardless, I've still ordered the clutch case from Delray Acura just in case if I need to actually change it. There's only 2 of this in the entire US (brand new) ... else I'll have to look into junk yards ... for $400, I'll grab it first ... if I don't need it ... I'll re-sell it later ... my car only has 60K miles ... it's 2006 ... in top shape ... so I am reluctant to let it go ... let me try to post what it looks like now

 

 

Look at the first 2 threads on the bolt, they are "flattened" and shinny and not located in the thread of the shell, so I'd say they weren't threaded in correctly. In fact, all the threads don't look as thin as they should be.
It happens.

 

Fixed for accuracy

 

Wow that looks like .....


Go find a nearby junkyard with a tranny case and replace it for peace of mind

 

Gonna have to agree with turbo's assessment. Hell just look at the first pic, if it was merely "overtightened", wouldn't the bolt be flush with the crush washer and subsequently, the drain bolt housing face. This was a case of cross-threaded, bolt was 80% in and OP hulked on it causing some unusual torsion on the case which caused it to rip off in that fashion.



Internet knows all

 

Take out the transmission, buy a new housing, do the clutch if 6spd. Or replace tq converter if AT just for the hell of
it and put it all back. Make sure all the preload and shims are correct. No easy way around this one. Sorry mate

 

I unscrewed before taking the picture so that's why it wasn't flat.

Yeah it's welded on with "safety" in mind hence not "pretty".

It's not leaking anymore ... and I did order the new housing (both clutch case and the transmission case) so will replace the whole thing in due time.

Anyhow, time to move on and lesson well learned.

Thanks all for the advices!

 

Make certain you get someone that's familiar with the trans so that all parts can be transferred to the new cases without any problems. Have them look at all the gears, bearings, and syncros for possible replacement. Not a quick fix.

 

Yeah that's one of my consideration. So I don't want to rush this job. At least the car is fine now which gives me time.

I've asked the dealer and it costs $700 more, but may be worth it.

 

looks someone painted a marsh mellow titanium and said you're all set bud. lol
But if you know there is some dripping I would find a shop to replace that part of just haggle with dealer to get it taken care of. You'd hate for pressure to build up and cause other issues.

 

 

Seriously though, I used JB weld on my radiator for about 6 months without an issue. And that has a lot more pressure than will ever build up in a MT. Eventually you'll probably want to fix it but I'm betting it will be fine for quite a while. It's still a gamble however. Even with my radiator fix, I would have at least known if there was a problem since the temp gauge would have gone wild and I'd have a ton of steam pouring out of the engine bay. You'd never know with the transmission unless the fluid came in contact with the exhaust and smoked enough for you to notice out the rear window. Or the smell if you were in the city, stopped at lights and such.

 

I used JB weld on a hairline crack on the top of my radiator and a few months later the same spot broke

 

now make that weld look better with some JB and some sanding/paint

 

It just happened to another guy:

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...n-hole-961754/

 

I would have just changed the fluid, permanently sealed up the hole, and called it "lifetime fluid". :-P

Pat