[Help] Water temp sender replacement broke off in my hand. How to proceed?

[creakycruiser]

Hey everybody,

Why does this thing even exist?!

I had a faulty water temp sender which I replaced (or attempted to) this afternoon with an OEM Toyota genuine replacement (19021174). While I was about one thread away from bolting it in, the sender snapped off at the very top.

Here's a photo provided by user @meatloaf displaying the exact situation I'm in. This user has a different truck and it's not the same sensor/sender, but shows how similarity in how it snapped off.

Thankfully, this sensor is capable of plugging the hole even though it's a hollow bolt, but now I have the problem of having a snapped bolt, flush with the surface of the motor and am incapable of backing it out. I'm afraid of drilling it out with something like an EZ-out because the metal shavings may get into the coolant system.

It was just too easy to snap this thing off so I'm sure someone out there on 'mud has this experience and hopefully managed to fix it without expensive or professional assistance.

Thanks!

 

[hankinid]

Hey everybody, Why does this thing even exist?!

Thankfully, this sensor is capable of plugging the hole even though it's a hollow bolt, but now I have the problem of having a snapped bolt, flush with the surface of the motor and am incapable of backing it out. I'm afraid of drilling it out with something like an EZ-out because the metal shavings may get into the coolant system.

Thanks!

Were it mine, I'd drill it out...making sure I center-punched dead on center, and then starting small and working up until I could get a spiral or square extractor in there. You can minimize your shavings by greasing the drill first, drilling until the grease is full, then cleaning the bit and repeating. Any left over particles will be brass and tiny.

Good luck & report back with how it goes.

hth