Trust me, I don’t want any more issues or screw ups. It’s a 17 mm bolt, I will try the thread chaser 1st. I am thinking of taking off the left side bolt (already removed, torqued to spec per the FSM) to use for measuring and comparison. If the thread chaser doesnt work, then I will go to the tap/drill bit. If the bolt is 17mm, should I use a tap for 17mm or should I just go up a size? Yes, I need to know thread pitch. On a bright note, at least it’s cleaned out and the problem is easily accessed. This would be 10x worse if it were up inside and more confined.
If you tap that hole to 17mm you are in for a surprise. That's a 12x1.25 bolt.