Broken Water Pump Bolts FIXED! Dodge Grand Caravan 2001-2007 Town and Country

I drilled out 2 broken water pump bolts on my 2005 dodge grand caravan. If you have had bolts break off and you have a mig welder, your first choice (I would think) would be to weld a nut onto the broken end of the bolt. (many videos about this on youtube) Otherwise you can try this. I drilled the broken bolts out from the back. The ends of the bolts are exposed on the rear side of the timing cover.
They break off because Chrysler used mild steel bolts into cast aluminum instead of using hardened steel. It's 100% their fault. ( watch my other water pump videos)
Do not try using bolt extractors!! They will break off and you will need to grind then out with a dremmel and an aluminum oxide grinding stone.
To drill these out I used:
Porter cable battery drill
Harbor Freight right angle air drill
My 3 gallon pancake air compressor (BIIIIIG MISTAKE, drill for 45 seconds, wait 3 minutes for the compressor to pump back up. If you use an air drill, you will need a larger compressor)
Milwaukee 10x drill bits in sizes 3/32, 1/8, 5/32, 3/16, 7/32, 1/4 (you need to work your way up)
New flange bolts, flange nuts, regular nuts.

The more drilling you can do with a power drill, the happier you will be. As I stated in the video, you are better off removing the axle and the cradle. Basically you are trading one pain in the a** for another. If you choose to work around the axle, it will be slower and the results will be sloppier.
You need to drill through with a thin drill first and work your way up. If you go off center, move up 2 drill sizes and try to get back on center. I had to cut drill bits down as I moved up in size so I could fit in the tight spaces. When cut too short the bits won't center in the chuck, try to find stubby drill bits. removing the axle etc will this job much easier.
Including grinding out the easy out, it took about 4-5 hours per bolt, mostly because my little air compressor couldn't do the job.

Disclaimer:
This video only contains tips and recommendations that could be helpful when carrying out car repairs or replacing parts. DIY Benz garage is not liable for any harm, injury or property damage incurred while carrying out repairs or replacements. This video is for informational purposes only and does not guarantee achievement of a specific result. The user is personally liable for incorrect use of repair equipment, tools or car parts, in particular, when this use poses the risk of injury. DIY Benz garage strongly recommends being careful and adhering to the safety rules when doing any repair or replacement.

[Ruben]

Those beam clamps sure came in a good pinch. Also, i managed to fit a 1/2 corded dewalt drill without removing the axle or cover plate, tries to extract the bolt from the back but no luck, the bits were cheap

[vlhulme]

long pry bar (or pipe) between serp belt tensioner bolt and frame, lean on it as hard as you can and you can remove the waterpump pulley and pump. No need to mess with the motor mount. Little tech tip for the next guy.

[ceasarsantiago]

Having the same problems need to drill the bottom bolt

[CWsooner]

What did you call those clamps at the beginning? I have a broken bolt as well at the bottom of the pump. I put RTV high temp sealant on the seal to hopefully keep it from leaking but when I went to go start it up today after letting the RTV cure and putting water in the system it was making a noise like the fins were hitting maybe the back of the pump or something. Can't find anything on the impeller being to long or reason for it to make that sound so I guess I will back off the bolts a hair or so and see if that fixes it without hopefully leaking. Good thoughts on how to get the bolt out though like welding on a nut but of course I don't have a welder either, lol. I tried to drill with a cordless drill but it was taking too long to drill a hole in it.