Hollerdog

Hey guys! i got a 89 blazer s10, Just got it home and thought all i had to do was replace the differential gasket, well hell no it could'nt be that easy as usual, the cover has a hole in it and to make it worse 3 of the bolts are just about rounded out, try pounding on a metric socket but some gorrila put them on!! I am screwed if i can;t get them off. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated. HELPPPPPPPPPPP!!! Thanks

Mike Sigmond

Do you have a "easy out" drill bit set? If you need a new cover try cutting the bolt heads off with a angle grinder and use vise grips on the studs after its off.

Just my 2 cents...

in2pro

I second the easy outs, that will be your best bet next to drilling them out and putting in helicoils

Hollerdog

Hey mike thanks for the reply, the grinder and vise grips mgiht work but the SOB,s on there so tight i doubt it, the hole is just above the botom bolt and is about 1/16 of an inch wide, any clues on maybe pluggin it? I was thinking of spot welding it real quick if it ever stops drippin, cover had some oil on it so i stop at the car wash and put the power washer to it to save some time on cleaning it, glad i did but damn man!! Ran over a muskrat today and a robin smashed into my windshield, what the hell man lol!!

Mike Sigmond

Id want to see if there is any damage if it was my vehicle but spot welding it and topping it off might work as well, if the gears are worn due to low fluid level I guess try to get a little extra mileage out of it, I just would not want to get stuck someware, you will hear it or feel it first at least, if its bad.

usually a hole in the cover means it might be rusted thin, maybe get a peice of thin sheet metal and cover it well over the hole to ensure a good weld & seal.

Lightly tap it with a pointed screwdriver to see if the weak spot is larger than you can see, if it pokes thru, it might turn into a mess to patch or larger patch.

Hollerdog

yea thats an idea to. i took a really small round file makin sure to file on the out stroke and cleaning it as i went along so as not to get any filings in there and i'd say it got a couple thousands of a inch bigger before hitting solid metal. might sound crazy but if i can find a self tapping screw about that size and tack welding that on there it might be easier then the sheet metal. as far as damage the car wash is about 2 miles from me and i put a pan under it right away when i got home and it drip out a good quart or so of oil so i think it will be okay, be nice to just put a new gasket and cover on it but they don,nt call it wrenchin for nothin hahaha!

Mike Sigmond

Well looks like that might work , careful with that self tap, dont wanna hit anything in the gearing. Maybe use a small carriage bolt and cut the tip real short so it only sticks in 1/8 " or so, you can get a better weld to a carriage bolt and it covers a larger area.