Oil pressure sensor bolt snapped in half, can I just plug the hole?

[Fu Manchu]

V6, I just wanted to know If I can drive with that plugged

I would not. Why? You are replacing it for a reason. If there was a fault associated to it, then it might well be telling you there is an oil pressure issue.
That can be internal oil leaks, or a failing oil pump.
My previous answer

The sensor doesn’t tell the engine management system oil level data. It tells the ECM oil pressure data.
If there is an issue with oil pressure data, a code is logged. the cars engine management system will adjust the cars performance to protect the engine.
If you have oil pressure problems, the code will be set. Ideally oil pressure should be verified first with an external gauge. The code doesn’t tell you what’s broken. It tells you what data is concerning to the ECM. If you continue driving with a genuine oil pressure issue, you’ll be up for more than professional extraction of a broken sensor.

Guessing with an oil pressure issue could cost you a motor. At best may well lead to poor performance as your ECM try’s to run the car without any oil pressure data.

 

[Fu Manchu]

Vise Grips will have that out.
Bolt extractor should too.

Careful getting stuff (metal shavings, or foreign material) in the oil system.

 

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

It still perplexes me how you broke a steel sensor in an aluminium housing. What type of screw extractors do you have?

 

[Skylarking]

@Austinthemaster21, you shouldn’t have two threads for the very same issue

If you're not getting the response time you want from members who are just normal people with normal lives that help when they can, call a mobile mechanic who’ll come over and fix your issue, don’t create a new thread or continue to ping an old thread…

As to your snapped sensor bolt, I hope you do know the term “righty tightly, lefty loosey“ or ”time is always tight”.

If the time is tight doesn’t work for you, I visualise sticking my right thumb in the bolt hole and turning in the direction your fingers point if you want to tighten the bolt and same principle for left hand if you want to loosen the bolt Just remember it’s opposite for left hand threads but luckily there aren’t too many of those around

If you haven’t got the tools to fix the stuff up, then call someone who does and don’t risk killing your engine with some bodgy fix.

@immortality, maybe you can merge this thread with the earlier thread below.

https://forums.justcommodores.com.a...pped-in-half-can-i-just-plug-the-hole.289762/

 

[Darren]

Thread merged

 

[lmoengnr]

You need some tools like these,

If you're so inclined, you can get much cheaper chinese crap copies...

 

[Skylarking]

@Austinthemaster21, just remember that easy-outs are left hand threaded and are used for extracting right hand threaded bolts

You wind the easy-out into a hole you drill into the bolt centre you want to remove. You wind them in counter clockwise wise which allows them to get stuck in the bolt hole and as you continue to wind counterclockwise, if you’re lucky, the right hand threaded bots will start to turn so you can extract it…

Just can’t remember easy-out details but obviously the size of the bolt dictates the size of the easy out to be used which then also dictates the size of the hole one must drill into the bolt. The fact that you have the remains of an oil pressure sensor stuck in the engine block, don’t be cheap and use cheap easy-out, or a smaller easy out so you don’t have to drill into the sensor bolt… If your easy-out is too small or cheaply made, it may snap and then you’re even more stuffed

Use the recommended size and ideally use a left hand drill bit to make the recommended size hole (which can help unwind/loosen the bolt as you drill)…

 

[Austinthemaster21]

It's alloy with oil contamination, so unless you are proficient in that type of welding, I wouldn't advise it. Mate, just bung in a decent easy-out and unscrew it, problem fixed. Just remember; Righty tighty and Lefty loosey.

maybe I’m using the easyouts wrong. Can you tell me which one to use and how to use it?

 

[lmoengnr]

maybe I’m using the easyouts wrong. Can you tell me which one to use and how to use it?

What size is the threaded piece stuck in the engine?
What size is the hole in the broken bit?

 

[lmoengnr]

Here's the info on the back of the easyout pack.