Broken Aft Block Drain Nipple

[NewburyportWags]

A 6" brass nipple had been added to the aft block drain plug on my engine. While performing other repairs this weekend, I noticed some water coming from the area bewteen the pulley below the alternator and the distributor. What I found was that this tube and corroded and had snapped off. About 3/4" of the tube remains in the block and will need to be extracted. The piece that is sticking out appears too corroded to try to wrench out using vice grips. I am considering using an "Easy Out" or "Walton REPS" tool. I was wondering what is inside the block directly in front of the plug? What is the depth of the thread, and will I hit anything inside the block if I drive the extraction tool into the center of the tube? Thanks.

-Mark

[Don Moyer]

Mark,

You apparently have one of the original galvanized nipples Universal used in the mid to early seventies. By the time they fail like yours did, you can usually use a standard 1/8" pipe tap to clean out the remaining nipple and dress up the threads. If the pipe tap won't start, clean the threads out using a 5/16" drill bit and a pair of pliers, then use the tap.

Don

[NewburyportWags]

Happily, this turned out to be much easier than I was expecting. The nipple was corroded so severely that it fell right out when I tugged on it with a pair of needle nose (that is not usually a good thing, but I was quite happy not to have to drill it out). I had intended to round out the pipe where it had flattened when the nipple broke to allow me to get an extraction tool into it. When I grabbed it, it came right out without any effort. I was able to see the threads on the old nipple all the way around, so I was confident that i got it all. I used a tap to clean up the threads and replaced it with the new brass nipple. Much, much easier than I had feared. Thanks again for your expert advice on all things Atomic.

-Mark