Help! I broke into the water jacket via bell housing bolt!

[jesus_man]

Short story - I thought I had lost a bolt doing the DMF replacement. Got a replacement based on my research that was 70mm long. Turns out it needed to be 50mm. A loud scrapping noise alerted me to potential issues and and when I removed long bolt, coolant begins to pour out. So I need help with two things:
1. How do I repair the extra hole in the water jacket? (It wasn't leaking until I loosened the bolt FWIW.
2. The noise is perhaps whatever I broke out of the backside of that hole and got caught in the water pump, so I need to get chunks of whatever out.... Noise is gone for now...but no idea how long.

It's the bolt on top of the DSG near the front of the cooler (the hole on the top right in this image).

 

[Nuje]

Ouch! I feel for you, my friend.
I don't know the answer, but I fear that it's going to be neither easy nor inexpensive.

 

[jesus_man]

There are options. I spoke with my cousin, an ASE mechanic. He says there are inserts you can put in there with permanent sealant and that would involve pulling the trans again, drilling out the hole and inserting this threaded cap with sealant. But he said to just get the Permatex thread sealant, coat the bolt in it and run it in again. I just need to remember that if I ever drop the trans again, it will leak.

As to the particles in the cooling system, he suspects they are already caught in the radiator somewhere and I just need to watch the temp on the warm days to make sure water pump and radiator are ok. If I hear the noise again, I am going to attempt to flush the system in such a way that I can catch metal.

The proposed fix is somewhat of a relief. I feared the worst. This isn't so bad. It wasn't leaking until I backed the bolt out and I may even put the original back in with lots of sealant. That way, if I ever drop the trans again, I won't put it in another hole and create the same scenario. I should make QR codes that I stick to these areas on my car to remind me of what I did.... But it was certainly salt in the wound as I had been treating my car gingerly for over two years waiting for the right time to replace the DMF.

Let it be known that the top bolts for the DSG are NOT N10409104. They are a 12x50!!! Hope that helps someone else.

 

[03TDICommuter]

There are options. I spoke with my cousin, an ASE mechanic. He says there are inserts you can put in there with permanent sealant and that would involve pulling the trans again, drilling out the hole and inserting this threaded cap with sealant. But he said to just get the Permatex thread sealant, coat the bolt in it and run it in again. I just need to remember that if I ever drop the trans again, it will leak.

Chevy 350 V8 blocks, the cylinder head tapped holes go into the water jacket. I'd do what he said (use the thread sealant and send it home)

 

[Nuje]

There are options. I spoke with my cousin, an ASE mechanic. He says there are inserts you can put in there with permanent sealant and that would involve pulling the trans again, drilling out the hole and inserting this threaded cap with sealant. But he said to just get the Permatex thread sealant, coat the bolt in it and run it in again. I just need to remember that if I ever drop the trans again, it will leak.

As to the particles in the cooling system, he suspects they are already caught in the radiator somewhere and I just need to watch the temp on the warm days to make sure water pump and radiator are ok. If I hear the noise again, I am going to attempt to flush the system in such a way that I can catch metal.

The proposed fix is somewhat of a relief. I feared the worst. This isn't so bad. It wasn't leaking until I backed the bolt out and I may even put the original back in with lots of sealant. That way, if I ever drop the trans again, I won't put it in another hole and create the same scenario. I should make QR codes that I stick to these areas on my car to remind me of what I did.... But it was certainly salt in the wound as I had been treating my car gingerly for over two years waiting for the right time to replace the DMF.

Let it be known that the top bolts for the DSG are NOT N10409104. They are a 12x50!!! Hope that helps someone else.

Very pleased to be proven wrong on this one.
If you can just glop up that bolt and put it back in....

 

[lemoncurd]

the mk4 and mk5 kids have done this for forever because they lack wrinkles in their brain

tons of them have punched holes into the water jackets. just seal the bolt up with a thread sealant and send it.

 

[p.e.fletcher]

definitely recall a shopdap/humblemechanic video where they went to drop the trans and found this surprise waiting for them but can’t find it now

 

[lemoncurd]

definitely recall a shopdap/humblemechanic video where they went to drop the trans and found this surprise waiting for them but can’t find it now

it will be in their mk5 r32 video. the one with the broken DSG

 

[jesus_man]

the mk4 and mk5 kids have done this for forever because they lack wrinkles in their brain

Ouch - I guess I'll take those lumps! LOL, I deserve them. But I will tell you, I did grow a wrinkle on this one!!

Permatex should be here today and I hope I never hear from the metal flakes again!

I assume that the inlet to the radiator is on the passenger side? In case, I were to flush it??

 

[Speedmaster_102]

definitely recall a shopdap/humblemechanic video where they went to drop the trans and found this surprise waiting for them but can’t find it now

Here s the timestamp on how to fix it from shopdap

 

[lemoncurd]

Ouch - I guess I'll take those lumps! LOL, I deserve them. But I will tell you, I did grow a wrinkle on this one!!

sorry, i didnt mean you specifically haha. im more so referring to the literal kids who have ended up buying a large share of the mk4 and mk5 platforms.

like, highschoolers. they think they know everything, we have all been there, and end up doing exactly what you just did haha

there's nothing functionally wrong with just putting some thread sealant on there and reinstalling. just make note that you have a new "drain" hole the next time you drop the transmission..