snapped an ignition coil/distributor screw help!

[bobyjones]

so while changing my spark plug wires on a 99 sl2, I snapped a ignition coil/distributer screw unfortunately, and it just so happens that that one side of the distributer, both connections are covered in white powder and rust and the inside of the plug wire boot is caked in rust too when ill pull the boots off.

when I put the new plugs on the car stopped the noisy exhaust rattling that I had spaced out on for months, while dumbfoundedly questioning why I was getting crap for mileage(obvious I need anti seaze)

but how hard is it to get almost an inch of screw out of that hole? and does it mean i need a new ignition coil on that side?



now the car is running good, but theres no screw on the top of that side and Im not sure if a secure connection with the control module is being made, but the car seems to be running ok in comparison

how bad is it If I just leave that top screw off? do you guys think Ill still get a good connection and net good mpg? ect? or will I run into problems eventually? please help a saturn bro out.

[PlasticCarsRock]

There's no distributor. Like most modern cars, the Saturn uses a distributorless ignition system. There is an electronic ignition control module (ICM), and two coils for the waste spark system. The unit under the coils is the ICM.

Where did it break off?

Take off both coils, which will allow the ICM to come off as well. If the bolt protrudes from the surface of the transmission, you can probably get it out with a vice-grip (be sure to use some PB blaster, first).

[OldNuc]

Did it snap off flush with the bell housing surface? A couple of those screws penetrate all the way through and get rather gunked up on the back side. If you can dremel a slot in the broken end screw it in a turn or 2 and then back out, rinse and repeat until it is all the way out. Do not force it.

[bobyjones]

well I put a metal strip over the ignition coil with no top screw and screwed the other side down onto the other ignition coil thnat still has its top screw

its holding the one with no screw a little tighter to the control module..
do you guys think I need another ignition coil if it was rusted out only on that side?

[bobyjones]

also i cant see the bellhouseing because I didnt want to take the rest of the screws off for fear they would also snap, but I think its below the bellhousing, will i need a new ignition coil? do you think im in the clear with my metal strip holding the other one down, i dont care that much to take it apart again honestly if i dont have to.

[OldNuc]

I would be on my way to the pick and pull for some bolts and a couple of coils. Only 1 or 2 of those bolts go all the way through and if you take them out with a nut driver you can feel when they get tight, quit and go the other way for a turn and then back out again. They won't break if you do that. Yes, eventually you will have to remove the broken bolt. The side of the coil opposite the towers is what makes the primary connection so the bolt on the far end by the towers is semi-cosmetic.

[bobyjones]

i cant believe car-part.com charges as much for a coil in most cases as it costs to get one new from pep boys..

[bobyjones]

Originally Posted by OldNuc

I would be on my way to the pick and pull for some bolts and a couple of coils. Only 1 or 2 of those bolts go all the way through and if you take them out with a nut driver you can feel when they get tight, quit and go the other way for a turn and then back out again. They won't break if you do that. Yes, eventually you will have to remove the broken bolt. The side of the coil opposite the towers is what makes the primary connection so the bolt on the far end by the towers is semi-cosmetic.

well i may be in the clear if by towers you mean plug wire connections, because my bottom bolt is not snapped, i snapped the top bolt changing the plug wires

[bobyjones]

ok so the car seems to be running good with no abnormal amount of saturn shakes this car always shakes its like a plastic rattle, the engine sounds smooth though

I used a pen ink tube to measure how deep the screw was broken off, and it is above the bellhousing, I am in luck, i was not looking forward to dremeling

whats is pb blaster? at pep boys? I want to spray this before I remove

also what is it with all these threads saying that after putting on new ignition coils the car runs like crap in a few weeks, is that a normal occurence? anyone have any idea where to get decent coils? pep boys? had anyone had a good experience or not with this?
i know I'm not shopping at autozone anymore after all the bull**** i have heard about and dealt with, with them.
especially after the bosch plugs they sold me that were garbage after three years(kind of my fault) something is wrong with that store, I always feel like I get screwed when I shop there

im worried if I screw with it more itll stop running decently cause of some weird connection issue,

why did they put coil packs so close to the damn ground? like theyre asking for it to be corroded constantly

[PlasticCarsRock]

Originally Posted by bobyjones

ok so the car seems to be running good with no abnormal amount of saturn shakes this car always shakes its like a plastic rattle, the engine sounds smooth though

I used a pen ink tube to measure how deep the screw was broken off, and it is above the bellhousing, I am in luck, i was not looking forward to dremeling

whats is pb blaster? at pep boys? I want to spray this before I remove

also what is it with all these threads saying that after putting on new ignition coils the car runs like crap in a few weeks, is that a normal occurence? anyone have any idea where to get decent packs? pep boys?
i know I'm not shopping at autozone anymore after all the bull**** i have heard about and dealth with with them.
especially after the bosch plugs they sold me that were garbage after three years(kind of my fault) something is wrong with that store

im worried if I screw with it more itll stop running decently cause of some weird connection issue,

why did they put coil packs so close to the damn ground? like theyre asking for it to be corroded constantly

PB blaster is a penetrating oil. There are other options, but that is the most common one. It will wick in between the threads of the bolt and actually help loosen it (it sounds crazy, but it really does work). For particularly stubborn things, several applications over a series of hours or even days is helpful, but even one application, followed by a few minutes to let it soak in, will help a lot. You can purchase it online or at virtually any auto store or hardware store.

Aftermarket coils do tend to be unreliable. The best option, for replacement, is rust-free OE coils from a junkyard (you can also pick up some replacement bolts there, too).

[OldNuc]

The binding is INSIDE of the bell housing, all the Kroil or PB Blaster in the world applied to the outside will never reach or solve the problem. Cut a screw driver slot in the end of the broken bolt and attempt to carefully turn it in a turn or 2 and then back out until it gets tight. If you can do this then the penetrating oil will reach the area of the problem, eventually. Keep working the broken bolt back and forth using a very small screw driver. This requires finesse and not force. Force is why it broke in the first place.

Remove the rest of the bolts and then use a Dremel cutoff wheel to carefully slice a shallow screwdriver slot in the end of the bolt.

[bobyjones]

Originally Posted by OldNuc

The binding is INSIDE of the bell housing, all the Kroil or PB Blaster in the world applied to the outside will never reach or solve the problem. Cut a screw driver slot in the end of the broken bolt and attempt to carefully turn it in a turn or 2 and then back out until it gets tight. If you can do this then the penetrating oil will reach the area of the problem, eventually. Keep working the broken bolt back and forth using a very small screw driver. This requires finesse and not force. Force is why it broke in the first place.

Remove the rest of the bolts and then use a Dremel cutoff wheel to carefully slice a shallow screwdriver slot in the end of the bolt.

ill probably just try vice grips first and if that doesnt work..

[PlasticCarsRock]

Originally Posted by bobyjones

ill probably just try vice grips first and if that doesnt work..

Just be careful not to break it again (in a less convenient spot). Even once it starts going, it can stick again, and the leverage of the vice grips will break it very easily, so keep turning it back and forth (in and out) instead of just turning it out.

Be careful not to bend or mangle it too much with the vice grips--you want to be sure you can still slot it and take it out that way, if you can't get a good grip on it (gripping round things doesn't work that well).

I didn't realize the holes go all the way through the bell housing--penetrating oil will certainly be less effective in that case, but it will help once you get it going (still worth using it, and even if it doesn't help much in this case, it's a very good thing to have).