I've got a couple questions I'm hoping someone can help me with. The question I should have asked before now. Is there a torque spec for the nuts that hold the flex plate to the fluid coupling. Next question, any advice on how to deal with a broken off stud? I'm going to drag it to the local transmission shop Monday, but would like to be educated on what I might be getting into.
Can you access the broken stud with a drill and an EZ out? IIRC, they are 5/16" X 18. Drill a 3/16" hole in the center and see if you can work it out with an EZ out. You can even try a reverse twist drill bit.
I think they're a press fit. I tried a few whacks with a punch but it didn't budge.
The torque value is in the shop manual. It's 15 to 20 Ft. Lbs. The stud is a press fit into the flywheel, with a serated shaft. Sometimes I have to replace one because the tread is stripped, but never saw a broken one. Of course, when I'm removing a damaged one, the flywheel is supported at the back, otherwise it's mission impossible. There is maybe a tool to extract such a bolt without removing the transmission from the car.
I guess the good news is, I was still bolting up the trans to the engine when it happened so I put the engine back on the stand and the trans back on my dolly. I did find replacement studs at Fatsco Transmission Parts, part number 8616889. I also found a local shop that will do the work, and most importantly I found the torque spec table in the transmission section of the shop manual so I don't make that mistake again.