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Thanks for the sympathy. I'm not as dumb as I sound sometimes.

Did you happen to see me gearbox bolt stuck thread - it was a 3 week epic saga about getting a bolt out.....happens to us all.

Re: Gearbox fill bolt - stuck! VICTORY!

Damn, that was pretty epic as far as bolt removals go. I've definitely been down that road many times. I'm told candle wax makes an awesome penetrating lubricant when the parts are heated with a torch. I need to get me some candles next time.

The A15 timing cover DOES fit an A12. The timing marks even line up. I pulled my replacement timing cover out of the junkyard today. It was half off day.

I have this craftsman ghasket scraper that was perefect for wedging into the gasket area to wedge it apart with a little tap from a mini sledge. A harmonic balancer puller was also necessary.
Taking out the three studs around the water pump with a stud puller was very important to get the cover off without taking off the oil pan, even then i had to hammer the edges of the pan where the studs on the cover poke through to finally get it off. (maybe I was a little impatient). The alignment pins (one under the pump, and one just above the bottom left bolt) are the main sticking point because of their tight fit. Once you get it off those suckers your home free.

Oh yeah one more thing, find one with lots of oil and grease on it, the old rusty ones are sure to be a pain, as I've learned the hard way.