So my oil sending unit snapped off in the block. Now Ive got an easy out broke off in it too and cannot get it drilled out. Im thinking about just welding the hole shut, and drilling and tapping a hole above it for the guage, will this work? Other than the metal shavings that might be in there, will I be able to drill and tap somewhere else for the gauge??

man up and get that thing out.

Are the threads broken flush with the block? If they are you might be able to get the corner of a small (and sharp) chisel on it and slowly tap it CCW. This is how I removed the broken stud from my knuckle.

Dude, 6 months ago I was exactly where you are. Snapped off easy outs, screw extractors, and even a drill bit. Used heat. Soaked it in PB blaster for a week. Then cut about 3/32" deep groove in it with dremel, and bought an impact screwdriver. Broke the heavy duty screw driver tip off while swinging a 4-lb sledge at it. It was like a 2-week ordeal for me. Nothing worked.

When I broke that 3/8" impact driver bit, I knew nothing else would get it out. So I went at it with a dremel and small metal cutting bit (http://www.dremel.com/HTML/home_fr.html see bit number 9901) and very carefully hogged out the hole free-hand (removing sensor material, hopefully not block material) until my tap fit the hole and i could start chasing the old threads. The threads are 1/8x28 BSP. That's Brittish Standard Pipe, and the "1/8" isn't .125 inches. Very tough tap size to find, but I can refer you to a place in Tucson that has them. I got the tap info from here: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=264757

You might just be able to drill, instead of freehanding a dremel, if you can get the hardened materials (easy outs) removed from the hole. By the time I got the threads cleaned up with the tap, the hole was probably .020 oversized. So it took several rounds of teflon tape to make the sensor screw in tight again, but hasn't leaked since.

One thing you should convince yourself of is that the hole is BEFORE the oil filter, so it's not lethal if you leave some metal in there. And if you remove the oil filter, there is a hole that you can shove a skinny telescoping magnet down, to get as much of the debris out as possible. The passage goes all the way down to the plug that's at the level of the oil pan.

See here for pics of my ordeal, in no apparent order:
http://www.c2i2.com/~bkubisht/4runner/engine/

Just a bit more info, here's the exact model of impact driver I got:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=23782&item=4381115022&rd=1

I really thought it would be the silver bullet. You smash it with a hammer, and it translates part of the forward energy into twisting energy. It CAN'T slip out of the slot while twisting. But I'm not sure my wrist will ever recover from using that thing.

Another thing: you probably have another hole in the middle of the motor mount, so if you seal the problem hole with a weld then maybe you can put the sensor in the other hole. Threads should be the same.

EDIT: and no, I'm not post padding. It just worked out that way.

I got one of the impact driver from harbor freight, not the best, but it does have a rubber handle that is rather confortable, I destroyed the bits that came with it, but found that craftman's bit fit this thing, it looks like they would fit yours also. So far these can take much more abuse and are only like $2 a piece. To get broken bolts out I usually have good luck by welding nut with the mig and just filling the inside. The heat loosens the bolt when it cools. Sometimes a torch helps also.

Thanks for the replys. Ive got most of the "easy out" out. Its back in the hole a bit and Ive drilled half into the fitting and half into the block so the original hole is pretty much wasted now.So Im looking for another spot to put the oil sending unit now. Any ideas?

-And the motor is still in the truck-