Help with a broken bolt..

[TRDcelica90]

Hi guys bought a custom manifold and turbo kit for my gt-four but when i was taking off the exhaust manifold bolts one of the bolt heads snapped clear off .. it left enough room to get 2 bolts on and try take it off but wouldnt budge.

I then used an irwin bolt grip and hammered it onto the remaining part of the bolt, it grabbed it and snapped more of the bolt off!! yay.

so next is easy out, but im wondering what kind of drill bit will i need to actually drill through into the bolt? the bit i was using just seemed to polish it lol, prob make for wood, i dunno. but yeh any help would be good. really need this bolt on too cant go without it.

thanks guys

[RA35GT]

Are you starting of with a small drill bit (say 3mm or so and make sure your drill bits are sharp)?

Alternatively, get a mobile dood out and pay them to do it.

[TRDcelica90]

yeh i used a pretty small bit, prob not that small though, but the manifold bolts are so bloody tough.



ive searched the thread doctor and sounds like his pretty cheap,apperently he charged $50 to remove, tap and helicoil. which is important to me atm after all the money ive spent now.

[adamke35]

hit the bolt face with a hammer just one good blow if you can to help crack the bolt from its years of heat and age. use a centre pop and punch the centre of the bolt face. get a good drill bit thats designed for steel. find out what size easyout you need and drill it as close to centre as you can. patience and youll get it out no worries

[predator]

You need to go very slow with the drill.. overheating will simply dull the bit. You need to use at a Cobalt one for decent grade steel.

You can use a cutting compound to help the drill cut better into the steel.

You can also try heating the surrounds, which may allow you to twist out the bolt head.

You need to make sure you get the drill dead centre into the old bolt. If it's at a slight angle you're going to have problems when you drill down far enough.

Spraying a liberal dose of WD40 into what has seemed a surely stuck bolt has come out surprisingly easier a day later.

I've had to do a few of these lately, you learn each one you do a bit more.

[AL510]

In most cases where a bolt has snapped off when you are undoing is because the bolt has siezed in the hole.as apposed to snapping when doing it up which is from over tightening. an easy out is usefull in the second case but nearly useless in the first case unless you do something to loosen first.

If you snap the easy out you are screwed. the best bet would be to drill it out with a small drill-3mm in the centre then move up to a 7mm if it is an 8mm bolt or a 8.5 if it is a 10mm bolt then pick the threads out with a scriber or similar.do not snap the drill or you will also be screwed. you might also need a tap to clean it up after.

If you can get some one to do it for 50 bucks that would probably be your best bet.

A tip when drilling if the material is hard is not to spin the drill to quick as speed generates heat then it rubs the edges of the drill then it will do nothing. go to your hardware store and get a couple of new p&n drills and they will drill a bolt easily.


Good luck, Al.

[Casey-G]

I feel your pain man, broken bolts are a sure pain in the ass sometimes.
The guys above have outlines one very important point with the drill speed, and i with a decent bit, you would probably want around the mark of 400rpm, any faster n it will just generate heat and turn your drillbit to shit.

The Witzl has made a thread about broken bolts, i found the use of those cheap lil torx bits quite ingenious,
http://www.toymods.net/forums/showthread.php?t=50524
maybe have a quick read and see if you can apply it.

Another thought coming to me is to use thermal expansion to aid (even though a pain to work with hot parts) it may prove useful to let the motor idle up a little bit so the head warms up, then maybe have a crack at getting it undone,
I use and find that method quite worthwhile.

If the bolt is seized i wouldn't bother with the eazybreak.

[TRDcelica90]

Thanks guys very helpful stuff.

id like to start my car up but its in a million pieces. the bolt is behind the alternator which is off and would also mean id be running it without the exhaust mani on or tight lol..

That is the prob though i believe its so seized up that i dont really have a chance in hell to get it out without drilling it out.. this is all a massive learning curve for me atm, coz i dont have a lot of experience but im changing and installing so much, feel a bit stuck atm. cars been off the road for a month.

[boona]

I just paid to get a dood to come and drill out some broken studs.

Cost me 80 and I haven't regretted it for a second.

[Duk]

I'm a fitter/machinist at a steel plant (ONESTEEL), so lots of stuff that that I get to work on is subjected to massive amounts of heat and water. Both together equal corrosion and in a very short period of time (days).
We regularly use a penetrating spray called Yeild.
Compared to the likes of WD40 it is God and WD40 is what you scrape off your boot, when it comes to releasing rusted threads.
Soaking said stuck nut/bolt is your friend.
Quallity anti-sieze pastes are also a god send. Loctite make some excellent 1s.

An excellent example of the vertues of Yeild were the caster arm adjusters on 1 of my cars.
Both sides were stuck on 1 of the threads (both left and right hand on each arm to give adjustements). Aplication of heat (oxy torch) allowed me to move the nut/turn buckle a small amount, but I've wrecked enough threads while doing this sort of thing to devellop a bit of a feel for it, and stopped.
I was able to completely remove 1 of the theaded ends and sprayed liberal amounts of Yeild in there. I put everything back together and continued to use the car.
About a week later, when I could be bothered, I attacked the threads again. Only this time they moved quite freely. I completely disassemble the caster adjusters, cleaned the threads and gave then a liberal coat of anti-sieze paste.

[Casey-G]

I'm a fitter/machinist at a steel plant (ONESTEEL), so lots of stuff that that I get to work on is subjected to massive amounts of heat and water. Both together equal corrosion and in a very short period of time (days).
We regularly use a penetrating spray called Yeild.
Compared to the likes of WD40 it is God and WD40 is what you scrape off your boot, when it comes to releasing rusted threads.
Soaking said stuck nut/bolt is your friend.
Quallity anti-sieze pastes are also a god send. Loctite make some excellent 1s.

An excellent example of the vertues of Yeild were the caster arm adjusters on 1 of my cars.
Both sides were stuck on 1 of the threads (both left and right hand on each arm to give adjustements). Aplication of heat (oxy torch) allowed me to move the nut/turn buckle a small amount, but I've wrecked enough threads while doing this sort of thing to devellop a bit of a feel for it, and stopped.
I was able to completely remove 1 of the theaded ends and sprayed liberal amounts of Yeild in there. I put everything back together and continued to use the car.
About a week later, when I could be bothered, I attacked the threads again. Only this time they moved quite freely. I completely disassemble the caster adjusters, cleaned the threads and gave then a liberal coat of anti-sieze paste.

Yeild is good shit, i must say, i wouldn't think there is a better penatrant than it.


I'd be sad if i had to helicoil my head, im sure you would be to, please try the yeild its top stuff

[the_random_hero]

Even better - Rost Off It's amazing what that stuff will loosen, craps all over WD40 any day of the week.

[Casey-G]

just spray some oven cleaner on there few years there wont be much of the bolt left...

[Draven]

I've had a shit time with bolts (old JZ engines do that), plus my new JZ engine.

imho best option (given your circumstances) is:

1. Copious amounts of Inox
2. Centre punch with BFOH (big fuck-off hammer) the bolt-end
3. Copious amounts of Inox
4. *TINY* centre hole drill bit
5. good quality Easy-out

If there is still some of the bolt left above the bolt-hole, I suggest angle grinder and screwdriver to try and get it out.

PS: My bolt is still stuck in there due to me not using a centre-punch - heat resistant foam is doing the job so far

[Casey-G]

I've had a shit time with bolts (old JZ engines do that), plus my new JZ engine.

imho best option (given your circumstances) is:

1. Copious amounts of Inox
2. Centre punch with BFOH (big fuck-off hammer) the bolt-end
3. Copious amounts of Inox
4. *TINY* centre hole
5. good quality Easy-out

If there is still some of the bolt left above the bolt-hole, I suggest angle grinder and screwdriver to try and get it out.

PS: My bolt is still stuck in there due to me not using a centre-punch - heat resistant foam is doing the job so far

i'd say give this a go, spend the most money you can on the easy out.