I think I'm screwed

RatLabGuy

RatLabGuy

You look like a monkey and smell like one too
Joined
May 18, 2005
Location
Churchville, MD
I have a bolt with the head sheered off, leaving the stud in the hole w/ none of it sticking out.

No big deal, right? I drilled a small hole in it, grabbed my "screw extractor", basically a reverese-threaded tapered screw with really fine threads.

Well, low and behold, the extractor broke.... leaving just a little shard of it sticking out, the first 1/4" of the extractor embedded in the (now) stud. Nmot enoug hto be able to grab w/ needlenose pliers or anything... but enough that a drill bit will grab it and jerk all overt he place preventing me from drillling it out.

So - how does one extract a bolt extractor? Obviously that thing is made of rreally hard steel, so my dinky bits aren't doing anything to it.

The biggest pain is that the original trheaded hole is recessed a little in a larger hole, so none of it sticks out enough to get to. Ugh.
 
did the same thing when I broke a motor mount bolt. I didn't read the instructions that came with the easy out on what size drill bit to use to before trying to extract :)

I had to drill out around it enough where I could chip it out or break it loose before retrying the correct way as instructed
 
You have one thing in your favor. The Easy Out is supper hard, and,....super brittle, as you have already found out. try taking a punch and busting the piece of easy out, out. I have done this several times with varying degree's of success.

If you can put what ever it is on a work bench it will be easier. When you get the easy out removed, a few hints.
If you can get a hold of a flat bottom end mill, flatten the remainder of the stud. Then punch the center and re-drill it moving up in size, each time you finish drilling with one size.
Eventually you will have a very thin piece of bolt left in the hole. Then take and punch it toward the center.
If you have an left hand drill bits you may be able to get it to back out. The sharper the bit the easier it will be for it to back out.
Hope this helps
 
92illpony said:
what are we working with here?
Click to expand...

This is on a 1st gen 4Runner, one of the bolts that attaches the removable fiberglass shell to the cabin. This is one of the ones along the top of the cabin (faces vertical).

78custom said:
can you weld anything to the broken stud?
Click to expand...

I was thinking about this.... if maybe I could weld a small bolt or rod to it, use that for grip and unscrew the whole thing. Problem is it's a small bolt (M8 I think, 12mm hex head) so not alot of surface space to hit... it'd have to be a real accurate weld, b/c if the glob was too big it'd weld the stud to the sides of the socket... then it'd definitely not come out, lol.
Maybe just the right snout on the welder gun would do it....

jeepbme said:
whats the bolt used for?
Click to expand...

See above...

upnover said:
You have one thing in your favor. The Easy Out is supper hard, and,....super brittle, as you have already found out. try taking a punch and busting the piece of easy out, out. I have done this several times with varying degree's of success.
Click to expand...

I'll give that a shot!

upnover said:
If you can put what ever it is on a work bench it will be easier.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree... but if I could bend the laws of physics enough to get my truck upside down in an angle, fit into a vice on my shop bench, then I'd be spending my time doing other things anyway :huggy:

Maybe I'll snap a picture.
 
Arc welder and 1/8" rod. Basically let the rod stick to the bolt.


Matt
 
I have used a chisel/pointy punch to pierce an edge of the bolt, and then striking it with a hammer in a counterclockwise direction.

Knock Loose or PB Blaster may help...
 
Take your time with a pick and hammer and and you can often times back them out. Works on those POS Carrier Center Pin retaining bolts on the 8.8 that like to break too.

Take your time and back it up with patience.

reading rbo's reply, I think he's saying the same as I am.... if I'm reading him right.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Yeah, I agree... but if I could bend the laws of physics enough to get my truck upside down in an angle, fit into a vice on my shop bench, then I'd be spending my time doing other things anyway :huggy:

Maybe I'll snap a picture.
Click to expand...


if you get it set up on your shop bench...DEFINITELY take a picture...:D

Greg
 
dremel works good for this too, if nothing else will get to it. It will grind away the hardened extractor bits. Takes a long time
 
rbo1577186 said:
I have used a chisel/pointy punch to pierce an edge of the bolt, and then striking it with a hammer in a counterclockwise direction.

Knock Loose or PB Blaster may help...
Click to expand...

This method usually works for me. Nail it with PB Blaster a good half hour ahead of time to let it work its magic.
 
I gave it a good try w/ a punch and hammer. There was just a tiny bit of the old bolt-out stucking out (barely enough to grip w/ needlenose), ended up punching it down flat w/ teh rest of the stud.
Then managed to get a very small hole drilled in the stud below the broken easy out, hoping to pry that bad boy out....
no luck, it's stuck good.
Unfortunately I can't really use this new hole to push the whol stud around, the biggest problem is that it is all below the plain of the threaded hole, so there is no "edge of the bolt" to strike at.
I'm leaning toward the "weld on something" method. What, maybe a small bolt, so that I have a socket head to grip? Again since this only an M8 bolt, there's not alot of area to work with.
 
If you have a mig try to take a nut center it up on the broke bolt or easy out then fill the center of the nut to the broke bolt with weld alow to cool slow (hardend steel on easy out) then you can put a wrench on it it's worked for me good luck
 
Jeff B said:
If you have a mig try to take a nut center it up on the broke bolt or easy out then fill the center of the nut to the broke bolt with weld allow to cool slow (hardened steel on easy out) then you can put a wrench on it it's worked for me good luck
Click to expand...
I second that idea. I have done that many times with success
 
I'll give that a shot. Now I just need a buddy w/ a welder ;-) and some beer. Too bad my MIG class at Forsyth just ended, lol.
 
take a die grinder and grind the easy out flat then take a small masonry bit and drill into the easy out the carbide tip on the masonry bit should cut into the easy out and grab it then twist it out then start over on the bolt
 
*finally* got thi taken care of.
Tried welding a nut to it. Twice, welded it on there, twice it broke off once force applied. Had to use a really small nut sicne it's only an M8 stud to begin with... not much space to fill/get good contact... that in combo w/ it being an alloy stud made for crappy connection.
In teh end, I would up getting to it from behind (luckedo ut, and this particular bolt is (mildly) accessible by removing teh in-cab light. Broke off the welds/sheet metal around the whole mount/nut for the (stuck) bolt and took the whole damn thing out.... then just welded in a new nut.
Thank Mark for use of the small welder....
 
Thats funny, I was getting ready to reply and tell you just to get a hole saw and cut the whole damn thing out.
 
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