X-F250 182 Posted January 18, 2017 G'day guys, Deankdx suggested I make a thread about how to remove broken bolts, and since I had to do it again today I figured I'd take some photos as I went. Todays patient is my brother's 1990 Telstar. He overtightened one of the rocker cover bolts and snapped the head off. Luckily it's a long bolt so there was quite a bit of meat hanging out of the head. This is probably the easiest bolt extraction to do since there's plenty of room to get a pair of pliers in. Couple of turns and out she comes. Next time I'll show how I got the snapped rocker stud in my Falcon out with a Dremel. Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk 2 bear351c and deankxf reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deankxf 20,288 Posted January 18, 2017 there are heaps of ways to get them out, so hopefully people add to this thread, can be a handy skill to know Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bear351c 10,270 Posted January 18, 2017 Cool idea.... Left handed drill bits work the best. Ezy outs Stud extractors Weld a nut on top Cut a slot with hacksaw, and use a screwdriver 2 nuts tightened together on the thread Just to name a few. Anyone else.?? 3 stockesp, SirkWhyXF and Ando81 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deankxf 20,288 Posted January 18, 2017 add heat or cold spray causing metal to release..sharp blow with a hammer can have similar effect chisel the edge with either a center punch or chisel drill slightly off center through the broken bolt so it exposes the thread in whatever its stuck in(frees it up) tap undone with punch, screw driver or whatever is handy. 1 bear351c reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stockesp 27 Posted January 18, 2017 Vice grips are great for the easy extraction but my favourite is the fine blade high speed cutter cutting the slot for a flat blade screwdriver like Bear said. Another is drill out as much of the broken fastener and use a tap to remove the remaining thread. Heat gun on HOT is very useful but above all, patience. 1 CHESTNUTXE reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bear351c 10,270 Posted January 18, 2017 Yep..........patience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted January 19, 2017 I find that a lot of Jap bolts are rubbish, I call them "play-doh" grade. The problem with that is they stretch a lot before breaking off, which locks them in the hole. Very shit to get out and Jap stuff is notoriously hard to get at too. At the other end of the scale, you have Euro gear that generally has really high grade fasteners. If they do fail, it's often a clean break because harder steel is brittle. One example: Mercedes buses used to break sump bolts all the time, on 90% of them you could wind out the broken bit with the end of a scriber as they were 10.9 grade. On a seized thread, heat is always my number 1 method, along with rapid cooling of the bolt with some kind of cutting lube or penetrating oil. Extractors are good if you can get the drill in dead-centre and in line with the hole. If not, you may as well crack out the heli-coil kit as a matter of course. 2 CHESTNUTXE and deankxf reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BryceVR 13 Posted February 12, 2017 Cool idea.... Left handed drill bits work the best. Ezy outs Stud extractors Weld a nut on top Cut a slot with hacksaw, and use a screwdriver 2 nuts tightened together on the thread You just listed my top 4 but I like... sharp blow with a hammer can have similar effect Is very good Vice grips are great for the easy extraction but my favourite is the fine blade high speed cutter cutting the slot for a flat blade screwdriver like Bear said. Another is drill out as much of the broken fastener and use a tap to remove the remaining thread. Used them more than once if you can get a grip and swing, work it back and forth don'y try and turn it out in one go, keep it lubed and use some heeat if you have it. Drill and tap is the best but .. I find that a lot of Jap bolts are rubbish, I call them "play-doh" grade. The problem with that is they stretch a lot before breaking off, which locks them in the hole. Very shit to get out and Jap stuff is notoriously hard to get at too. At the other end of the scale, you have Euro gear that generally has really high grade fasteners. If they do fail, it's often a clean break because harder steel is brittle. One example: Mercedes buses used to break sump bolts all the time, on 90% of them you could wind out the broken bit with the end of a scriber as they were 10.9 grade. On a seized thread, heat is always my number 1 method, along with rapid cooling of the bolt with some kind of cutting lube or penetrating oil. Extractors are good if you can get the drill in dead-centre and in line with the hole. If not, you may as well crack out the heli-coil kit as a matter of course. Asians make components from high grade cheese so if it's a cheap and nasty then drill and tap, the bolt will dissolve under force. But my favourite is the OXY and a hammer after drilling for an eazy-out then let it cool, some WD and heat it again (it will catch fire but only for a moment) she'll move then. (try and get the blade boss from a 40year old rover mower and you'll learn a shit load about being stuck) 1 deankxf reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
broken-wheel 659 Posted February 14, 2017 I found with boats that sometimes they use dissimilar metals and dry ice works really well, freeze the broken bolt then hit it with a blow torch while turning it gets most corroded shit undone quickly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted February 14, 2017 Yeah if dry ice is out of the question, a CO2 extinguisher can do wonders. Just need to tweak the nozzle so you can concentrate the gas into one spot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bear351c 10,270 Posted February 15, 2017 Apparently the best 'thread loosener' is 50/50 Acetone and ATF. Best left on overnight. Never tried it.......Long hammer/short temper is my motto. 1 Slow250XC reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites