broken off bolt...how do I get it out...

[MikeMacCham]

Ok so I was changing my shifter seal and got a little carried away with one of the seals, not on the pan, on the inside when I droped the part inside. A bolt broke off and of course non of it is hanging out of the hole...any ideas other than using a heely coil?

[bordin34]

?Weld another bolt or screw onto it and try to loosen it that way?

[jackel440]

I understand from what your saying that the bolt is still brkoe off.If the bolt isnt froze in the hole or bottomed out I would get a small center punch and try to walk the bolt out by tapping it(like when removing a gas tank lock ring poor example) in a counter clock wise direction.I remove lots of bolts that way at the factory.It takes time but you might be able to keep from drilling it out.Another option Is if you have a wleder and are good you can weld something to the end of the broken bolt and the back it out with pliers.that works good too.
I never have any luck with easy outs so i never bother with them.
good luck

[MikeMacCham]

yeah actually, this is a bad picture, if you remove this piece that is where the bolt is stuck. It is not flush, and it broke when I cranked it down. Do you think I could back it out if it is pretty tightly in there?
Thanks guys,

[moparguy01]

id center punch it and try to use a reverse drill bit (or left handed drill bit) yes they do make them, no i'm not just screwing with you. you can usually get one of those to work.

[MikeMacCham]

id center punch it and try to use a reverse drill bit (or left handed drill bit) yes they do make them, no i'm not just screwing with you. you can usually get one of those to work.

Do you think that will mess up the threads since it is so small? Wha are the chances I can get away with that without needing to put in a heely coil?

[moparguy01]

if you get a small enough left drill bit you should be able to get the bit to just bite into the broken bolt (thats why you center punch it) then the bit will tighten up as it starts trying to turn the screw out.

[mikepmcs]

I got your back Moparguy.

Left-hand bit

An 1/8in left-hand drill bitLeft-hand bits are almost always twist bits and are predominantly used in the repetition engineering industry on screw machines or drilling heads. Left handed drills allow a machining operation to continue when the spindle either cannot be reversed or where the design of the machine makes it more efficient to run left handed. With the increased use of the more versatile CNC machines their usage is less common than when specialised machines were required for machining tasks.

They may also be used as an aid in the removal of common right-hand screws. Since the rotation of the drill bit is such as it would loosen the screw, using it to drill into the damaged screw head will usually remove the screw, providing the bit "grabs" the damaged material successfully.


Screw extractor

A screw extractor in a T-wrenchAnother type of left-hand bit is an extraction tool used expressly for removing broken or seized screws, other than by drilling. It has a highly tapered thread structure on it, and is inserted into a drilled hole (of the recommended size) in the damaged screw. If a left hand drill bit is used initially, and the act of drilling the hole does not release the screw, this tool may remove it. In use, the extractor is rotated and the action of the taper and spiral digs into the damaged material causing it to lock tightly and hopefully applies enough pressure to remove the screw. The tool has a tendency to continue winding in while being turned and this may cause the extractor to expand the screw in the hole causing it to bind further, leading to failure of the process. These bits are made of very hard, but brittle, steel, which means they can break off inside the screw if too much force is applied, making the removal much more difficult. Because of this an alternative extractor has four parallel edges, which tends not to self-tighten. Alternatively, the hole can be drilled with successively larger bits until it can be tapped.


v/r
Mike

[MikeMacCham]

awomse, thanks guys!
Ok so does anyone have a picture of what they look like or a price range? Is this stuff a sears item? Chances are my father in law already has all this stuff, but isout  of town...thats why I was wondering what it looks like

[mikepmcs]

You can get extractors at sears or maybe the local speed shop/hardware store/auto store.

v/r
Mike

[moparguy01]

Thanks Mike. I use the drill bits before i even bother trying to find a screw extractor for it, since screw extractors and easy outs are the hardest material known to man, and they love to break and make it impossible to drill through. haha Dont ask how I know.

[MikeMacCham]

Hey the bolts were very tight when I removed them, when I put them back do they have to be so tight or can they be 1/4 turn past tight? (to tight is what got me here in the first place) Also, where can I get a new bolt? if it is just the same thread and length will that work or do I have to special order this bolt, if so should I just order 10 new ones?

[Big Lebowski]

Thanks Mike. I use the drill bits before i even bother trying to find a screw extractor for it, since screw extractors and easy outs are the hardest material known to man, and they love to break and make it impossible to drill through. haha Dont ask how I know.

  Exactly, if I had a nickel for every extractor I've busted off in the bolt hole, I'd be rich.

[six-tee-nine]

Yes extractors are a good invention, but be gentle with them cuz if they break you're gonna be screwed even harder than you already are...


I personally think a broken extractor is often caused by not drilling al large enough hole to put them in

[Nacho-RT74]

another way... with a dremmel make a notch on bolt like you are making a bolt head to plain screwdriver and then loosen it normally

[John_Kunkel]

Bolts that snap off from overtightening are good candidates for extractors, bolts that bottom out before snapping off are less likely to come out with an extractor. This one looks like an easy job for an extractor or LH drill.

[Dennis]

Anxiously waiting for the fix.

[MikeMacCham]

I talked to a shop that will do it for cheap, then I don't have to worry about my first time being a bad experience. I am going to wait to use the ideas you guys gave me until i'm with the more experienced buddies that are out of town at the moment.  It occured to me that I am a little to lost with tork per inch and stuff to chance it, so instead, I am signing up at the college next semester for auto tech corses. I want to turn wrenches but need to learn the basics first. Thanks a ton guys, I am very sorry if I wasted your time with this one.

[2Gunz]

Once you get a bit into it you could also heat up the area around it causing the metal to expand and that should make it easier.

Some of the hardest jobs have become a piece of cake once I added some heat to it.

Just be sure whatever you are heating up wont have adverse affects to doing that.

[mikepmcs]

I talked to a shop that will do it for cheap, then I don't have to worry about my first time being a bad experience. I am going to wait to use the ideas you guys gave me until i'm with the more experienced buddies that are out of town at the moment.  It occured to me that I am a little to lost with tork per inch and stuff to chance it, so instead, I am signing up at the college next semester for auto tech corses. I want to turn wrenches but need to learn the basics first. Thanks a ton guys, I am very sorry if I wasted your time with this one.

Mike
No worries, you didn't waste anyone's time.  Ask all the questions you want and we'll all answer them.  It's what we are all here for and the information provided above is bound to help someone else out.
v/r
Mike

[MikeMacCham]

yup....two taps with a chisel and a little tampering with a dental tool and it was out.... ...wow...should have done that myself. but at least I got the shifter seal changed out...cause it turns out it was also 50%  power steering fluid that was dripping and I must have knocked somthing loose, when i got it towed, because now it wont start without a hot wire passing the ignition...eh what am i gonna do...go chevy...no, fix it  and keep drinking miller high lifes...

[Lurker]

is it broke off flush with the housing or flush with the valvebody. if its just broke of a little under the valve body by the looks of the pic you should be able to drop the valve body and grab it with vicegrips, just pay attention when you remove the valve body and make sure you don't loose any of the little balls etc. i can't tell for sure from the pic if it is a mounting bolt or not, i haven't done any surgery on one lately and my memory is rusty 

[MTPOCKET]

Make sure you have check you netural start switch.

[MikeMacCham]

thnaks guys. the nuetral safety switch was off already, I ended up getting a shop to do it for $100 and learning that i am going to take junior college classes ASAP