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frozen exhaust bolts

  • Thread starter Thread starter drewandkellie
  • Start date Start date
D

drewandkellie

Guest
I am trying to change the rusted exhaust on a 1980 GS1100E I just bought and I can't break the exhaust flange bolts free. They are 6mm allen bolts on an RC Engineering header. The threads look pretty rusty but the head on the bolts seem strong. I have sprayed them with WD 40, sat over nite and tried to break them free but they wont budge. I have only used a typical "L" shaped allen wrench on them but then I tried adding a box wrench to the allen for a little more umph. The allen wrench felt like it was going to break so I backed off. Any sugestions? I don't want to screw it up.
 
with a couple of exhuast bolts one my landrover i had to soak them every day for like a week and even then when i got them out the wd40 had only penetrated about halfway down the inside the end of the bolt was still dry

recently on my gs i had to soak the dodgy screws on the brake res for like 3 weeks to get them out

other than bladder them with wd40 and pray i cant suggest anything else
 
I used an impact screwdriver that accepted a socket as well. I was able to knock them loose just like stuck screw. My model can take a 1/2" drive socket
 
Ditto on the PB Blaster

Heat them up a bit with a torch, then spray on the PB and let it sit for about a day
 
PB Plaster and heat. WD-40 is not a good penetrant. Blaster will amaze you. Plus do not neglect to set up vibration in the parts by whacking them with a hammer. Above all don't get in a hurry...they will come out. Spray 'em and continue hitting them with a hammmer.
 
Update- not to good

Update- not to good

Well here is the update. Four bolts out clean, four broken. The header is off. now I need to remove four broken bolts. I drilled a hole in the center of one and tapped in a bolt extracter. No luck. any ideas. PS I ordered the PB Blaster unfortunatly I recieved the instruction to be patient too late (pays to check the reply's a little more often then I did)
 
drewandkellie said:
Well here is the update. Four bolts out clean, four broken. The header is off. now I need to remove four broken bolts. I drilled a hole in the center of one and tapped in a bolt extracter. No luck. any ideas. PS I ordered the PB Blaster unfortunatly I recieved the instruction to be patient too late (pays to check the reply's a little more often then I did)
Click to expand...

How much bolt is left?Keep soaking with pb and try heating them with a heat gun and turning back and forth with vise grips.Be Patient and keep working at it.
 
Ah, I really shouldn't say this, snapped bolts are their own punishment, but 5 hours!? Five hours between asking us how to do it, and snapping off 4 bolts. Why didn't you snap them off first and then ask us for advice. Damn man, the minimum the PB Blaster should have soaked in was overnight. Look, good luck, I really do hope it turns out well, but now you really are up the creek.
 
tconroy said:
How much bolt is left?Keep soaking with pb and try heating them with a heat gun and turning back and forth with vise grips.Be Patient and keep working at it.
Click to expand...
If worse comes to worse this is what to do.Dremel them off almost flush and drill right in the center starting with a small bit and working up a size big enough to tap.Then put in smaller bolts with a washer.
 
I had two exhaust bolts that were broken inside my head too. Luckily they were still sticking out about 1/2 to 1/4 inch. I heated around the outside of the bolt with a propane torch for about 1 and 1/2 minutes to expand it away from the bolt, but do not heat the bolt itself, just arround it. I was able to clamp a vice grip on it, very tightly, and work it loose. My second attempt failed on the other bolt using this method. I drilled a hole through the bolt and tried to use an easyout. This resulted in breaking the easyout in the bolt. Because the easyout is harder than most drill bits (except for carbide and some others) I ended up cutting the bolt flush with the head. After this, I pounded a torques bit into the bolt which I had drilled out, and tried to remove by putting a impact gun on it (silly me) but because the torques bit is so hard, it just snaped off and I broke the torques bit in the bolt. I was able to remove the torques bit by drilling arround it until it fell out. In the end I ended up with drilling the whole bolt out and inserting a helicoil that I bought at autozone for $20. This kit included 3 helicoils, the tap, and the helicoil insertion tool. My suggestion to you is if you still have the bolts in and that they are sticking out, is to drill a hole through each one, then spray pb blaster into the hole, to soak at the back of the bold, and also soak them at the front of the bolt. If you have acess to a welder, try to weld a nut onto each bolt, and then put a socket on each one and try to remove them, only after you have let them soaked for a few days. If you do not have a welder, You could grind flats on each bolts on two opposite sides, and then put a wrench on them and try to remove, or cut a groove into the center and use a flat blade screwdriver to try to remove them. If they are not stickingn out of the head, I would still drill a hole through the center, and soak them. After a few days of that, I would Try to find a torques bit into them and try to remove, and if all else fails, drill them out and put a helicoil in each one.
Hope this helps,
Nick
 
PB BLASTER. It helped me free bolts that were in over 30 years on my Guzzi. Sprayed em down overnight and they came right out. I also made the mistake of an easy out my GS. Never again. :oops:
 
I soaked mine with PB Blaster for about a week, and most all came out with little effort. The ones near the center needed some heat. I have a small plumbers' set of torches, so it's was an easy job.
 
"Easy Outs" and similar fraudulent bolt removers NEVER work. NEVER.

They ALWAYS break before anything moves, and then you're stuck with a piece of brittle hardened metal in your old bolt that is impossible to drill or remove.
 
Have you made any progress with your bolts? I live in Flemington, might be able to help you. Let me know.
 
The Final Solution

The Final Solution

I don't know if anyone will ever read this but I feel like I need to tell you how it all turned out. I drilled through the center of the four broken bolts 7/32" Bit, and sprayed PB leaster on them and in them twice a day, hitting them with a hammer lightly for 10 Days. I then tried bolt extratctors. NO GOOD. I tried driving a torx bit in and turning it, NO GOOD. I wanted to use heat but couldn't get hold of an acetylene torch easily. SO......

I tapped the "petrified" boken bolts one size under the stock thread. Stock is 7MM 100. I tapped them 6mm 100. I bought the approriate bolts and washers and the bike is on the rode once again. Whew what an ordeal!

I took a beating from JIMCOR, for my original haste and he was right, broken bolts are their own punishment. But you guys were incredibly helpful with your suggestions. It made me feel like there were definate options for a crappy situation. I really appreciate this site and you all!! Thank You.
 
Thanks for the update! I realized a couple weeks ago that the PO of my bike busted one of the bolts off and never fixed it. Just left one header with only one bolt holding it in.:shock: The guy was a freakin' idiot!!! Lot's of Mickey Mouse work here.
 
When you put the bolts back in make sure to put some antisieze on them that \\:D/ way you wont be doing this again
 
195suz said:
When you put the bolts back in make sure to put some antisieze on them that \\:D/ way you wont be doing this again
Click to expand...

Ditto that. As I was reading this thread I was thinking the same thing. ESPECIALLY when using SS bolts in the aluminum head. You will not regret it when next you take them out!
 
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