Welcome to wit's end ....

[rebeldart]

So the bolt was sheared off when I bought the bike (#2 cyl). I drilled and broke my el - cheapo (Harbor Freight) easy-out off flush. Been trying to drill center of that mess and broke 4-5 bits so far and see that I am off center big time and have drilled under the existing bolt/easy out combo. May still be hope but I'm really frustrated and am running out of small bits. How well will the header seal without the one bolt if things keep going south on me ? Plan is heli-coil, obviously, but I'm about to throw my drill through the garage wall. Vance & Hines header would look nicer on the bike than in the box.

[duaneage]

Obviously it's time to walk away for a bit (no pun intended) and regroup. Since you've made a mess of the boss I would try to chisel out the broken bits and easy outs very carefully. Use small chisel and small hammer.

Take your time, this is not a rush.

If you can get the junk out of the hole start with 1/8" bit and attack the remains of the bolt. Maybe chisel a little more.

Some of the holes go through and emerge where the plugs are. If yours does then you might be able to treat the problem from the rear of the stuck bolt.

None of these are pleasant, I have a snapped stud on my spare engine I need to address eventually. Some day.

[Nessism]

We get about one new thread a month like this. Wish you guys wouldn't use those stupid easy-outs.

[bwringer]

We get about one new thread a month like this. Wish you guys wouldn't use those stupid easy-outs.

Mega-dittos to that.


Also, in case anyone's watching, expensive easy-outs do not work, cheap easy-outs do not work, and medium-priced easy-outs do not work.

Easy-outs DO. NOT. WORK. Period. They are a fraud.

And, as you see above, they WILL snap off and stymie future removal efforts -- you can't drill them. The same hardening that makes them so brittle also makes them impossible to drill.

Slow grinding as described above is one option. The other option is to find a machine shop that can blast them out with EDM. This is expensive, and they usually need the cylinder head separated from the engine. So add a set of gaskets and rings to the tab.

[JEEPRUSTY]

Well I think we could get together and make some sort of drilling jig for this thpe of situation. We could have two websites one that sells ez outs and another to sell a repair kit.

EZ outs for less than wholesale as a loss leader.

In all seriousness a flat plate of steel and a tube and well CAD guys knock one out for us.

[chef1366]

Maybe a decent welder can get a stud on there.

[duaneage]

I think the one you have does go all the way through. You could attack from the side, destroy the first inch of the boss, and once it's all out you could tap the hole all the way through to the spark plug area. Then install a long stud or a long bolt.

Take an upper side shot of the problem and a rear shot where the plug is. Use some more light.

[duaneage]

Hi.

I have not done so myself. Just read about it after I myself snapped a stud.

This guy in despair got a cheap diamond bit for is Dremel at Walmart. Reportedly they will cut through the hardened steel as if it were butter.

If you can get the Not-So-Easy-out out you can work on the remainder of the bolt.

DP

I have one of those bits, they do work but wear out fast. I would get 2 or 3.

[rebeldart]

Sucks to be me right now. Thanks for the insights and I've learned a lesson --- I cannot (or would rather not) remove the head, no funds available so I'll continue to peck away ....

[rebeldart]

One from upper angle. 81 GS1100 by the way. Duaneage - I understand what you're saying regarding destroying the boss and tapping new hole, just would want to make sure "all's clear" on the back side (?)

[rebeldart]

One from the back side .....

[duaneage]

I can't tell if that's a blind hole or straight through from the pictures but you know what I am proposing. There is an aluminum weldng product called http://durafix.com/ that you might be able to repair the hole or rebuild the boss with. If you know how to drill and tap you might get away with it.

Not sure what your machining abilities are or skills, maybe a nearby GSR member with previous experience in this area could help you. We are a helpful bunch.

[Scudder]

I just finished resolving issues that were ultimately caused by a broken bolt in the head. I went the route you've gone and got incredibly ticked off too. So close and then snap, the bit breaks again. After many failed attempts, I was afraid I was going to screw up the head itself, and I took it to a shop and had them remove it and rethread. I had to take the head off, which lead to a lot of other issues that I didn't initially know how to solve, but after a long while, they're resolved. I've learned through the process that there are no short cuts or quick fixes. I would advise you to take it to a shop. I took it to a shop and a guy did it for $30.

Scudder

[rebeldart]

Gonna see how it does with the single bolt for now (didn't leak before) No time or funds to deal with this right now - having an issue with the header as well (separate post).