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The carbs on my '81 GS850GLX haven't seen the light of day since 1983, like the rest of the bike. This weekend, it was the carbs turn for rebuild. Everything came apart, except for one lousy pilot screw.
I tried everything numerous times - soaking it in PB Blaster, heating it, tapping it, freezing it, grinding a screwdriver for a custom fit, whatever. Nothing worked. I had reservations about drilling but there were no other options except maybe a machine shop.
I got the drill and put the carbs in the bench vise. The plan was to use an EZ Out. After getting a small starter hole going, I stepped up in bit size. It needs to be 60 - 70 percent of the screw. If the EZ Out is too small it will likely snap off inside the hole. Not good. Patience, taking my time and the correct bit size pierced the screw with the threads intact. Great...grab the EZ Out and...nothing. The screw would not turn.
Out comes the left hand drill bit which only made the hole a bit bigger ... which was making me a wee bit nervous. Out of options until I remembered a guy on the internet had the same problem and used a torx bit.
I hammered the torx into the screw. Turned it and the screw moved slightly then spun without grabbing the screw. Ugh! I banged it hard into place and tried again. It started to turn but it was not wanting to give up easy. So back and forth it went - move it a little CCW then CW...CCW then CW - until it gave up.
The torx bit method worked and was my last best option. Just sayin' in case anyone is looking for ideas about removing a similar screw.
I tried everything numerous times - soaking it in PB Blaster, heating it, tapping it, freezing it, grinding a screwdriver for a custom fit, whatever. Nothing worked. I had reservations about drilling but there were no other options except maybe a machine shop.
I got the drill and put the carbs in the bench vise. The plan was to use an EZ Out. After getting a small starter hole going, I stepped up in bit size. It needs to be 60 - 70 percent of the screw. If the EZ Out is too small it will likely snap off inside the hole. Not good. Patience, taking my time and the correct bit size pierced the screw with the threads intact. Great...grab the EZ Out and...nothing. The screw would not turn.
Out comes the left hand drill bit which only made the hole a bit bigger ... which was making me a wee bit nervous. Out of options until I remembered a guy on the internet had the same problem and used a torx bit.
I hammered the torx into the screw. Turned it and the screw moved slightly then spun without grabbing the screw. Ugh! I banged it hard into place and tried again. It started to turn but it was not wanting to give up easy. So back and forth it went - move it a little CCW then CW...CCW then CW - until it gave up.
The torx bit method worked and was my last best option. Just sayin' in case anyone is looking for ideas about removing a similar screw.
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