Why am I a ham-fisted idiot?

[qslim]

This is a good one, really.
One of the tensioner bolts broke off in the cylinder block when I was breaking everything down. I figure it's no big deal, just soak it for a while, drill it, try an extractor. Happened a million times. If that doesn't work, then we'll just drill it all the way out and tap it, right?? Easy as pie.
Not when your dumb ass breaks the extractor off INSIDE THE BOLT that needs to be extracted.
So, what drills through a bolt extractor? Nothing in my tool collection, that's for sure. Even tried my buddies tigh-temp titanium bits. Nothing. The only progress i've made is the TINY dent from the punch I used to start a hole, which now seems impossible to make.
Help? :roll:

[SOS]

8) Have you tryed a blow torch? Heat it up and then try your punch.

Sorry to hear your havin so much trouble though. 8)

[richardhaggarty]

I had the same thing happen to me; broke off an extractor on an exhaust bolt in my head.

The best I could do was drill a few very small holes in between the extractor and the broken bolt. Some thread damage may occur depending on how much diameter you have to work with.

I also used a torch to heat it, the expansion temp difference between the steel bolt and the hardened extractor caused the extractor to work itself out just enough to get a pair of needle nose vise grips on the extractor and I twisted it out.

Then I retapped the threads in the head. You may have to go up a size or two if damage is extensive.

Good Luck

[duaneage]

eze-out is an oxymoron.

For the life of me I cannot understand how it is supposed to remove a stuck screw when a bolt equal to the size if the stuck section snapped off already.

[hungryman]

The extractors are intended to remove broken bolts that were NOT stuck in the first place. For best results drill almost to the threads for stuck bolts.

If you had a wire feed welder you might be able to tack a bolt to the extractor. Good luck, when the extractor breaks your problems just multiplied.

[qslim]

Good luck, when the extractor breaks your problems just multiplied.

No kidding?!

[hungryman]

Maybe I should have just avoided stating the obvious and finished with 'too bad for you'. :roll:

[DaveDanger]

Take a look at this previously discussed topic... http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...hlight=#402024

(I couldn't find the method of posting the beginning of that topic post, but could find my reply, sorry. Scroll up to the beginning)

I've heard of a method of screw/bolt removal that involves a special type of welding another tool to the broken piece, but I can't remember the name of the technique.