Broken easy out!

[Sirus]

While removing the left side cover to replace my stator on my 1981 GS750E one of the bolt heads was stripped and the head of the phillpis head bolt had to be drilled out to remove the cover. After getting the cover off I tried to remove the rest of the bolt with vise grips (probably a stupid thing but too late to do anything about) and sheared it off flush. Sadly, having not read all the posts on broken easy outs I attempted to get the remaining bolt out with an easy out (which was to small) and broke that in the bolt. Can anyone give me some advice on what to do next. Is there a way to get the easy out (which is actually a very small bit) out with a dremel or something? Appreciate the help.

[Jethro]

Drill the entire thing out and heli-coil. Get good drill bits, and more than 1. Use cutting fluid.

Also, do yourself a huge favor and get a $15 impact driver. It would remove even the most stripped of phillips head screws in a few hits of a hammer. This will help you remove all the other stupid phillips head screws when you replace them with socket cap bolts- right? :-D

[chuckycheese]

easy outs

I feel for you because I did EXACTLY the same thing on a Yamaha 650 I used to have. I took it to a machine shop and the guy managed to get it out...for $80, as I remember. I don't know how he did it but he said it was hard (which I believed).

I recently bought a impact driver when I put in my new stator and I'm certain I never could have done the job without it.

[Rick]

Don't DRILL!!!

No No Don't try to drill out the bolt with the easy out piece stuck inside It WON"T work...think of it this way..You have three metals stuck in there Three different Hardnesses. First the parent Aluminum which is a soft metal. The bolt inself which is harder than the Aluminum. Third the Easy-Out which is "Tool Steel" which is harder than the bolt. If you were to try to drill it out with a plain drillbit the bit itself is also toolsteel...the result will be the bit will walk off once it hits the remains of the extractor & chew into the aluminum..A machine shop would use a flat cutter (Also toolsteel & would ruin their flatbit)....that is why a machine shop will charge so much $$ to do it...furthur this hypothetical shop would have to setup their machine affixed to the work (The bike) as in a drillpress. To the rest of us perhaps using a Dremel with the tiny ball bit(More than one) will be the best way to do it....lots of patience & taking off very little at a time , taking perhaps an hour or more to do it will leave you with a paper thin "barrel" inside...then you can fold this"barrel" remove it & the threads will then only need to be chased. Tough job for sure but well worth the patience to do it right.
____________________________________Rick........

[scott hamm]

use heat to soften the easyout

i worked a machine for 15 yrs plus.
carefully heat the easyout to acherry red and this will soften it.
then you can use a cobalt drill bit to drill it out or some times use a pick and turn it back out.
just remember to turn it backwards.

[chuckycheese]

Ebop

Well, that makes sense. The guy at the shop where I went after I "screwed up" told me that he put it on a drill press. I liked him and thought he was honest...he said getting it out was quite difficult..and I belived him.

As Jethro says, "get a $15 impact driver"....I don't think I've ever spent better money.:-D

[Rick]

Tricks of the trade

Scott:
How do you get a torch into that small an area without overheating the whole mess...a really tiny torch..an ultrafine tip?________________
_____________________________________________Rick. ...

[scott hamm]

torch

i'd use a actelene welding tip an #1 or #2 it's small and will heat a small spot.
jut be careful to heat the bolt or easy out only. you can lay a very wet rag on the alum if it will sit there.
some of the larger welding/machine shop have a machine called a water jet.
it will remove the bolt without harming the alum.
but it will cost to have it done.

[knotzilla]

You can try using a reverse drill bit that is a bit smaller than the broken screw diameter. They come in different sizes and as the name suggests it drills out material when the drill is set in the reverse mode. The drill might grab enough that the broken screw will unscrew itself. Ted

[courier11sec]

There is a product called tap-away that the best machinist in your town should have and maybe the others will too. It's super expensive and will melt easy outs and taps overnight without damage to cast iron. I'd check to be sure it won't hurt aluminum first for sure.

[thr3shold]

There is another option that nobody has mentioned yet, EDM. I used to work full time at a hydraulic shop, now only summers while I'm finishing college, and when we would get to our wits end on a broken piece stuck in a bolt hole we'd send it out and have it EDM-ed out. It always came back with no mark on it that it didn't go out with. The only thing is that I have no idea how much it cost.

[chuckycheese]

Mar Del Plata

Hey Rick, I notice you're from Mar del Plata...what an absolutely cool place! I was there about 2 years ago and loved it. I plan to return in November.\\/

[quiktrp]

depending on how small the easy out is in relation to the bolt shank, you can try using a small drill bit and drill multiple holes around the easy out. This will loosen the easy out and you can hopefully wiggle it free. Just go slow, use alot of oil, and take your time. If you snap the drill bits around the easy out, it's more hardened steel you will have to remove.

[Rick]

"Fly south for the winter"

Hey Rick, I notice you're from Mar del Plata...what an absolutely cool place! I was there about 2 years ago and loved it. I plan to return in November.\\/

Hey "Chuck" yeah we got a decent place(Paid off) near the beach...we started up an eatery a good rocks throw from the beach....this place is now quiet as the "Touristas" are gone but watch out as November draws near.... jammed with people....I'd send you the girlie pictures, but the wife deleted them hers one I found...
____________________________________________Rick.. .......
----------PS keep in touch, maybe we can hook up & maybe a place to crash for ya?

[Herb Schonher]

Broken easy out!

I had the same thing happen to me years ago on one of the exhaust bolts.Luckily I had drilled all the way through the bolt before using the easy out which allowed me to use a small punch & drive the easy out all the way through the bolt.Then I could redrill the hole & use a heli coil.Good luck.