Busted bolt, easy out or ??

[Anonymous]

When removing my valve cover I broke a 6-35 bolt off flush with the surface of the head. The locaton of the bolt is right under the frame so drilling it out is going to be hard. I have 4 1\2 inches of clearance between the bolt and the frame. A right angle drill is 4" wide so I doubt it will work. A co-worker is bringing the drill in to work tommorrow. I removed the coils and plug wires that are mounted on the frame and I think I may be able to get a drill bit to the bolt through the tubes of the frame where the left coil was mounted. I bought a long extender for my cordless drill and some drill bits to put in it. I'm thinking I may be able to drill into the bolt this way. If I am lucky enough to be able to drill should I try using a easy out to remove the half of the bolt that is still in the head, or should I drill out the whole bolt and try re-taping it with the 6-100 tap? Or whould a helicoil work for this? I am very concered about breaking a easy out off inside of the bolt. If none of the above works, whats next?? Removing the head? How much work is that? Advise please.
Thanks for any info\experiences.

[Dark Jedi]

I feel you pain. Broke nearly the same bolt myself.

Steel bolts in aluminum heads.. steel becomes the anode, and corrodes fast. Add heat and exposure to the elements, and all hell breaks loose. :?

If I can reach cleanly, I am going to try the easy-out way. Soak that puppy in penetrant for a day or two prior!! It pays to make sure that bolt is as loose as you can get it before trying.

[Anonymous]

I had broken exhaust clamp bolt. I had plenty of room to get at it. I went the "easy" way first, drilled a hole into the broken stud and got an "easy" out. Of course it broke off. Now, try and drill that out, I lost track of how many drill bits I broke off or wore out.

One thing I never did was soak it for a few days in penetrating fluid, that may have helped.

I would recommend drilling a small hole as centered as possible, then use larger bits until you've drilled out almost all of the broken piece. Lots of penetrating oil. Once you're close to the threads, then get the biggest easy out in there that you can.

A lot of patience and dexterity is required, but I wish I had taken more time with my experience.

Good luck.

[lhanscom]

'Easy Outs' are evil, I have never had one work, but have broken off a couple. They sell reverse drill bits that may work better, but I've never tried them. If you can't drill it out, you may just want to take then engine out of the frame so you can get to the area. I know it's a pain, but it's better to do it now before you break an easy out in the bolt, and can't drill it. While taking an engine out looks intimidating, it really only takes an hour or so, and it helps if you have a buddy to help lift it out. Also, when drilling, be very careful of the metal bits flying around. They could damage your engine, if they go where they aren't supposed to. Good luck, broken bolts suck.

[Anonymous]

Talked with my neigbor who lives up the street this morning while the children were getting on the bus (I work night shift). He is a recently unemployed airline mechanic. He has quite a few tools and offered to help. He brought a air drill and some short bits for it over. He was able to drill it out pretty good, we broke one bit but were able to get it out. We then tried the easy out's to grab or grip the bolt. We tried a #1, then #2 easy out. Neither could get a purchase on the bolt. Finally a #3 was able to hook up solid to something. I then proceded to break it off! Now I'm screwed! He had a carbide drill bit, but that did not touch it. I'm now thinking that instead of using the gasket I bought from Suzuki, I will try some of the "Real Stuff" make a gasket stuff and just put the valve cover back on with out that bolt. Any thoughts?? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I've never had an EZ out break but I think it's because you can feel when you're torquing on them too much. They are better suited for removing bolts that are seized around the grip length of the bolt than the threads. ie. when the head pops off the bolt or breaks off just above the threads.

If it's really stuck give up before the going gets worse...

Steve

[lhanscom]

You can try, but I think it will leak. Worse case is you put it back on start it up, and it will start oozing oil. A big mess given time. Of course with an easy out broken off in the hole, the only way to fix it is to go get it 'welded' out. That will probably require the head to come off. Good luck.

[nabrams]

I wish I'd seen your post before you tried the "easy-out". They almost never work. I was able to get a broken "easy-out" out of a bolt head by drilling several very small holes around it and then prying it out. Needless to say, that took forever and the threads of the bolt hole were ruined. Then I did the drill/tap/helicoil routine to do the job right. On subsequent stuck bolt encounters (on my bike and my buddie's bike) I just went straight to the drill/tap/helicoil solution - worked every time.