Thank You for Watching my "Easy" Broken Bolt Removal video! Subscribe To This RU-vid Channel: ru-vid.com Check out my wiring videos!: ru-vid.com/group/PLsF7T1tRFy2hmiiUUfMZNyV-BUA_yrPIh
Nice work.. any tips for ones that are broken off well below flush other than drilling and the easy-out? I have a few on my V-10 that are broken below the surface. Thanks.
I been stuck in a shit mood due to the dreadful 5.4 manifold all day and you taking the broken stud out with the turbo was a great laugh I needed right now. Thank you!
If you are out in the field somewhere and don't happen to have a welder or a spare turbocharger lying around, something else that works fairly well is to always carry a small bag of torx bits with you (they are cheap and small). You can drill a hole slightly smaller than the torx bit into the broken bolt and then use a hammer to drive the torx bit into the bolt and then try to turn the bolt out using a vice grip or some other gripping tool. It works better than an extractor, and in situations where you don't have all of the "fancy" equipment you used. Depending on the size of the bolt, you can try this trick several times on the same bolt. Of course, having a torch, welder, or turbocharger always helps.
The thing with torx bit is that they might strip. Also they might cause the broken bolt to expand and make it even tighter. My approach is to use a square hss bit and drive it in. The corners are hard and sharp enough to cut grips instead of squeezing the bolt against the hole.
What actually works better than the turbo method is welding a 15” steel wheel from a 1985 Monte Carlo (it has to be a 1985 Monte Carlo and 15” wheel). Then , weld or anchor the wheel to one of the yellow, metal safety poles in any Walmart parking lot. Then, you’ll need some help from a buddy, but turn the engine, not the bolt, until the engine falls to the ground. Works virtually 100% of the time 25% of the time. This is not an advertisement for yellow, metal safety poles in Walmart parking lots.
Better yet, weld the wheel to the side of a large propane tank. 😂😂 But be sure to cut a hole in the tank first, so it doesn't build up pressure from the heat! 😂😂
Thanks for the methods. I just removed the ditch side manifold from a 2003 Grand Marquis. While in the car. I cut the nuts off so I could remove the manifold. Now all the studs were exposed. I tried the vise grip method, it worked on one. I tried the double jammed nuts and couldn’t get any action, so I pulled out my stick welder. I welded oversized nuts on the exposed studs, and got 6 more out. The last 3 broke the weld out of the welded nuts, so I used the washer and nut method to get the last 3 out. Note, I am replacing the fender so I had the luxury of space. Thank you for the great video.
Excellent. The bane of my efforts to service my own vehicles. Getting rusted bolts off. It was your attitude towards it that made me realize it's doesn't have to be painful. But can be looked at as fun and challenging. Thanks.
yeah I totally agree with that statement attitude is everything!!! cuz if you going to turn tools for a living or just as a shade tree mechanic this kind of stuff is going to come up sooner or later and the best way to deal with it is with a good attitude!!
Great video! Just a suggestion for anyone using an easy-out or tap. Try to use some form of a tap handle to help keep the pressure centered, it is too easy to snap a tap, etc using a regular wrench. Second point, I am a retired machinist, I hated using easy outs, like you said, if they work 50% of the time for you, that is a far greater success rate than they worked for me. Plus, one of the most common repairs I saw were customers bringing in a part that had a broken bolt with an easy out broken in it.. made drilling it out near impossible.
I got to learn all about this recently. The dremel (the first tool I ever owned, from 31 years ago) got through the bolt & I was able to eventually remove it.
This happened to me with a bolt in the diff cover of my 8.5 gm, I tried drilling it out but ended up grinding it flush and laying a huge bead of silicone in that area and crossed my fingers lol, never did leak
My God... the washer method worked! I was trying for hours before this with a seized bolt, broke 3 nuts off prior to seeing this method. I cannot even tell you how much you've helped. Thanks!!!!!
Typically none of them are ever rusted on or ceased. The heads break off the ends because the manifold warps. This is a handy demonstration of various ways to get em out. All helpful. But what really helps is leaving the head of the bolt on.
I like to use a wrench on the extractor instead of a crescent. If the bolt is loose and you it’s recessed deep down in the hole, I’ll use a Dremel with an old blank stone mandrel. High speed of the Dremel will twist it on out. I also use old copper water line to build up a weld on a broken bolt recessed in cast iron or aluminum. Works good. Great video.
And here I was thinking I'm the only one that ever welded a turbo charger to broken off bolt to remove it. So refreshing to know that I am not alone!🙂. Great video.
Kayla, The reason I know you’re awesome is because you appreciate the fine art of welding strange objects to broken engine parts. Thank you for watching, commenting, and for being awesome. -Jeremy
@@WiringRescue I absolutely recognize and appreciate your genius in problem solving using a completely serviceable/no longer serviceable turbo charger as a broken bolt extractor! I keep all of my old car parts that I replace (and absolutely everything else, I throw nothing away) and repurpose them into usable second life tools and equipment..sometimes abstract art. Welding that turbo charger onto a broken bolt was the most imaginative (and hysterically funny) thing I have seen in an age. Sheer genius!! That bolt stood no chance in the face of the tremendous amount of torque that piece of improvised tooling applied to it. I immediately knew you were of my tribe and that you knew the song of my people!😁
Thanks for the GREAT Information! Well done. If I was just startin' out wrenching, I never would have seen any of these methods. If I grew up on a farm and had a fix-it-all Dad or older brother who cared enough about me to help me learn how to fix broken equipment, maybe they might have know how to use these good ideas that you took hours to video and edit. Thank you!
if i ever had to drill a broken stud i used a left handed drill bit. if the bit hangs up it will spin the stud out lots of the time. i have had a lot of luck with protruding bolts using a very small pipe wrench about a 3 or 4 inch. that was all the little pipe wrench was good for. i never used the vice griips the washer trick was a new one for me. never seen that one..good idea. i enjoyed your video. thanks.
I actually just recently bought left handled drill bits so that I can put them to the test! A mini pipe wrench also sounds like a great idea. Thanks for sharing the info and watching the video!
As you ask for other methods, I can tell about one I had to improvise many years ago in an attempt to replace a disc of a brake in a car for which that was needed. The disc was hold by three bolts and two of them went out without problem, but the head of the third broke leaving the remaining of the bolt just level with the disc, almost like you cut some of them in your video. I had no welding tool at hand and anyway had no experience how to use that. The diameter of the bolts were about 5-6 millimeter. I tried to create a slot for a screwdriver in the bolt. For that I used a drill with a 1.5 or 2 mm bit trying to do something like a diametral hole, starting at the border of the bolt almost parallel to the axis of the bolt and changing the direction during the drilling toward the center and then the opposite border of the bolt, then repeating the same thing from the opposite border. I don' t remember how many bits were broken in this operation but it worked and then with my strongest screwdriver the bolt went out. Rethinking about that, I wonder why I did not first remove the disc as it was only hold by a bolt wihout head. It was a long time ago (year 198x with x between 5 and 9, before 1985 I didn't have the garage where this happened) maybe a remainder of the head made it impossible or I was too stupid to think that. But I remember clearly the drilling.
I literally just went into my garage and welded nuts to each of my broken studs that were snapped off a good 1/8" inside the head and they both came right out. Took me 8 minutes. I legit thought i would have to take the head to a machine shop because earlier i tried to drill the sruds and the bit broke off when i got almost all the way through. Awesome video man. It saved me some $$$$
With the easy out: 1) don’t drill crooked 😅 2) don’t go TOO big or you end up swelling the bolt, making it tighter. 3) Try heat 4) a T handle work better than an adjustable wrench.
I can't be the only guy to comment this, but I'm not reading every comment to find out. One method that works for me about 60% of the time, is to drill it with a left-hand drill. Of course, you'll need a reversible drill motor to turn the drill CCW. I normally heat the area with a torch before drilling. I like your sense of humor! 😂
The double nut method works if you just turn the bottom nut. Dont turn them both. You actually risk unlocking the nuts together. But if you can get a nut on the stud and have a welder on hand just weld the nut after you screw it on. Plus the weld heat will help Brilliant idea to weld to the washer to the stud first. I never had luck with ease out either. Plus if they break off its hell then on. Nearly impossible to drill that hardened tap. If an ease out fails. You can use taps to cut the stud out by increasing the size tap. Love the sound narration and the turbo charger method.
Good info! Thanks for sharing and watching! On the double nut method - you are totally right. I was having trouble with the outer nut loosening when turning the inner nut, which is why I was using two wrenches. Normally that isn’t necessary though. For whatever reason my nuts (insert joke here) were aligned in the most perfectly wrong way! Lol. Also - I like the tap idea you wrote. I may have to try that out! Thanks again!
There are some other great ideas in these comments too. I recall someone suggesting I try welding a Monte Carlo to it. :D This is why I love RU-vid. Thanks for watching!
In most, if not all cases, you start by shocking the broken bolt. Even if it is broken inside; you take smaller, flat at the end punch, and smack it multiple times with hammer. This helps to loosen the bolt, and it will be easier to remove, no matter what method you are going to use. In addition, left-hand drill bits should be added to the list of possible solutions. Also, there are ways to make the point in the middle of the broken bolts (nobody should be just making it with a small punch). I either use the biggest drill bit that will fit the hole (make the good starting point and then continue with smaller diameter bit), or the largest transfer punch diameter that will fit the hole.
Sometimes it's useful to make a cup of tea first and pour the boiling water over the alloy especially if there are, rubber seals involved eg. brake bleeds screws. The alloy expands more than the steel bolt making it easier to remove. This prevents damaged to the seals you would've got using a blow torch etc.
I've found that a good Honeywell or Garret turbo works better for bolt removal than some Wuhan War Whistle from ebay. The only one I won't even attempt anymore is the EZ-out. Those things break off so often, and they're harder than any drill bit ever. I'm fortunate that almost all of my broken-bolt experiences have been on either industrial machinery or motorcycles, which (sometimes...) makes it easier to access than on a car.
Living in Canada, the heads of exhaust manifold bolts are always corroded so I gave up trying to get a socket on them. I just use the cutting torch to cut the heads off all the bolts and get the manifold out of the way, then weld washers and nuts on and work on getting them out. My record is 6 tries at welding a washer and nut on an LS exhaust bolt before it broke free and came out. My all time record is 9 times to get the exhaust bolt out of a Honda Accord, turns out the Honda already had a heli-coil in that bolt hole and caused all the problems
Massachusetts is soooo very similar. I swear the amount of salt sprayed on the roads in winter is troubling. It turns every car to dust within about 5 years. I highly respect your manifold removal methods! Thanks for watching the video!
This is now my favorite channel on RU-vid.....I got nothin' , hahahaha. Solved my electrical issues and now a turbo is the best broken bolt removal tool , im hooked💪
With the easy out, you should be using the proper size left hand drill bit. Also instead of tapping the extractor in, screw it in, it will have a lot less chance of breaking, especially if you use a t-handle to turn it
I weld a hunk of rod about 4" long to the knob of the visegrip adjuster screw at a slight angle as a t-handle. The angle lets me spin the t-handle with my palm for quick adjustments and to lock the visgrip with MUCH more force on whatever I'm clamping. I drill whatever nut I'm using to remove the threads and plating for a stronger weld. With the engine on a stand I face the engine so the manifold flange is level to take advantage of gravity. When I have one broken bolt I expect more so I heat each head to bright red with a fine oxy-acetylene torch tip so the heat is localized to the part. Then I let it cool until no color is visible and rock it back and forth a few degrees to break the threads free. I do this about ten or twenty times before removing the fastener. I ALWAYS use anti-seize on bolts going into aluminum parts, and not that watery aluminum powder shit from most parts stores. A tub of Jet Lube copper or any high quality nicke works fine. I've removed manifolds I installed decades before wthout difficulty.
I've noticed when dealing with rusted frame bolts, that if you cut the head off and remove the part out of the way, removing the left over stud with something like a stud remover is much easier. Maybe due to lack of clamping force against the part?
In a pinch, if you don’t have an extractor on hand. You can match a drill bit to a torx bit and slam the torx in there and slowly ratchet it off. You always want to go with the biggest extractor or torx that you can in the bolt without drilling it crooked. The bigger the extractor, the less likely you are to snap it off. My experience atleast.
I didn’t have anything more ridiculous within arms reach, so I really had no choice but to choose the turbo. If there was a toilet seat nearby, you better believe it would have been welded to that bolt. Thanks for watching!
@@WiringRescue I'm about to try them on my driver side rear bolt on my 04 Sierra. Might have to break the bit to fit back there. Zero room ugh. It's my daily so don't want pull the engine but I just might have to a little bit. Really didn't want to tho. Bought headers and exhaust for it so here goes nothing. I can't across your video looking for anyone that's tried it but so far nobody. Literally the only bolt with zero room 🤣🤬
I am working on putting headers on a 49 Ford coupe with a flat head. So far I've broken four of the eight bolts I've taken out. Luckily, they've broken flush with the manifold so I'll be using the weld a nut to the studs method
The best method I have found is to use cans of air duster upside down to freeze the bolts in a warm block after soaking in penetrating oil. I have never snapped a bolt or had to weld or drill a stud after I learned this trick
That’s an awesome method that I should definitely try. Thanks for sharing it! With these LS engines in Massachusetts, the manifold bolts tend to break themselves off. So I’m forced to do drilling or welding to get them out.
Hey guys when using drill and ez out/extractor, use left hand drill bits at a slow speed... Alot of times the drill bit will grab and turn the screw out if its not rusted and seized badly... Also dont tap the extractor in, that will cause it to bind and break off... If the hole is drilled deep enough, simply turning the extractor will cause it to grab the screw
Don't tap it in??? These things don't catch very easy and when the do they don't stay that way long for the most part. I've got a broken glowplug on the side of my engine and if I didn't tap in it would fall out.
I worked in an automotive machine shop. The only method we used was a torch and a tap. The steel will turn to liquid and blow out of the hole without harming the cast iron. Run a tap in the hole and you are done. I could have done all while he was doing one. I liked the video. Learned some new things.
Ah. The ol fine turbo charger desieze method . I remember the first time we had to use that method in the late 1900s, right before the aughts and the innovations which came with the turn of the millennium. What a time to be alive.
Another method that I think would work great is to leave the seized stud in a room with my ex wife for 5 min, the stud will unscrew itself and leave the shop entirely.😜
one thing that I have tried and had success at is before even getting into a job that the bolts are seized like in exhaust manifolds is to take the impact gun and attempt to tighten them slightly but being careful not to break it just give a couple quick blasts with the impact in the forward direction and then the reverse direction and maybe go back and forth a couple of times doing that seems to help break them loose as well
And if you don't have a easy out to remove broke off stud I have found that a torx bit ( without security style hole in center of bit) works pretty good. And always use a center punch on stud and best to drill all the way thru stud also helps chances of removing stud. And be straight as possible and try stay away from threads.
Thanks for that video and your ideas! Some days ago I had a inner hexagon screw with bad threat. I didn't get the screw out. I tried with heat, rust remover and strong pliers. But no chance. I also tried with welding another screw on it - but it directly broke off. I am not a good welder ;) But after using the heat of welding, I could turn the screw with the pliers and hitting with a big hammer on the handle of the pliers. By the way, rost remover is also a good idea to help removing old screws or bolts. If you have time, put something on it and try to remove bolts/screws next days. I is much easier in the most cases.
So glad I saw this video I have a broken manifold bolt aswell. As we speak I'm removing my supercharger to prepare it for your last bolt removal method. Thanks for the advice 😁👍
I'm a pro at snapping the easy-out inside the frozen fastener. Last time I did it I was so furious I just went and bought another distributor at the junkyard and threw the messed up one in the trash for revenge.
I was once working on the bosses rare SD-455 pontiac. I snapped an exhaust manifold bolt, then drilled it and snapped the drill bit in the hole. Got the drill bit out and snapped the easy-out in the hole. After many, many, many hours, it was fixed.
Im absolutely dumbfounded by the lack of PB Blaster or other penetrating fluid! I understand not everyone has time to let these fluids sit and do their thing but it really does help. Especially for the rustier parts of the country
I showed an old timer a trick another old timer showed me after fought my suggestion after he tried every trick he could think of. I heated up the stud with a magnetron bolt extractor then hit it with a wax candle. Came out easy as pie. Boy was he mad he hadn't been shown the trick before. Can't win with some guys.
Nice overview of different methods! What I think is funny though is that you're using the adjustable wrench in the 'wrong' (suboptimal) direction not only on a normal nut, but also when using the screw extractor. 😜
You hurt me deep with the turbo method 😂. I’ve always wanted to boost my car and now I know I could just weld the turbo directly to the engine for instant boost!! 😂
I prefer the "Tommy Boy" method. Put it all back together like nothing happened and when someone else discovered the problem, you say, "what'd you do?" 60% of the time, it works every time.
Matco tools makes a great tool just for that situation. Comes with a guide plate and drill bits and guide so can drill straight. Very nice tool you can’t mess up
Best video I have seen yet. 10/10 quality and skill. need to extract 4 x Briggs Vert 8 HP broken off bolts when my Kinchrome heap of Sh.t Torque wrench failed big time.
Nice video! When I extract bolts the first step for me is to always douse it with penetrating oil and then shock it with a hammer and pin. I rarely weld a turbocharger onto the stud.
Machinists "center drill" bits are magnificent for starting holes. So is using first a prick punch then a center punch. BTW every mechanic should own and get comfy with an oxy-acetylene torch. They change your life including pinpoint heating, annealing, torch bending, cutting, welding, brazing and more. When I have any reasonable length of exposed bolt that's stuck I heat it bright red, pinch with visegrip and rock slightly back and forth to break torque.
Ive had good luck using a 4 sided lathe bit the 4 sharp edges after hammered inside the drilled hole grips it well and makes wrenching it out ez as pie.
If the stud is sticking out, I’ve found best method is hitting bolt with hammer to jar it lose. Douse with penetrating oil. Vise grips & tighten a touch 1st, then back out. Sometimes hitting with hammer again and spaying again. Have had good success with this
When using the easy out, try a reverse drill bit. I can’t swear it but I feel like I’ve had a little more luck with them, maybe it’s the constant vibration and torque in the loosening direction but I swear it helps.
It seems that a lot of people here are fans of reverse drill bits. I definitely need to try those out because I currently don’t own any! Thanks for watching!!
First thing I try is use a center punch and see if the broken fastener will turn. If not I clean the top of the broken fastener and us a stud rod. They are designed for broken fasteners. They have a high flux yield and set on a low amp. So what you stick to first is generally what your welding on. I build it up so I can put on a weld washer. They are thick and heavy. Then use a 5/8 nut, yes large. I weld on the outside to secure and then I weld the inside completely full. This way I let the heat absorb into the broken fastener. Stud rods, I have welded out broken bolts one inch deep in the housing. Use a impact and set on low to create a vibration and work it back and forth. As with a broken fastener some times it has a shear lip on the outer thread. If it breaks a few times, I take a die grinder and go around the outer circumference and remove the shear lip. Take off one thread usually helps. If I do drill (rarely) start off with a bit that is the size of the hole. Drill just a little bit into the broken fastener. As it will show you how well centered you are. As it will leave a perfect center point. Then use small bits, mark it so you know what depth to stop at. Once drilled the stress is now removed off the broken fastener and you can weld on it again. If broken in aluminium, get the torch out and heat it lightly.
Heat is really what gets the bolt out. I think the factory puts loctite on the treads. I tap the stud after I weld the bolt or washer then tap it with a hammer to break the bond helps a lot to. Try to get it off while it is still red sometimes work better. Aluminum takes the heat out of the bolt super fast. I start when its red and if does not move keep working on it even when the bolt cool off. If it movers then put penetrating fluid on it and move it back and forth till you can screw it off without breaking your weld or the bolt. Seems to work the best for me.
