Broken starter bolt removal strategies?
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
Broken starter bolt removal strategies?
Starter made a strange noise yesterday so I parked it. Today I found that the inner bolt had loosened, allowing the outer bolt to break right at the first thread.
I got the starter out, but I'm having a Hell of a time trying to easy-out the bolt given the limited working space under my Race Ramps and the tight quarters. I've got a decent hole drilled in the bolt, but no luck so far with the spiral easy outs. I haven't yet applied heat to the area.
I guess I'm looking for anything obvious I might be missing. My plan tomorrow is to drill the hole out deeper to get the easy out in deeper, and heat the area with a heat gun.
I got the starter out, but I'm having a Hell of a time trying to easy-out the bolt given the limited working space under my Race Ramps and the tight quarters. I've got a decent hole drilled in the bolt, but no luck so far with the spiral easy outs. I haven't yet applied heat to the area.
I guess I'm looking for anything obvious I might be missing. My plan tomorrow is to drill the hole out deeper to get the easy out in deeper, and heat the area with a heat gun.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 128
Likes: 26
From: Oak Ridhe MIssouri
I absolutely hate spiral style extractors. They tend to expand the broken broken bolt in the hole. I recommend the straight fluted taper style extractors. For what it's worth. And I've been operating a machine shop for 45 years. Good luck.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
Thank you - makes sense that they would tend to expand. I have the fluted ones as well, just never used 'em.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 1,067
Likes: 46
From: Springfield IL.
Oldtimer
Be very careful with that block. I don't know if I'd use heat on an aluminum block. Don't do much pounding on it either, if you break that ear off you will be looking at a weld job to repair it. That won't be cheap. I'd try using a 1/4 in. left hand drill bit.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,037
Likes: 120
Starter made a strange noise yesterday so I parked it. Today I found that the inner bolt had loosened, allowing the outer bolt to break right at the first thread.
I got the starter out, but I'm having a Hell of a time trying to easy-out the bolt given the limited working space under my Race Ramps and the tight quarters. I've got a decent hole drilled in the bolt, but no luck so far with the spiral easy outs. I haven't yet applied heat to the area.
I guess I'm looking for anything obvious I might be missing. My plan tomorrow is to drill the hole out deeper to get the easy out in deeper, and heat the area with a heat gun.
I got the starter out, but I'm having a Hell of a time trying to easy-out the bolt given the limited working space under my Race Ramps and the tight quarters. I've got a decent hole drilled in the bolt, but no luck so far with the spiral easy outs. I haven't yet applied heat to the area.
I guess I'm looking for anything obvious I might be missing. My plan tomorrow is to drill the hole out deeper to get the easy out in deeper, and heat the area with a heat gun.
Some guys know how to weld and can weld a bolt or other type of stud onto the piece that needs to be removed.
I don't have any welding stuff, so at some point I might take my Dremel and put on a cutting disk. Then see if I could cut a slot in there to use a screwdriver on. Sometimes a single slot is not enough, so you may need to cut 2 of them and try a Phillips.
Also, one of my cordless drills has a low speed, high torque setting so if I reverse that it can be very effective.
I hope I never encounter your problem in my garage!!
EDIT - you probably need to get the car up higher than what the Race Ramps give you
Last edited by Sam Handwich; Feb 11, 2017 at 02:15 PM.
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Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
I sincerely appreciate everyone's replies and suggestions.
The starter bolts are well-recessed; starter bolts have a knurled shaft to hold the starter firmly in place - so there's no option to weld anything to the nub of the bolt.
I've tried all the standard extractors, and liberal application of penetrants. It's well-stuck and not coming out, I believe. I dropped the exhaust H-pipe today to get a completely clear working field and still no joy. Frankly, I'm surprised that it's so stuck, but I believe what happened was that the inner bolt loosened such that the outer broke...and in doing so likely buggered the threads pretty well.
At this point it's a Helicoil repair; the question is do I try to do this under the car or do I take it to a reputable shop - I have a good one, although it's certainly not close. I've done Helicoil before and I have the tools...but the working height is just not conducive to this.
The starter bolts are well-recessed; starter bolts have a knurled shaft to hold the starter firmly in place - so there's no option to weld anything to the nub of the bolt.
I've tried all the standard extractors, and liberal application of penetrants. It's well-stuck and not coming out, I believe. I dropped the exhaust H-pipe today to get a completely clear working field and still no joy. Frankly, I'm surprised that it's so stuck, but I believe what happened was that the inner bolt loosened such that the outer broke...and in doing so likely buggered the threads pretty well.
At this point it's a Helicoil repair; the question is do I try to do this under the car or do I take it to a reputable shop - I have a good one, although it's certainly not close. I've done Helicoil before and I have the tools...but the working height is just not conducive to this.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,037
Likes: 120
I sincerely appreciate everyone's replies and suggestions.
The starter bolts are well-recessed; starter bolts have a knurled shaft to hold the starter firmly in place - so there's no option to weld anything to the nub of the bolt.
I've tried all the standard extractors, and liberal application of penetrants. It's well-stuck and not coming out, I believe. I dropped the exhaust H-pipe today to get a completely clear working field and still no joy. Frankly, I'm surprised that it's so stuck, but I believe what happened was that the inner bolt loosened such that the outer broke...and in doing so likely buggered the threads pretty well.
At this point it's a Helicoil repair; the question is do I try to do this under the car or do I take it to a reputable shop - I have a good one, although it's certainly not close. I've done Helicoil before and I have the tools...but the working height is just not conducive to this.
The starter bolts are well-recessed; starter bolts have a knurled shaft to hold the starter firmly in place - so there's no option to weld anything to the nub of the bolt.
I've tried all the standard extractors, and liberal application of penetrants. It's well-stuck and not coming out, I believe. I dropped the exhaust H-pipe today to get a completely clear working field and still no joy. Frankly, I'm surprised that it's so stuck, but I believe what happened was that the inner bolt loosened such that the outer broke...and in doing so likely buggered the threads pretty well.
At this point it's a Helicoil repair; the question is do I try to do this under the car or do I take it to a reputable shop - I have a good one, although it's certainly not close. I've done Helicoil before and I have the tools...but the working height is just not conducive to this.
I am really persistent, so if it was me I would get some left-hand drill bits try to drill it . But if you can't get enough room under there you are just going to get more frustrated.
On the helicoil - I have NOT done one of those before, so it would be another thing that could go wrong.
Mi dos pesos.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
I remember the cross-hatching on those bolts. And one is longer that the other.
I am really persistent, so if it was me I would get some left-hand drill bits try to drill it . But if you can't get enough room under there you are just going to get more frustrated.
On the helicoil - I have NOT done one of those before, so it would be another thing that could go wrong.
Mi dos pesos.
I am really persistent, so if it was me I would get some left-hand drill bits try to drill it . But if you can't get enough room under there you are just going to get more frustrated.
On the helicoil - I have NOT done one of those before, so it would be another thing that could go wrong.
Mi dos pesos.
If I had a little more room, I'd do the helicoil - it's not hard, but you *must* drill concentric with the existing hole. Plus, that outer ear is kind of a known issue.
I've got a few good local shops and AAA...I'm just going to bite the bullet, I think.
