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@^%@#$ Crank bolt snapped: now what?

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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 12:36 PM
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Default @^%@#$ Crank bolt snapped: now what?

Doing a cam and head swap on my C6 and cam is in putting underdrive pulley on bolt went in fine and torqued to 240 ft# and when I tried to back out to put new bolt in it snapped. Any way to extract without pulling engine????
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 12:42 PM
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Only thing I can think of is drill it and try an EZ out.
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 12:45 PM
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There shouldn't be anything keeping it in there except any loctite you may have used. It shouldn't give you too much trouble easy-out'ing. Good luck.
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 12:51 PM
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if the bolt bottomed out you have a task ahead of you.Get out the visegrips [if its sticking out a bit] then the drill ,torch etc.....go to church...make a sacrafice to the fire god...good luck
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 12:59 PM
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broke inside the crank...nothing sticking out. Do I nee to be concerned with the depth I drill?
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 01:05 PM
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depends on the type of easy-out you use...no more then a half inch
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 01:05 PM
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That bolt is pretty long but measure your bit up to the new one and dont drill deeper than that. You should only need about half to 3/4 inch to easy out. If you go out side the bolt youll probably hit crank.
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 01:10 PM
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the last 1/2" or 9/16" broke off. the rest of the bolt cam out so drilling back into the crank that far will be a pain. I need to see if I can find an easy out long enough to reach back in there or I will need to weld and extension on.
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 01:19 PM
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Originally Posted by N2O4YOU
the last 1/2" or 9/16" broke off. the rest of the bolt cam out so drilling back into the crank that far will be a pain. I need to see if I can find an easy out long enough to reach back in there or I will need to weld and extension on.
Sounds like you are a machinist who knows what he is doing, but for the others who might face this in the future - the EZ-Out is made of heat-treated high carbon alloy steel; not easy to weld to. You will want to pre-heat the EX-Out with a torch to around 500-600 degrees F (and you may want to get a Temp-Stik to judge the temperature) before the welding. That will minimize cracking in the heat-affected zone next to the weld. High nickel electrode, or 312 universal stainless steel electrode is always a good choice for difficult-to-weld steels.
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 01:27 PM
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i dont want to doom ya but i think you will be the luckiest person if it comes out with an easy out....how much "good thread is in the crank" i ask this because maybe you have enuf to put a stud in the crank ,loc tighted with "green 607 cyl retaining compound"
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 01:28 PM
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If you should end up trying to drill it out try to find some "left hand" drill bits. When drilling they will tend to pull it out. If it's got locktite on it this probably will not work though.
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 01:44 PM
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Why in the world would he locktite the old bolt that is used to seat the pulley? He's supposed to crank the pulley on with the old bolt, take it out and put a new bolt in and degree it in place. The new bolt might or might not get locktite but the old one is not staying in there any longer than it takes to hit the 240 Lbft torque and it's gone. IN this case, I don't understand why in the hell it broke if it was just being backed out unless it was crossthreaded or bottomed out.

In any event, it sounds like a deep piece needs to be retrieved and it sounds like it's going to be a bastard.

Elmer
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 02:22 PM
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No locktite as I was just seating the pully on the crank with old bolt. Unsure why it snapped so easy and back in the crank. This looks like I am in for a long weekend
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 05:21 PM
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'06 Quicksilver Z06 had that happen (or similiar) a year or so ago. Might give him a pm.
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 07:14 PM
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Originally Posted by N2O4YOU
Doing a cam and head swap on my C6 and cam is in putting underdrive pulley on bolt went in fine and torqued to 240 ft# and when I tried to back out to put new bolt in it snapped. Any way to extract without pulling engine????
I got your PM and sorry to hear of the bad luck.

A right angle reverse drive drill with a counterclockwise bit would be my first choice.

Once you get inside the bolt with the bit, you can then use a larger reverse cutting bit in that hole which will bind.

When it does, the bolt should back out. Thats provided you don't break the bit.

Originally Posted by eboggs_jkvl
Why in the world would he locktite the old bolt that is used to seat the pulley? He's supposed to crank the pulley on with the old bolt, take it out and put a new bolt in and degree it in place. The new bolt might or might not get locktite but the old one is not staying in there any longer than it takes to hit the 240 Lbft torque and it's gone. IN this case, I don't understand why in the hell it broke if it was just being backed out unless it was crossthreaded or bottomed out.

In any event, it sounds like a deep piece needs to be retrieved and it sounds like it's going to be a bastard.

Elmer
I don't know whether it bottomed out and then wound off, which is what happened to me, or if it bound up while he was trying to back it out, and then it wound off.

Its sounding like it broke off flush, or deep, which means its going to have to be drilled out best case scenario.

I'd go right angle drill in reverse with a reverse cutting bit.

If you are using an easy out, and it breaks those are very hard steel and very difficult to drill out should one break.

Last edited by '06 Quicksilver Z06; Mar 13, 2009 at 08:27 PM.
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 07:20 PM
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N2O4YOU please let me know if I am understanding you correctly.

The bolt broke, and it broke deep.

You tried to use an extractor and now the extractor has broken?

Is this right?
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 07:30 PM
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Getting the drill bit to drill in the center of the broken bolt is going to be the trick.
I would get another bolt (mild steel) and center drill it on a bench first. then i would screw that bolt into the crank until it hits the broken one. You can now use the pre-drilled bolt as a guide to center drill the broken one. then try the EZ out. you can always drill a larger hole after the first hole has started to weaken the sides of the broken bolt.

Just remember to drill the hole of the pilot bolt slightly larger than the drill bit you will be using to drill the broken bolt with. This will allow the filings to go threw the pilot bolt easier.

Last edited by C4 Racer; Mar 13, 2009 at 07:45 PM. Reason: forgot to mention this earler
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To @^%@#$ Crank bolt snapped: now what?

Old Mar 13, 2009 | 07:37 PM
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Originally Posted by C4 Racer
Getting the drill bit to drill in the center of the broken bolt is going to be the trick.
I would get another bolt (mild steel) and center drill it on a bench first. then i would screw that bolt into the crank until it hits the broken one. You can now use the pre-drilled bolt as a guide to center drill the broken one. then try the EZ out. you can always drill a larger hole after the first hole has started to weaken the sides of the broken bolt.
That's a very good idea. Getting the drill bit centered on a broken bolt is nearly impossible.

San
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 07:45 PM
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Originally Posted by C4 Racer
.... you can always drill a larger hole after the first hole has started to weaken the sides of the broken bolt.
Thats sort of what I was originally thinking. He could always drill a bigger hole inside the broken bolt with a progressively larger reverse cutting bit if it came to that..

I've seen them drilled out to just a shell of the broken bolt was left.

But he was using an ez out, and unfortunately it has now broken. Drilling through a broken EZ out is tough.

Thats one of the risks in using the easy out.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-t...-out-lift.html

Before you pull the engine N2O4YOU, at least make an attempt to remove the broken EZ out and go from there.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153648 post #4 #14

Last edited by '06 Quicksilver Z06; Mar 13, 2009 at 07:59 PM.
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Old Mar 13, 2009 | 07:50 PM
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you can also use a transfer punch!!! to center punch the broken piece!!
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