Topic: Countersunk exhaust bolts removal Q?

[Don R]

 Any tips on taking them out? I got a few but just twisted the points off my best snap on bit, left the end of the bit sticking in the screw. I tried tapping it with a hammer, light heat, my battery impact didn't get it out so I went to the 3/8" drive air impact. snap!

 I guess my next move is the manual impact.

[markreimer]

I haven't had to remove those exact bolts but I have had great success removing many other bolts on my cb750 engine with a manual impact wrench. I'd suggest that next


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[Terry in Australia]

Yeah Don, get some extra long bits for your impact wrench and if you're worried about scratching your frame wrap some tape around your frame first. If the bike is a runner, fire it up first and let it warm the engine up, then spray some penetrating fluid on it while it's hot, and that'll make it easier to remove. Cheers, Terry.    

[disco]

Hi Don,
I recently had to remove those bolts & had similar problems. I thought I was going to have to take them down to my local friendly engineering shop. However I ended up being able to get them all out. I had already let them soak in penetrating oil overnight, then I took to them with a centre punch & a large ball pein hammer. I was able to make 3 'impacts' into each of the screw heads & just kept driving on them in a anti-clockwise direction until they got the message! You want to drive the centre punch down & around at about 45 degree angle if that makes sense? It took a bit of doing, but when they 'give' its easygoing.

Ps they were absolutely rooted after that, so figure on buying some new bolts!

[calj737]

Heat them up red hot and don't worry at all about it being too much. Penetrating oil immediately after will be drawn inwards due to the heat. Then whack them with a punch, and use the trusty old impact. If they don't release promptly, reheat and repeat.

[DH]

Just an fyi, Fasten-All makes a nice hardened allen head version of those screws that work good as replacements.

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, and when you install them, a dab of anti-seize will prevent them from welding themselves in there, even after many heat cycles. Cheers, Terry.

[PeWe]

Drill the head off, remove the exhaust adaptor. Use a pipe wrench or similar to remove the rest of the bolt.

[Don R]

 The first order on this one will  be to chip out the broken bit. Thanks for the tips.  I assume the friction is mostly from the taper, I'll use my manual impact next, then start down the list until one works. I also read heat and candle wax.

 Next up is a sandcast head, I want to be good at it by the time I get to that one. I know where the snap on guy is Monday at 8am so I can replace my spare bit.

[jgger]

A machinist buddy of mine told me you can use a welding torch to clean out the broken bit. He said you heat the bold/screw to red hot almost melting then keep the troch on it and turn off the acetylene and it will burn the carbon steel and won't damage the hole it is in. I have never tried it, so you are on your own.

BTW he builds plastic injection molds and they do this on repairs. Maybe 754 or someone with machine experience will chime in.

[calj737]

A machinist buddy of mine told me you can use a welding torch to clean out the broken bit. He said you heat the bold/screw to red hot almost melting then keep the troch on it and turn off the acetylene and it will burn the carbon steel and won't damage the hole it is in. I have never tried it, so you are on your own.

I would be EXTREMELY leery of this. Steel melts at a much higher temperature than aluminum. I see no way you could melt the bolt without destroying the cases around it. 

[Don R]

 I haven't gotten back to it yet but I've used a torch to cut steel pipe out of cast iron fittings. It can work. In this case, I'm thinking the shattered phillips bit will come out with a punch, I just don't want to break the new one too. 

[somesuch]

i snapped many a Snap-on, and find that their bits are not that good. Apex makes a much better bit in my opinion, and you can get them in different toughness levels. Try them next?

[Don R]

 If I can find one I'd try it for sure, the snap on bit grips the cover bolts so well, it gets almost all of them and rarely slips. Sometimes it will stick in the screw head.

[PeWe]

I did notb see that it was a broken bit in the screw head. These bits are usually rather brittle.
Tried to hammer it into pieces with a sharp punch and a heavy metal hammer? Hammer sideways so it might be forced out of the X.

[Retro Rocket]

Don, get some JIS bits for your impact driver, all screws on these bikes are JIS {Japanese industry standard}, JIS screwdrivers hold far better than Phillips head drivers, {Phillips head drivers are designed to cam out and strip the heads out of tight screws} , they have a different shaped bit that doesn't slip, it will be the best investment you make for these bikes....
Forum member Ilbikes {Gordon, he also makes the frame kits} sells Vessel JIS screwdriver kits....

Difference between a JIS and a Phillips

This is Gordons demonstration

[Don R]

 The snap on bits never slip, I just exploded one. They actually bite into the screw and sometimes stick in the screw rather than the impact.

[Terry in Australia]

Yeah, some phillips screwdrivers are crap, but my el-cheapo impact driver with the extra long bits removes any screw I've tried it on.