Topic: Busted my exhaust stud >:( help needed taking the rest out.

[strangedaze39]

Well, i just broke a stud off and i was trying the ez out method (i know i shouldnt have looking back) and the ez out broke off, anyone have ideas on where to go to now?   I dont have access to a welder and its down low enough that a welder probably wont work anyways

Hmm thats worst off then mine. I have no personal experience on this, but from what I've heard you need either something harder or equal hardness then the extractor you used to drill it out (your extractor is probably carbon steel, not much is harder then that).

Quote from this site with more info: http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/may2003/techtotech.htm
"Worst case scenario

A collection of broken extractors and a broken bit - all remained in the piece that was to be removed.
So you broke off the extractor or the tap? OK, repeat after me: "*#@!&*!"

There now, don't you feel better?

If you're good with a welder and you're brave, you can try welding a piece of stock to the broken bit to give yourself some purchase to turn it out.

If you have a plasma cutter, you can attempt to dissolve the tap or extractor yourself, or you can take the part in question to a machine shop that has a plasma cutter or an electrical discharge machine (EDM) and get them to remove the remains. They'll cut the extractor or tap out in nothing flat, very precisely.

Tap extraction is the process of electrically disintegrating a broken tap, drill, bolt, screw or pin. An alloy tube of various sizes is lowered drill-press style onto the broken component. An electrical current then disintegrates the broken component until it crumbles and can be chipped out, leaving the threads/hole undamaged.

You can find such businesses on the Web or in the Yellow Pages."

The DIY option to this is to pick your self up a self welding stud stick, they use these in the automotive field. With this you just stick the "welding" end where you need it welded and heat till it melts. It's an aluminum based weld and has a lower melting temperature then your standard aluminum (maybe obtainable with a blow torch?). The main problem with this is it's going to be an aluminum joint, if it's done right I would think it would be pretty strong if auto guys use it.

Best of luck, I feel your pain...almost.

FYI I have a tap and die coming today and I should have this issue fixed, now the problem is where the heck are these studs found? Not honda, ace, napa.

[strangedaze39]

Quick question on regards to a tap. I called my buddy to see if he had the tap and he said he realized its not going to work because it has a tapered end. Is this right? He suggested we get a "bottom" tap which is a tap that is cylinder shaped all the way through.

Any ideas on if thats what I need?

[MCRider]

Quick question on regards to a tap. I called my buddy to see if he had the tap and he said he realized its not going to work because it has a tapered end. Is this right? He suggested we get a "bottom" tap which is a tap that is cylinder shaped all the way through.

Any ideas on if thats what I need?

he is right in principle, a bottom tap would be ideal but I've never seen one. You can use the tapered tap as often the hole and threads are deeper than the threads on the stud need. In my experience you need 8 to 12 good solid threads (360 degree turns). More are unnecessary, less is more questionable. If you've got that with the taper, I'd go ahead. Just clean out the hole with a Q tip, bottle brush or some such. On the taper tap, start counting where the taper stops, if you get 8 or more full turns, I'd be good to go... but you don't know where I live so I can say that. 

If the bottom tap is easy to get wait for it.