Topic: Screw Snapped, Now Extractor Snapped. What Next?

[razor02097]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Some seem really doable. Think I'll thy the Dremmel cut off tool to make a slot for screwdriver. Will keep hyou posted on progresss and appreciate everyone who's chimed in here to help us solve this nasty problem. This site rocks!!!

IMO

yeah that would suck

screwdriver... no

Impact driver... yes

nope, no impact driver necessary. the broken off bit of the extractor will pop right out with a regular flat blade screwdriver. Just make sure you're turning the "right" way. 

the crappy part is....once the extractor is out, you're still back where you started.
good luck and let us know how it turns out.

I thought he wanted the screw out also... if its all nice and flat with a slot cut in it then it could take the bolt and broken piece out at the same time.

ahh i see where you're coming from.
with MY luck, I'd probably snap off the impact bit in there too 

[Don R]

If you have a welder handy, put a washer over the offending broken whatever and weld up the hole. It wont stick to the aluminum. Turn the washer out with channel locks, you can also use a nut and fill the hole with weld. I have done this many times, the heating will loosen the bolt/easy out, it may take several tries to get it. Good luck.

[Popwood]

If you have a welder handy, put a washer over the offending broken whatever and weld up the hole. It wont stick to the aluminum. Turn the washer out with channel locks, you can also use a nut and fill the hole with weld. I have done this many times, the heating will loosen the bolt/easy out, it may take several tries to get it. Good luck.

I do have a mig welder but I'd be soooo afraid of melting or burning the aluminum. Now my welding skills are nominal an I've never tried welding aluminum so I'm just assuming it done at a much lower settings than most steel. And this is a machined, mating surface, remember.

[MRieck]

If you have a welder handy, put a washer over the offending broken whatever and weld up the hole. It wont stick to the aluminum. Turn the washer out with channel locks, you can also use a nut and fill the hole with weld. I have done this many times, the heating will loosen the bolt/easy out, it may take several tries to get it. Good luck.

I agree with Don's method.

[razor02097]

If you have a welder handy, put a washer over the offending broken whatever and weld up the hole. It wont stick to the aluminum. Turn the washer out with channel locks, you can also use a nut and fill the hole with weld. I have done this many times, the heating will loosen the bolt/easy out, it may take several tries to get it. Good luck.

I do have a mig welder but I'd be soooo afraid of melting or burning the aluminum. Now my welding skills are nominal an I've never tried welding aluminum so I'm just assuming it done at a much lower settings than most steel. And this is a machined, mating surface, remember.

Quite the opposite... aluminum takes ridiculous amounts of heat to weld... it dissipates heat very quick and efficiently.

[Popwood]

If you have a welder handy, put a washer over the offending broken whatever and weld up the hole. It wont stick to the aluminum. Turn
the washer out with channel locks, you can also use a nut and fill the hole with weld. I have done this many times, the heating will loosen the bolt/easy out, it may take several tries to get it. Good luck.

I do have a mig welder but I'd be soooo afraid of melting or burning the aluminum. Now my welding skills are nominal an I've never tried welding aluminum so I'm just assuming it done at a much lower settings than most steel. And this is a machined, mating surface, remember.

Quite the opposite... aluminum takes ridiculous amounts of heat to weld... it dissipates heat very quick and efficiently.

Good to know. I've got a lot to learn about welding, among other things. I see you're local to Cincy. Should have just brought the engine by and you could have done the extraction and given me a lesson!

[Mdub]

Mdub got ignored...I'm with him.  Take the cover back off and enough of the bolt might be revealed to get vice grips on it...soak it with penetrating oil first.

Yeah I seem to get a lot of that around here.
Pretty tight bunch yessirreee...

But hey, with all these great suggestions, I can see where mine might be overlooked.

"You could have the broken bits removed through EDM"
"Get a reverse twist drill bit "
"small automatic (plunger type) center punches"
"regular flat blade screwdriver"
"changing crystalline structures "
"If you have a welder handy..."

Funny stuff!

 

[MRieck]

I thought he said he has a welder. I assumed the screw broke at or below the head surface.

[new2novas]

me as well....because the best solution otherwise would be some heat and vise grips

[camelman]

How many decent threads are left intact in the hole?  You only need 5 or so good threads to secure the bolt as none of the other threads really take any loading past the first 5 (maybe 6 depending on the bolt and base materials, but don't ask me to analyze your bolting materials as I hated that class back in the day).  If you have 5 good threads left, then just stop working on it and bolt it back up STAYING WITHIN TORQUE SPEC.  If you don't have enough good threads left, then helicoil it and be done with it.

Remember all of those times in the past when you had a very "clever" idea that would work out well, and you ended up causing more damage than good?  If so, then proceed to the tried and true method to fix the problem and ride away happy.  ;-)

Camelman