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Hey Guys ,
Have any of you ever over tightened a bolt and have it's head snap off ? Well that's exactly what I managed to do while changing the coolant on the R15 . See the picture below of the mess I made . :P
So now the bolt is stuck in the cylinder block and I contemplated dismantling it to take to a lathe shop and get it removed. But that seemed too much work and I wanted to try getting out the bolt myself . So armed with the tools shown below I got to work .
The first step was to choose a drill bit which would not make too big a hole into the offending bolt but just enough to help me use a screw extractor to pull it out . I just eyeballed the exact size and placed in on the bolt just to make sure it was good to go . Then I used a center punch to mark the center and make sure the drill bit doesn't run out into the threads or any such thing .
Once this was done , I measured the amount i could safely drill without going completely through the bolt. I was lucky here as I had a spare cylinder block with me. I marked the point on the drill bit and and ran the drill .
NOTE : If you are doing please use protective eyegear as shavings from the bolt can get blown into your eyes
Once the drilling process was completed , I used the tiniest bit from my screw extractor set which I purchased on eBay . Stanley 5pc Screw Extractor SET 94 171 | eBay , This is a reverse bit , i.e goes in counter-clockwise and as it has a tapered edge it gets stuck in after a few turns and then begins to extract the bolt from it's casing.
I placed the extractor in the hole made by the drill and lightly tapped it with the hammer to ensure it starts to bite and then slowly began to turn the extractor counter-clockwise and voila ! the bolt begins to come out !
I was lucky as this coolant drain bolt is a low-torque bolt and can be turned out by hand.
NOTE : Do not use force on the screw extractor as the extractor is tempered and if it breaks in the bolt then you would have a right big problem on your hands .
Here is the result once I used the extractor and started pulling out the bolt.
I was extremely relieved at this point I must say , as I have heard countless stories where the extractor doesn't work . So a few more turns from this point on and the bolt was totally removed.
Completely extracted bolt !
Hope this helps you guys .
Have any of you ever over tightened a bolt and have it's head snap off ? Well that's exactly what I managed to do while changing the coolant on the R15 . See the picture below of the mess I made . :P
So now the bolt is stuck in the cylinder block and I contemplated dismantling it to take to a lathe shop and get it removed. But that seemed too much work and I wanted to try getting out the bolt myself . So armed with the tools shown below I got to work .
The first step was to choose a drill bit which would not make too big a hole into the offending bolt but just enough to help me use a screw extractor to pull it out . I just eyeballed the exact size and placed in on the bolt just to make sure it was good to go . Then I used a center punch to mark the center and make sure the drill bit doesn't run out into the threads or any such thing .
Once this was done , I measured the amount i could safely drill without going completely through the bolt. I was lucky here as I had a spare cylinder block with me. I marked the point on the drill bit and and ran the drill .
NOTE : If you are doing please use protective eyegear as shavings from the bolt can get blown into your eyes
Once the drilling process was completed , I used the tiniest bit from my screw extractor set which I purchased on eBay . Stanley 5pc Screw Extractor SET 94 171 | eBay , This is a reverse bit , i.e goes in counter-clockwise and as it has a tapered edge it gets stuck in after a few turns and then begins to extract the bolt from it's casing.
I placed the extractor in the hole made by the drill and lightly tapped it with the hammer to ensure it starts to bite and then slowly began to turn the extractor counter-clockwise and voila ! the bolt begins to come out !
I was lucky as this coolant drain bolt is a low-torque bolt and can be turned out by hand.
NOTE : Do not use force on the screw extractor as the extractor is tempered and if it breaks in the bolt then you would have a right big problem on your hands .
Here is the result once I used the extractor and started pulling out the bolt.
I was extremely relieved at this point I must say , as I have heard countless stories where the extractor doesn't work . So a few more turns from this point on and the bolt was totally removed.
Completely extracted bolt !
Hope this helps you guys .
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