Any way to drill out a broken Drill Out Power Extractor?

[Lex]

I had the head of a bolt break off when removing a valve cover on my tractor. I tried to used an extractor:

but it broke in the bolt. Now I just want to drill the whole thing out, fill it with JB Weld and tap it. The problem is that the hardened extractor is impossible to drill through. Any suggestion on how to drill it out? Any reallly good drill bits available that could handle the job?

Regards

[Jeff Wisnia]

1. Get someone with a portable EDM machine to come over and "burn" it out. Or, pull the head (Assuming that's what the valve cover is on, you didn't eggsackly say.)and take it to a shop with EDM capability.
2. If you've got patience you can pick away at it with a die grinder or a Dremel tool and carbide burrs, but plan on spending at least half a six pack's time doing that.
3. You might be able to drill out the remains of that extractor with a solid carbide drill, but don't even think about trying that with a hand held drill. You'd best take the time to fabricate whatever brackets it'll take to rigidly mount a drill guide onto the head, or whatever part of the engine that bolt's busted off in. Once you get past the extractor, it the remains of the bolt with should be duck soup to drill out with a rigid fixture.

IMHO those "power extractors" don't work worth s**te on rusted in bolts (as you already demonstrated). I think their principle usefullness is for removing threaded fasteners when you've buggered up the head of the fastener like a rounded out Phillips' head fastener recess.

1. Your JB Weld approach is (again IMHO) a poor idea. As good as JB Weld is for lots of things, you'll probably strip out whatever threads you tap in it the first time you tighten the bolt.
2. Do it right, man. After you get the busted extractor and the remains of the bolt out, either put in a helicoil or tap it one size larger, and open the hole in the valve cover to suit the new bolt.

Good luck,

Jeff

[Jim]

I am a welder of 24 years. If the extractor is very hard, you may be able to shatter it with a cold chisel and a hammer and pull the pieces out. If it won't shatter. I suggest taking a torch to it and anneal (soften) the extractor by heating red hot and the allowing to cool very slowly. Annealing the extractor will soften the extractor possibly enough to drill out. Use a damned good quality drill bit ...something that contains a cobalt alloy......Jim

[Iowa883]

Carbide

[Red Neckerson]

I was helping a guy that wrung off a bolt head on a boiler and the same thing happened to him. He broke 6 drill bits try to get that extractor out. If I remember correctly, he flattened it out and then cut a notch (like a screw head) with a Dremmel tool and he used a big screwdriver on it. The screwdriver broke and then he took another screwdriver and worked it out with that and a hammer. I remember it taking a couple hours......

[zxcvbob]

You probably can't drill it yourself, but a locksmith might be able to. The broken extractor has left-handed threads, so if the cobalt bit gets a good bite (and doesn't break) it may come loose in one piece.

Bob

[Lex]

Thanx for all your replies. That sucker just is not coming out. I'm taking the head off and having someone else see if they can do something with it.

How can I prevent this from happening again? Is there anything that can be applyed to the bolt? I assume the extreme heat from the head had something to do with the problem.

Regards

[patrick mitchel]

If you go to rec.crafts.metalworking they are a cooperative bunch when it comes to helping out anything to do with metal. You could also do a google search in that group as I recall the question has come up several times in the recent past.

[ken]

broken bolts are a bitch, then to break off a hardened steel extractor is a real bitch (WTF they call them EZ-Outs, I'll never understand)

IMHO, your only recourse is to use a die grinder, a small carbide bit, and a lot of patience.......or take it to a machine shop

Removing broken bolts is an art

[none49]

Antiseize compound may help in the future. If you come across this again, heating the fastener with a torch before attempting to remove it can help it come out w/o difficulty.

I agree about using either a helicoil or tapping to the next large size.

Dan

Lex wrote:

[MUADIB®]

Just in case this ever comes up again, there are left handed twist drills available that are worth their weight in platinum. Snap-on and Matco, and mac all sell them. All of the noted tool guys in my area seem to carry the backward bits on their truck.............Like I said, well worth the price of whatever you have to pay for them.

As you drill out whatever bolt in reverse, it heats up the bolt, and sometimes the bit will "grab" the material and just unscrew the threaded piece and in a fraction of the time it takes to break off and remove the trusty old E-Z out tool.

I know this is of no help at this point, but I feel like it is a worthy thing to mention for those who read the group often.

Thanks for listening/reading.

Remove "YOURPANTIES" to reply MUADIB®

It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs. -- Oxford University Press, Edpress News

[Oscar_Lives]

Your best bet is to use an EDM (electro-discharge machine) to burn it out without harming the surrounding material.