How To Drill Out This Broken Bolt?

[kings1527]

So I'm in the middle of replacing the water pump and completely disassembled and removed the intake manifold, taking care not to break any bolts off.

I get down to the water pump and notice the POS PO had tried doing this before but broke off one of the bolts, said "uh oh" and put everything back on without dealing with the WP and pretending the broken bolt never happened. Here's a pic:

11763

I have very little clearance on the rear bumper side to drill it out and I have a tough angle from the inside of the engine compartment, heading towards the rear bumper.

What would be the best way to get this out? In my mind I need a very low clearance power drill like a lithium ion impact driver with a drill bit attached to it or something like that.

Ugh. Thanks in advance.

Alex
6575

Horrible pic, btw, but you get the idea. Obviously it's the hole on the left missing the bolt head.

[1batt4u]

One thing that recently popped into my head, which I wish I thought of back when I was drilling out a broken bolt on the Water Y-pipe. Buy a vented bolt, one that will fit in the hole and rest on the broken bolt! That way you can insert a drill bit that fits the hole in the bolt and drill it out straight!!! Then use a slight bigger drill bit and so on till the broken bolt breaks off or what ever happens!!

With your situation, it is a tough spot to drill!! Like you said, you'll need an impact driver or something!

[kings1527]

One thing that recently popped into my head, which I wish I thought of back when I was drilling out a broken bolt on the Water Y-pipe. Buy a vented bolt, one that will fit in the hole and rest on the broken bolt! That way you can insert a drill bit that fits the hole in the bolt and drill it out straight!!! Then use a slight bigger drill bit and so on till the broken bolt breaks off or what ever happens!!

With your situation, it is a tough spot to drill!! Like you said, you'll need an impact driver or something!


That's an awesome idea! Thanks! Do you know where I can grab a bolt like that? I'll check Lowes or Home Depot but I'm thinking I should check one of those Mom/Pop specialty hardware stores.

I was brainstorming earlier and managed to fit my Dremel with a drill bit attached inside the recession where the bumper is on the opposite side, just across from the broken bolt. It barely fit but it fit and it looks like it'll work! I didn't have time to give it a shot tonight. After I get a good sized pilot hole, I think I can get a bolt extractor in there pretty easily. I hope! The other side was frozen pretty good too but I used Break-Free on it and let it sit for an hour or so and it came out without any issues. I wish the genius before me had done the same!

Alex
6575

[1batt4u]

Only place I really know is http://www.mcmaster.com/ You would have to order!

[Chris 16409]

I can't tell, did you remove the muffler? That will give you more room to work. Better yet, remove the rear facia.

[WelmoedJ]

I had the same problem with the lowest bolt of the waterpump.
A friend of mine had a problem with the same bolt as you have.

In both cases we had to deal with the narrow space.
We used an adjustable angle drive for a normal drill and drilled the bolt out starting with a fine drill up to a bit oversized.

In my case I had to remove the muffler and for safety also removed the rear facia (more clearance).
Using the same type bolt (but longer) and a nut on the back we managed to get a good fix.
As there is a kind of "wall" next to the bolt's hole, the nut has been shaved at one side so there was no need for a wrench to keep the nut positioned.

Hope this helps.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Do not try a bolt extractor.

[David T]

An angle drill. They are not that expensive or you can remove the muffler and rear facia. What was mentioned was a drill guide. It is a hardened dowel with a hole in the middle to drill through. You can make your own for limited use. Find a tight fitting bolt, cut it up and drill a hole through the middle. A drill press would be handy for that if you have one. Another "trick" is to use a left hand drill. Sometimes the bolt will unscrew itself as you drill. If you are REALLY lucky!
David Teitelbaum




Do not try a bolt extractor.

[jawn101]

If you have the stock exhaust, removing the fascia and muffler is like a 30 minute job and will save you hours of agony, not to mention making your whole valley job a lot easier. You don't realize how much closer to the engine you can stand with those out of the way. Well worth the time investment. You may end up wrecking the clamp that holds the muffler to the cat if it's original, it will be pretty rusty and may fall apart. They are a common and cheap part at any local parts store so no worries if you do.

[kings1527]

Thanks for all the help and advice. I really appreciate it.


Do not try a bolt extractor.

DaveM - is there a reason why I wouldn't want to use the bolt extractor?

I was thinking about using an angle drill to drill a pilot and then use a bolt extractor to get it out. But the more I'm reading, it sounds like I'm better off removing the fascia and muffler to get a better angle. Once I do that and I have a straight shot at the bolt, should I just focus on drilling the bolt out as opposed to a bolt extractor?


An angle drill. They are not that expensive or you can remove the muffler and rear facia. What was mentioned was a drill guide. It is a hardened dowel with a hole in the middle to drill through. You can make your own for limited use. Find a tight fitting bolt, cut it up and drill a hole through the middle. A drill press would be handy for that if you have one. Another "trick" is to use a left hand drill. Sometimes the bolt will unscrew itself as you drill. If you are REALLY lucky!
David Teitelbaum

Thanks for clarifying the drill guide, DaveT. Do you think I should go ahead with removing the fascia or muffler or just give it a shot with the angle drill?


If you have the stock exhaust, removing the fascia and muffler is like a 30 minute job and will save you hours of agony, not to mention making your whole valley job a lot easier. You don't realize how much closer to the engine you can stand with those out of the way. Well worth the time investment. You may end up wrecking the clamp that holds the muffler to the cat if it's original, it will be pretty rusty and may fall apart. They are a common and cheap part at any local parts store so no worries if you do.

The more I read yours, J, the more I think I'll head in that direction. Thanks!

Alex
6575

[jawn101]

Thanks for all the help and advice. I really appreciate it.

The more I read yours, J, the more I think I'll head in that direction. Thanks!

Alex
6575

You probably won't regret it. The fascia is surprisingly easy to remove.

[dmc6960]

DaveM - is there a reason why I wouldn't want to use the bolt extractor?


There are probably 20 people on this list who have broken off extractors inside their bolts they were trying to get out. A broken extractor is TEN THOUSAND TIMES harder to remove than just drilling the broken bolt.

[jawn101]

There are probably 20 people on this list who have broken off extractors inside their bolts they were trying to get out. A broken extractor is TEN THOUSAND TIMES harder to remove than just drilling the broken bolt.

A moment of silence for Adam then.

Alex - read this thread and you'll understand.....
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1198-The-perpetually-decelerating-restoration-of-3416-post-fire&p=59831&viewfull=1#post59831

[kings1527]

A moment of silence for Adam then.

Alex - read this thread and you'll understand.....
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1198-The-perpetually-decelerating-restoration-of-3416-post-fire&p=59831&viewfull=1#post59831

Wow, what a nightmare on that thread...this decision just got a whole lot easier. The fascia is coming off and I'm drilling the bolt out.

Thanks!

Alex
6575