i f**cked up big!!
 

I was trying to get to my spark plugs and so i was taking the air intake off and i got a couple bolts off and i put them aside. Then one of my friends walks in and he was in a rush to see my car and check it out for the first time. So then i put the bolts on really quick and i accidently put the wrong bolt in the wrong hole and the head of the bolt snapped off and now the screw is stuck in the intake (metal part) and none of the screw is sticking out. What should i do?? I hear there is a special tool for getting this kind of thing done. If there can someone tell me what its called and how to get a hold of it? Thanks

See links for instructions, this will give you some idea what's involved.

http://www.newmantools.com/drillout/how1.htm

http://www.nextag.com/bolt-extractor/search-html

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b5.../Extractor.gif

take a drill with a very sharp tip...drill a hole straight through the middle of the screw. imake suer the drill bit is just big enuff to fit...and then jut pull the threads out with pliars once the screw has been drilled thru.

ill try using a drill bit tommorow and ill let you know how it goes.

you need to be very careful when doing this. The bolt will be quite hard and unless it broke off pretty flat, its going to be hard to get a drill started going in straight. It will want to slip off the side and get into the aluminum of the manifold. Once you do that it becomes nearly impossible to get the broken bolt out.


Take your time, make sure you have a good sharp drill bit and stop if you think your messing it up.

I ALWAYS use a very hard and pointy punch to make a dimple in the place where I want to drill. That way the drill bit won't wonder off course.

You may want to drill a pilot hole, then go up a couple of sizes with the second drill.

ya thats what i was planning on doing i just got to find my drill.

Just found this.

http://www.mytoolstore.com/hanson/hanson.html

If all else fails, I have an extra n/a manifold sitting in my garage that ill sell for 10$. lol.

#1 rule of working on cars.
Never EVER rush to do ANYTHING.

#2 rule of working on cars.
If a bolt is going in hard, don't keep going. Chances are, it'll strip, cross-thread, or break.

#3 rule of working on cars.
Keep your bolts/nuts/tools organized. Know where they go, and make mental notes. Otherwise, a paint pen does wonders.

Oh well. Live and learn. Hope you get it sorted out.

i just tried drilling the hole today with a extractor from car quest and for some reason its not going in in. i tried forward and reverse and i had the drill at high speed for like 30 seconds and it only barly scracted the surface. What am i doing wrong?

Please tell me that you're not drilling WITH the extractor, as you typed....

That's what you're doing wrong, if so.

oh so u have to drill with a diffrent bit and then use the extractor? I already tried that too but it wasnt that sharp of a bit so ill try again tommorow.

make sure u have one hell of a sharp tough bit. and make sure its not too big or u will just drill a huge hole. dont drill int othe manifold threads and make sure ur going in dead center on the screw. and prey to god its not a hard ass screw.lol

my first experience with a broken bolt was on small block chevy in my 73 Jimmy. I was screwin around with my girlfriend and acting like the truck wouldnt start so I was hitting the starter then turning the key of real fast. I snapped a grade 8 bolt off the starter leaving threads in the block. Well, of course I was a complete noob at it and so I tried drilling it out, and the drill kept slipping off and pretty soon I had the block so chewed up there was no way the thing was coming out.


fortunately, I got a great head for engineering, (just no mechanical ability or expereince back then) and I devised a steel plate that would bolt to the starter in the stock location and allow me to put a bolt to the block in another location (the starter had two bolt holes, the block had 3 for some different application)

Since then Ive never really had much more luck with drilling out bolt bits...if they dont come right out I usually find they arent gonna. Anyway, worst case scenario is you gonna need a new upper manifold.

Cobalt bits are good just don't run it too high speed or you will ruin the temper. Just go nice and slow and get it deep enough for the easy out to have a good bite. If that breaks then you are really screwed.
High speed bits are crap.

get reverse bits. there's always the chance with these that the broken bolt will come out while you're drilling.

^^ yeah I agree with him!

i just tried again today and i f**ked up and didnt do it dead center. so i didnt take any chances and took the part off and took it to peppers and they did it for $20. when i started putting the part back on i was tigting another bolt and it snaped. So im just having a ring of bad luck right now. im ganna take the car to peppers tommorow and tell them i got another bolt for them. This one is in to hard of a spot for me to even attempt myself so ill just spend another $20. F**k.

for most bolts on the car they dont have to be on so so hard. if u feel its tight and when ur turning ur ratchet its giving resistnace stop..unscrew and screw it in more time. chances are it went in just a little crooked, or the bolt is old and cant take the torque. if it feels hard and u keep turning it, it will snap. remember that.

Yes...ive never broken a bolt in my life so i cant help...But i cant imagine how you broke 2 unless they are crossthreaded or just the wrong bolts for the holes or something. Did you try oiling the bolts first? get that 3 in 1 crap from the dollar store, Its great for bolts.

WTF are you using for a ratchet? A breaker bar?
Intake manifold bolts are very light torque, as you're threading into aluminum. I have no idea how you're not stripping the fuck out of the manifold, but breaking bolts instead.
Use a 1/4" drive ratchet next time. You can't really overtighten with a 1/4" drive, and if you are, you know it because you're trying.

Just snug it up, and give it a little pull. That's all you need...