snapped stud xtractor help please!!

[bongomaan]

sat in bongo gutted trying to remove no:1 stud and the extractor has just snapped,I dont know what to do next,i have never had such bad luck with a vehicle,hope someone has got an idea cos i dont.. any help will be appreciated cheers

[last_tuesday]

I'm not sure exactly how hard stud extractors are - but I do know they are much too hard for a normal HSS drill bit to make any impression on.

It could be worth trying a Tungsten carbide, or a boron drill bit, if you can get one (preferably a 'stub' drill). Alternatively, given that the extractor is so hard, it also means that it's quite brittle & you might be able to chip it away with a sharp punch - but obviously access isn't really good enough to try that.

You may find more information from across the world if you do a web search for 'snapped off easy out' . Many countries, including the USA , call stud extractors 'easy out's' and I can't imagine you're the first person to snap one.

Good luck

[bongomaan]

thank you for the speedy reply Tuesday,i have ordered a set offa ebay,honestly if i didnt have bad luck at the moment i wouldn't have any at all,regards neil...

[last_tuesday]

Make sure you give your drill a good start with a centre punch mark if possible

[Dolly1]

Make sure you give your drill a good start with a centre punch mark if possible

How can you centre punch something thats harder than the punch

[last_tuesday]

Make sure you give your drill a good start with a centre punch mark if possible

How can you centre punch something thats harder than the punch

The business end of a centre punch is going to be hardened to roughly( and I'm talking roughly) the same degree as a stud extractor. So, if you use a hardened centre punch on a piece of hardened steel, you still end up with a pop mark. It may just not be as deep as when you use it on mild steel, and the pointy end won't stay pointy for as long

You just need to make sure you get the punch in the right place & you hit it smartly, with a well aimed ball pein hammer.

The 'other' end of decent centre punches are hardened to a lesser degree, to stop them from shattering , when you wallop them with the hammer, as mentioned above

[Dolly1]

Centre punches are not hardened.To harden a centre punch to the same degree
as a stud extractor would result in the punch point shattering.Hardened to a
lesser degree means no centre pop mark on the stud extractor.

[bongomaan]

does anybody know if a "boron"drill is better than a tungsten carbide drill (boron drills v expensive) ,good news is discovered broken clip on pipe from turbo to intercooler replaced and now off to test drive,i also while fiddling with laptop managed to turn the image on the screen the other way (portrait) and had to do a system restore you have to laugh dont you ????? (what a ognob !)

[Dolly1]

A Boron drill bit would be the best option for you.
Tungsten carbide drills would not take the same abuse.
Much too brittle for a hand drill

[last_tuesday]

Centre punches are not hardened.To harden a centre punch to the same degree
as a stud extractor would result in the punch point shattering.Hardened to a
lesser degree means no centre pop mark on the stud extractor.

Well I was always under the impression that a decent quality , high speed steel centre punch, would be hardened to somwhere in the region of 65HRC - but more important is the job of helping this chap extract his extractor

Alternative suggestions - dremel type, or air powered die grinder with carbide bit, and grind it out slowly & I have read of some success in drilling them out using a masonary bit, sharpened to a more 'normal' cutting edge.

Which ever route you choose - good luck

[thedogsbollox]

Has anyone ever had any joy with an easyout/stud extractor. Everytime i have had to use them, they always break. And by the way, when they do i get a mate to weld a welding rod on to what is left and heat the area with an oxiseteline(dunno how it is spelt)torch. Use the welding rod to turn the stud.

[bongomaan]

i think i may have to blast the bloody lot out with an 8 mil boron stub drill and use a helicoil,just have to find out how stubby a stub drill is !!

[tricky]

sat in bongo gutted trying to remove no:1 stud and the extractor has just snapped,I dont know what to do next,i have never had such bad luck with a vehicle,hope someone has got an idea cos i dont.. any help will be appreciated cheers

I did this once on a broken exhaust stud on a VW Beetle head. The extractor snapped off in the centre hole I'd drilled in the stud. This was a long while back but AFAICR I managed to drill into the centre of the extractor remains using a Tungsten Carbide bit for drilling ceramic tiles. The process of drilling the extractor managed to unscrew it as they have a left handed thread and the drill snagged and spun it out of the stud. I was then able to drill down the snapped off stud with various HSS bits of increasing size until I was able to remove the husk of the stud and retapped it to clean the thread carefully using a plug tap.

I remember the sick feeling I had when the extractor first snapped thinking that head was now shot. Seems that the extractor wasn't as hard as I thought (a cheap set) and was case hardened but more ductile in the centre.

Good luck.

[bongomaan]

cheers mr trixter now thats what i call thinking ,regards neil..

[missfixit70]

You have to be very careful with stud extractors, they can work very well, but always get plenty of penetrating oil going on, they aren't very strong, especially as you are using a much smaller diameter than the stud you are trying to remove, if you drill it too big all you're going to do is force the sides of the broken stud out as you screw in the extractor. It's a tricky balance that sometimes doesn't pay off, you really have to get a feel for it & keep the rotation exactly in line while applying constant force, ie. no jerks.
You may be lucky & get the drill bit to "grab" it, I don't suppose you've enough room to cut a slot across the top with a dremmel or something to get a screwdriver in & try & turn it out? - not forgetting reverse thread direction of course.