Broken bolts

[Brian Dickey]

Swapping out my CV joints and found the PO had broken one of the hub drive to hub bolts. Once the hub was off, I got that grade 8 bolt with heat and an ez out. Here's a primer for y'all who have never had the pleasure of a broken bolt...yet:

http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/may2003/techtotech.htm

Anyone have anthing to add?

 

[ptschram]

You got lucky. I have a hub with a broken drive flange bolt that has broken or dulled every drill bit I've tried. I've spent a small fortune with Enco buying "exotic" drill bits for the job and have broken or dulled them all.

It's probably gonna go to a client with an EDM for removal as I've wasted a lot of time on it. The worst part was that the person who broke it ground the broken bit off and siliconed it in place to hide it.

 

[peter sherman]

LMAO Paul i had the same thing done to my DD when I bought it!! Only mine came out without brute force>

 

[Roving Beetle]

I had one (in a GMC truck block not in a hub though) that I ended up using the plasma cutter to "blow out" 80-90% of the bolt and then picked at it and used a tap/thread chaser to clean it up. What a mess..... 8.1L GM manifold bolts suck.

 

[dcarr1971]

Just had a broken off bolt in the bottom of my front diff housing. Ended up welding a bolt to it and heating it...took a couple tries, but it eventually came out.

Has anyone tried this stuff? Loctite Freeze and Release I picked up a can at the suggestion of the guys at my local Fastenal after breaking off a bolt extractor in a Grade 8 bolt. I didn't need to use it, maybe it will help someone else who ends up stuck like I was. (At worst, it's probably worth a try.)