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Happy Friday, Olds enthusiasts. I have a stuck bolt on the top of my intake manifold. It's the bolt that holds the power steering/alternator bracket. You can see from the photo that I've made some crude attempts at removing it already, mainly trying to "unscrew" it with a hammer and chisel. Does anybody have any bolt removing advice for me?
If you could get it flat, and succesfully drill a hole on it ( not through since its installed to engine), my favourite is go buy some torx-socket, hammer it down the hole you drilled, then weld it to bolt. Then heat around the bolt some. Worked every time ive tried.
I don't know if you have heard of an "easy out"? I have a kit bought from Snap On yrs ago. It requires you to use a reverse drill bit to drill a small hole (included in kit) in the center of the bolt. A unique easy out tap is then inserted with a tap from hammer. Once the tap is in, you grip it and try to unscrew. This would be best way if it comes out.
Another way if your able:
Try to get a nut started on top of whats left of bolt and then weld it on through the top of nut. Once cooled then try to grip the nut which is now welded to the broken stud and unscrew.
A little heat would help in both cases but would ruin paint along with penetrating oil.
Doesn't that bolt just secure the PS bracket? I didn't think it went all the way through into the head.
Whatever you do make sure you use plenty of PB Blaster penetrant. Also, if you try an EZ Out be extremely careful. They're made of very hard steel that's brittle. If you break off an EZ Out in the bolt you'll never drill it out!
Heat it and apply candle wax while it is still very hot. Use a Dremel cut off disk to cut a slot into the top, of what is left of the screw. Put pressure on the screw driver and use a crescent to turn the screwdriver.
Weld a nut to whats left of the bolt. Soak in penetrant, heat the manifold around the bolt, and unscrew.
^^^THIS. The act of welding the nut (through the hold in the center of the nut) will heat the bolt and break the rust bond. The nut gives you something to wrench on. Don't cut that bolt any shorter until you try this.
2 Options: Weld a bolt as mentioned if you have the talent/tools etc. This will mess up your nice paint oh well.......
Easy out method using a good quality snub-nose easy-out (not a Harbor Freight special). File the area smooth, drill into the center as square as possible after using a center punch. Tap the easy-out into the bolt, heat the manifold nice and hot and have a go.
BTW I like your valve cover attachment setup. I will try this on my engine build.
There are many variations (opinions) to the solution to this problem. You"ll likely use a combo of all of them.
X3 on the "welding the nut" technique. Use some PB Blaster on it once it's cooled down some. Then find an air hammer that has the ability to be controlled down low. Let the low and slow hammering action work it out (think ka-thunk...ka-thunk...ka-thunk, yep that slow n low). You dont want to twist off the nut just let the hammering action do the work. This takes a feel or technique and the right air hammer usually a 1/2" drive because of the larger hammers. This method has rarely failed me in the last many years.
Don't be scared to heat the intake a bit with a propane torch(not hot enough to discolor the paint).
The cleanest option is to pull the intake and take it somewhere that offers EDM services.
The last and less desirable effort would be to grind the bolt to even it out, then attempt the drill, EZ out, heat n PB Blaster method.
Chase the threads and apply anti-seize to the new fastener to prevent this future problem.(don't use a tap, use a chase or thread restorer).
Heat it and apply candle wax while it is still very hot. Use a Dremel cut off disk to cut a slot into the top, of what is left of the screw. Put pressure on the screw driver and use a crescent to turn the screwdriver.
i would dremel the slot and use a flathead hand held impact driver first, if that fails weld the nut and unscrew it!!!
Thanks so much. I helped the young man next door with his car tonight, and then gave the stuck bolt a go. I'm close....but no cigar. Stuck bolts are my #1 nemesis. I will update my progress, hopefully with success, this weekend.
It looks like there is enough of the bolt to grab it with a good pair of vice grips.
But before you do that, put a few drops of phosphoric acid on the bolt and let it run down into the threads. Wait.
Do that again in an hour. Wait.
In another hour, clamp the vice grips to the bolt as tight as you can and move the bolt back and forth. Don't use a lot of force. You don't want the vice grips to round off the bolt. If it persists, do the acid again.
Heat. Heat and more heat. Welding a nut on can be done with the cheapest flux core welder. Use a file to flatten the top, then drill a hole in the centre. The deeper you can go, the deeper you drive the heat. Weld a nut on the end. The whole process causes the bolt to expand, but it can only expand in one direction, lengthwise. Then when it cools, it shrinks .. but it shrinks in ALL dimensions. You can get away without drilling, but it does make it work better. Best of all ... if you snap that off ... you just keep welding it back on until it does let go.
Thank you, gentlemen. One day I will know 1/100 of what you guys know, but that day is still a long way off. I ended up mangling the bolt so badly--and it still didn't budge--that I had to drill it all the way through and use a Helicoil. I didn't want to, but that was the best and cheapest option. I've got some phosphoric acid on order (recommended by SWinner) for the next time this happens. That and I'm going to get a welding torch. Maybe even Malox....
If and when you get the bolt out before you install another bolt, dip it in Malox to keep it from sticking again. Yes, the stomach anti acid stuff.
Yes, Malox/Milk of Magnesia works as an anti-seize although I prefer copper or nickel based. Found out back in the day working on turbine engine GE CF700's, they called out M of M as an anti-seize on the igniters!
Now if you were doing this with a steel bolt in aluminium, Alum is the ****. Eats steal, won't touch Al.
Professur, a polished aluminum intake would look wickedly cool....and would weigh a lot less than the original cast iron unit. The only problem is that I don't think it would fit under the hood.
Yes, Malox/Milk of Magnesia works as an anti-seize although I prefer copper or nickel based. Found out back in the day working on turbine engine GE CF700's, they called out M of M as an anti-seize on the igniters!
Ronskal, it's interesting that the same stuff that relieves stomach acid also prevents bolts from seizing. There are probably all kinds of connections between human and auto health.
Some people you should listen to on this forum and one of them is Joe Padavano! Welding a nut on what was left of the shank as someone else suggested and trying to remove it while still hot would be the first try.
Dennis
Some people you should listen to on this forum and one of them is Joe Padavano! Welding a nut on what was left of the shank as someone else suggested and trying to remove it while still hot would be the first try.
Dennis
Dennis,
Yes sir. First hour I was on this forum I took note of Mr. Padavano and his vast knowledge. There's no doubting that.
