[Fastrr]

Today i went to work on my bike. I noticed the right side frame slider was a little loose and could be rotated by hand. My first thought was that's strange. Then it poped into my mind about how the thief who stole my bike was a tweeker and messed with just about every bolt and screw on the bike. A faring was missing, oem hardware was replaced with generic used bolts, etc. I have no idea why he did all that because the bike was in perfect condition and didn't need any work done to it. I found this unfamiliar hardware all over the bike. He had removed all the fairings, and the fuel tank. So I naturally figured well maybe he loosened up engine mounting bolt too that goes through the center of the frame slider. Anyhow I try to tighten it and it's a definate no go situation. So I then backed the bolt out and it sheared in half. So now most all the threads of the bolt are stuck inside the engine, and there only mount remaining that is good on the right side is the through bolt on the bottom-back side. I really don't want to drop my engine to repair the bolt/threads. Think it's a smart idea to try and drill it out with the engine in place? I have easy outs and sharp cobalt drills. I've just never tried to do a thread repair with this type of circumstance.

[JeepinJeff]

Wow, sorry to hear that. I wonder if the bolt that snapped was a cheap one that the idiot thief replaced.
All I can tell you with my limited knowledge is those easy outs don't seem to work well for me. I've only gotten one to work about one time. Every other time I've had to drill it out. Being an engine bolt, that might throw a whole other monkey wrench in the mix. Good luck.

[sscottab]

try to soak it with penetraiting oil i perfer deep creep it seam to work the best and get a set of left handed thread drill bits and start small and work up in sizes and do not go to deep or you might cause more problems then you want, then if it dosnt come out then try the easy out, i have removed alot of broken bolts that way. it also helps to use a pick and clean what threads you can see and get to.

[Fastrr]

It was a Grade 5 bolt that came with the frame sliders... Now i wish i would have bought at least a Grade 8 bolt back then. Luckily the engine threads are like on a "nub" that sticks out from the engine case.. it's a threaded thru hole.

[DarkStarCBR]

Ez outs are only any good when the bolt isn't too tight, they usually snap if its solid.

The best method I have found is to user a hammer and screwdriver, chisel a notch in the snapped off stud, then hammer the screwdriver in an undoing motion, on the notch you created. You should be able to knock it round far enough to get some grips on the end or cut a notch with a dremel you can get a large screwdriver on.

[Quick 26]

left handed dril bit, working your way up

[Fastrr]

Yeah, i'm going to have to buy a left handed drill/s. sucks

[tuffy6969]

You know something....hearing this story from FastRR is making me sick. It's like someone fu**ed my wife! I would be devistated if someone screwed with my bike. What was that sick bastard thinking?

[eye toke]

take it to a welding metal fabricating shop its easy for them might cost ya 20 bucks

[Fastrr]

Originally Posted by eye toke

take it to a welding metal fabricating shop its easy for them might cost ya 20 bucks

haha...I hear ya. I am a metal fabricator/machinist by trade. This is just one of those deals where it's in an awkward location and i'm almost sure it's in there cross threaded. I'm going to have to install a helicoil or thread insert. I may end up having to loosen the upper engine mounts and swing the engine down a couple inches if possible.

[eye toke]

can ya tap the hole 1 size bigger instead of healey coils ?

[Fastrr]

It could probably be drilled/taped to the next metric size.. but i'd rather retain the original size bolt.. a heli-coil also nearly eliminates the possibility of stripped or galled threads in the future. Was an idea though

[Quick 26]

i dont know why some holes are not heli coiled from the factory

[iatemenchi]

we used a self-tapping screw to get my broken spring bolt out of my bike..they screw costs what...16 cents??

[Mdala]

I saw a thread somewhere which used a posi drive socket, I think to remove a broken bolt. It has a star shape in cross section, & because it has parallel splines has more area to grip the bolt than an easy out, which is a taper in a parallel hole. I think the trick was to experiment with hole sizes in a scrap peice to find the size which gave the posi drive the best grip when you drove it into the drilled hole. If it is too tight when you drive it in, it can swell the broken bolt causing it to bind the threads. As previously advised, clean the exposed threads properly, plenty of penitrant & she'll be right.
All the best.

[Fastrr]

I think the reason the factory doesn't heli-coil threads may have to do with the associated costs... save a dollar here and there if they don't.

I drilled a 3/16" hole in the 10mm broken bolt. Problem is the hole i drilled is offset, so it's not on center. I brought a nice tap handle home from work today so I'll use that with my easy-out to try and remove it. The only other option if it doesn't work is to keep drilling one or two more holes through the broken bolt until it crumbles apart. We shall see

[Fastrr]

Originally Posted by DarkStarCBR

Ez outs are only any good when the bolt isn't too tight, they usually snap if its solid.

The best method I have found is to user a hammer and screwdriver, chisel a notch in the snapped off stud, then hammer the screwdriver in an undoing motion, on the notch you created. You should be able to knock it round far enough to get some grips on the end or cut a notch with a dremel you can get a large screwdriver on.

I've never tried that method.. i may need to now. My bud has a dremel so that's good. I used to freak out about this kind of stuff, but now I pretty much take it in stride. I've seen a lot of damaged and broken bolts over the past 12 years.

Also if anyone comes back to this thread for learning how to do thread repair work.. I just installed an Easy-sert for the front gas tank mount in the frame. How it works is you buy the correct size Eazy Sert you need ( internal thread ) in my case it was 6mm. The insert comes with an external thread, so you buy the correct size cutting tap and drill bit for that size tap. Drill the old threads/hole to the correct size, hand tap it with oil or WD-40, clean the chips off, screw in the new threaded insert. I buy the inserts from www.McMasterCarr.com They also sell the drills and taps there for a reasonable price.

[twojays280]

If all else fails you can weld a bolt onto the end of the broken bolt then unscrew the lot together. This has worked for me in the past. You just need to make shure the engine cases stays cool while you are welding. Nitrogen works best. Then Heli Coil or time sert is the way to go. Good luck, that sucks.....

[Fastrr]

Thank you all for your advice on fixing this thing. I was finally able to remove the broken bolt. When it broke off it sheared the shank of the bolt on an angle so it was difficult to center punch where i wanted to drill the hole into the bolt. The drilled hole ended up being off center.. DOH! I drilled it to like 3/16 inch, then inserted a screw type easy-out tool. Those easy outs don't always work and in this case either. I ended up stepping up drill bit sizes until i got to a 5/16 inch drill that finally did the trick. It did end up drilling out some aluminum from around the bolt, but just on one side ( not concentric ).

I retapped the aluminum with the correct size metric tap and it seems good to go. I did not torque the new engine mount bolt to full spec... about 5 ft lbs under spec. The only other option would have been to remove the entire engine from the bike to drill and tap for a metal insert ( timesert or Eazy Sert ). I will do that if i ever have to pull the engine out later down the road.

[sinfuldragon]

and the award for worst picture ever taken goes to...

[JeepinJeff]

Originally Posted by sinfuldragon

and the award for worst picture ever taken goes to...

that is pretty blurry. Could be a picture of about anything.