broken exhaust bolt and easy-out

peter.walker

peter.walker

Active Member
So last summer I decided to pull the exhaust off my GS750T (the bike in my pic), because that seemed like the best way to clean/paint over the rusty bits. In the process, I managed to break one of the bolts on the number 2 cylinder. I soaked it with liquid wrench and WD-40, ground a slot in the stub, and heated and cooled around it with a propane torch several times, stuck a cold screwdriver in it...and proceeded to break off the stub. After a few choice words (ok, more than a few), I drilled it out, and put in the biggest easy-out I could fit. I nudged it with the wrench and nothing happened, nudged it harder and it broke. So now I've got a broken bolt with an extremely hard tool in the middle of it. After expending my entire vocabulary of profanity and staring at it for a day or two, I decided to stick it back together with the bolt missing and see how bad it was. Surprisingly enough, there's no leakage at all, and the bike runs and sounds just like it did before.
I still have a functional bike (I've ridden her about 1000 miles with no change at all in the sound or performance, and no leakage developing), but the broken bolt is annoying, since I still know it's there and isn't right.
I've considered having a threaded rod welded onto what's left of the stub, then using a nut to secure the exhaust. On the other hand, I'm halfway tempted to leave it alone as long as it works. Thoughts?
 
Keep an eye on ebay for good deals......

Can you drill out the extracter with a cobolt drill bit?
 
I have a similar problem, without the easy out stuck. Any ideas? What is an easy out? Any links?

Help would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks
 
EZ outs are quite often the exact opposite :mad:

If you can get a nut over the "stub" and weld it on it will loosen the remaining bolt. This may or may not be possible depending on how much room you have. Otherwise, try a cobalt drill bit (can't say I've any experience with these).

Anyway, once you have the bolt removed you can either use studs in the head instead of bolts, or use an anti-seizing agent on the bolts.
 
It's pretty common on all the GS range, the exhaust studs are made of some special snap off material :eek:
Sales staff used to promise free fitting on new exhaust systems so it happened a lot
Cobalt drill bits were not available when I was working on them, we used to get a masonry drill and re-sharpen it to cut steel. (you need a 'green grit' wheel)
You can then drill through the 'EZout' (work ob de debil ;D )
Personally, I NEVER use EZout, I've had to fix way too many failures when they snap.
The only time I've seen them work, you didn't need one as broken piece would have come out with a 'automatic' center punch (use it to 'tap' stud around)
Which stud broke?
Not the one 'behind' frame tube?
I've had to remove heads to fix them
 
Johnny, I don't think I'm ever going to touch an EZout again if I can help it, and I'd find a different way if I were you!

Unfortunately I broke what was left of the stub off when I ground the slot in it and tried to use a screwdriver so the sears extractor and the welding a nut on idea both won't work.

It's the bolt near the center of the head, not behind the frame tube...if I have a stud welded on I'm hoping I'll just have to pull the wheel, not the whole engine.

Glad (well, sort of glad) to hear it's a common GS problem, not just me being clumsy :-[
 
ezouts.jpg


Here's a pic, so you know what to avoid.
 
If you put the nut over the "hole" and weld from the inside of the nut, you can weld it on even if the stud is recessed. The outer side of the nut protects the engine/head from splatter too ;)
 
We need to distinguish between EZOuts and other types of screw extractors. I use some at work for studs upwards of 1-1/4"/ 7 TPI and even being probably 20+ years old, these things pop em out every time, have yet to snap one. They're not "threaded" like EZOuts, but rather have a "twist" to them about 1 full "twist" of the grooves through the entire length of the tool. They work great.
 
Snap-On make that type, don't know part number though.
They still won't work much better on small bolts though
 
I have allways used the "twisted" easy outs and rarely had problems.. except once i had one snap trying to extract a head bolt.. i brought it to a machine shop and they didnt have much luck getting it out but they said they were soaking it in some fluid the was soposed to leach the carbon out of the hard steel.. i got a carbide bit and the easy out was a soft enough to drill out.. but i have no idea what kind of fluid they soaked it with
 
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