Snapped head bolts

Synchros shot? Weird noises while shifting? Not sure what needs to be replaced?
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WA1DH
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Snapped head bolts

Post by WA1DH »

Swapping in a rebuilt cylinder head and snapped 2 head bolts off removing the old head. See here: http://www.photos.douglasharrington.com ... ort3_head/

Looks like they were rusty. The others were coated in oil and did not snap. I was using a breaker bar on them. I hear an ez-out is a bad idea as it may break off in the bolt and make things worse. I'm thinking left-handed drill bits. Any other suggestions?

I can't weld a nut onto the stud and remove it that way as I don't have a welder. Well, I have a flux-core welder, but that is worthless for tack welding anything outside of sheet metal.

Thanks..
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theholycow
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Re: Snapped head bolts

Post by theholycow »

EZ-outs are hardened, which means they snap instead of twisting/stretching/bending.

Do NOT use the cheapest left-handed drill bit set from Harbor Freight. They shatter with barely any use. If you managed to drill at all then a piece will get stuck in just like an EZ-out. If you do try some better left-handed drill bits, be patient; I imagine the goal is to start small and keep going up a size at a time, never pushing hard on it and backing off if it gets stuck.

My guess is that you're only going to make things worse by trying anything other than welding on a nut (after a few days of PB Blaster or better, and/or a lot of heat applied). It might be time to hire someone with a welder for a few minutes. Once the nut is on you may have to whack it with a hammer, and then "rock" it (like rocking a car to get out of snow) both ways with an impact wrench.

I hope I forgot something easy that someone can post.

If you want a hand, I'd love to hang around for the learning experience of the rest of your head job. Some day I'll probably need to do one myself. You're in the Fall River/Rehoboth/etc region, right? (I don't have welding equipment though.)
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Re: Snapped head bolts

Post by Rope-Pusher »

theholycow wrote: If you want a hand, I'd love to hang around for the learning experience of the rest of your head job. Some day I'll probably need to do one myself.
Heh Heh! He said "Head Job"
Image

Siriously, you do know that they often use more bolts than what you really need to hold the heads on, right? Each bolt has over 1000 lbs of tension in it, but the head only weighs how much?
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WA1DH
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Re: Snapped head bolts

Post by WA1DH »

Thanks for the tips and info. I went out and bought some left-hand drill bits but remembered the air hammer I bought a few weeks ago. I vibrated the bolts counter-clockwise with a punch bit and they loosened. Never had to drill them out, but saved the bits anyway in case I ever need them.

THC, I'm actually in Seekonk, prob. 30-45 min from you. I appreciate the offer to lend a hand, but this was more of a 'must get done' job rather than an ongoing project. I worked nonstop on it Sunday into early this morning to get it done. I drove the car to work today and all seems well.

Head jobs aren't too difficult, just time consuming. I spent about 2 hrs just cleaning the old head gasket off the head and block. I use some high-temp gasket maker/sealant on the thermostat housing and water pump as those surfaces are very hard to get into and clean (especially the water pump when driven by the timing belt on FWD vehicles). Too bad I can't just use that goop on head gaskets, would save me a lot of time :lol:
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theholycow
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Re: Snapped head bolts

Post by theholycow »

Hey, that's a great idea...similar effect to welding on a nut and using an impact wrench.
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