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Big Problem Broke crankshaft bot!! please help!!!

A

avgas

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OK I f'd up big, I was putting the harmonic balancer on my on my new goodwrench 350, I overtightened it (big f'up totally my fault) and snapped the bolt off inside the crankshaft with about 1/2" of it sticking out. I took it to the shop where I work (a welding fab shop) welded a nut on there and tried to loosen it and broke off even more of the remaining bolt(still about a 1/4" left). Did I just make myself a $1400 boat anchor or should a maching shop be able to extract it? any advice would be gretly appreciated. I'm really sick to my stomach thinking about it someone please give me some hope!!!!

jake
 
I don't know if you can buy an easy out that big but yes you can extract it. I think the way a machine shop would do it would be to either drill it out bigger and re tap or else drill a pilot hole in the bolt and tap it with a reverse thread to take it out.
 
Get a drill and drill a good size hole down the center of the busted bolt. Tap an EZ out in with a hammer (don't hit it too hard) you just want to seat the sharp edges of the EZ-out in the inside of the hole you drilled. Now use a crescent wrench and with care try and turn it out. Do not shock load the EZ out, just steady pressure. Use the largest one you can...it'll be less likely to snap.

I had to do something similar recently. Sheared 3 of my steering arm studs off flush in the knuckle. Using the above method we were able to get them all out in an hour or so.

Good luck!!

Rene
 
The set of EZ outs I just bought in Moab goes pretty big. My studs were 1/2" and I used the third from the largest...so there were two larger ones left.

Rene
 
[ QUOTE ]
Get a drill and drill a good size hole down the center of the busted bolt. Tap an EZ out in with a hammer (don't hit it too hard) you just want to seat the sharp edges of the EZ-out in the inside of the hole you drilled. Now use a crescent wrench and with care try and turn it out. Do not shock load the EZ out, just steady pressure. Use the largest one you can...it'll be less likely to snap.

I had to do something similar recently. Sheared 3 of my steering arm studs off flush in the knuckle. Using the above method we were able to get them all out in an hour or so.

Good luck!!

Rene

[/ QUOTE ] Yep that will work, that has actually happened to me when i rebuilt a motor for a guy(to cheap to buy a new bolt) and it broke.
 
Please just don't break the easy out!!!!!!!!!!! I was working on an engine once and let me dad help(Non Mechanical guy... Go figure) He busted one of the bolts that mounts the bellhousing to the engine int he engine and then I drilled it and let him extract it.... (STUPID ME!!!) He busted the easy out and that was it! Once you bust the Easy out, it over... You will not drill down the center of an easy out. Period! the metal is harder than the metal around it and the drill bit will always walk to the side! Hope this helps and doesn't scare this shiznits out of you... I just want you to be careful! /forums/images/graemlins/deal.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
That's why I said to not shock load the EZ out and to use the biggest one possible.

If the EZ out does break you'll need to use a carbide end mill to get it out...which obviously is the path you don't want to take.

Rene
 
I broke of three of the bolts that hold the flexplate to the crank in my old 350...I just used and easyout on them and it was fine...
 
Makes me wonder how the old 283 and 327 small blocks that had only a press fit holding the harmonic balancer on--that and the fan belts--early ones werent even drilled for a bolt! /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif-I'v seen one come off a corvette at high rpms during a burnout--it took the radiator and the front of the block right off the motor--and went ove 500 ft off the road into the woods--very scary!! /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif--if all else fails,maybe you could locktite it on with the "killer"red stuff /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif--I have removed broken e-z outs with torches,but I dont think I'd do it to a crank though /forums/images/graemlins/ignore.gifGood Luck! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
might i add : considering you all ready welded a nut on it and broke it off also
i would encourage you to drill as much of the old bolt out as possible to reduce the side wall strength of the bolt its self i mean bring it down if possible to were the bolt only has about 1/16 of meteal left on it till it hits the threads
this should help reduce the chances of you breaking a small ez out in the hole
and even use use a few different bits so ya get a goood clean hole in the center and just continue to go larger till you have the max hole possible ( with out cutting in to the threads of course )
and as Rene said use as large as possible of a eazy out
best of luck 2 ya
R
 
Did you use red loctite or something?
If you had welded a nut to the bolt and it broke off even more of it inside, that kinda makes me wonder if the bolt has bottomed out??
A welded nut?? pliers should have taken that right out.
I mean it is a freshly installed bolt with no load on it.
It sounds like the remaining peice is a bit down the snout.
Drilling that center is gonna be nifty, you may want to think about that before it looks like a 4 leaf clover.
If you have a few threads in the snout.. get a short grade 5 bolt and drill an 1/8" pilot hole in the center of the head.
Thread the bolt into the snout as far as it will go and you will be able to start a pilot hole in the broken bolt without the clover effect.
Use a left twist bit after the pilot hole has been drilled and it should come out.
If I was doing that job I would not use an easyout at this point, if a nut welded to it broke off......
Nothing says yer screwed now like the sound of an easyout snapping. If you do use an easyout watch how much it twists, if whatever you use to turn it goes more than a 1/8th turn with out the bolt turning. <font color="red">STOP </font>.
I would just keep drilling it with left bits untill you have most of it removed, then run the correct bit down it followed by a bottoming tap.
For easyouts I do not use the tapered spiral type, those will dig in and spread the sides of the bolt out, making an already stuck bolt wedged into the threads.
I have straight ones and whenever posible I drill all the way through so that in the event that it snaps I just use a punch and knock it through, that aint happin with a tapered one.
And since all 3 tool guys carry the same set with their brand on it, getting a new one is just the next day.
BTW just how did you manage to snap a bolt off?
 
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