Snapped a drive flange bolt :/

[danny_]

128320

Hi guys,
I was fitting my HD drive flanges today and managed to snap a flange bolt while trying to undo it.
It's snapped about 3mm below the fave of the hub.
Has anyone got suggestions on how I can remove it?
Cheers

[Roverlord off road spares]

Remove everything again and drill a hole in the centre of broken bolt and use an easy put, be careful though you don't snap the easyout though or you'll be in more poo.

[87County]

take the flange off

if there is there enough bolt protruding use a stud extractor

if not, drill and carefully use an eze-out

Screw Extractor Screw & Drill Set No.20 - Sutton Tools | Blackwoods Xpress (https://www.blackwoodsxpress.com.au/drill-bits-cutting-threading/screw-extractors/screw-extractor-screw-drill-set-no-20-sutton-tools.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIws3xkbLn1QIVQ369Ch3-CAHyEAQYASABEgKxPvD_BwE)

if neither of these work there will be other alternatives which may involve pulling the axle (no big deal)

try not to be too enthusiastic when you torque up the replacement

[bee utey]

Call a bolt removal expert before you snap off an easy-out in the hole. Easy-outs are for bolts snapped by overtension, not seizure. Oh and if you try yourself, use nothing but the best quality tool. Having seen a Chinese cheapie set snap like glass I would be very wary of diy for the first time.

[FisherX]

Easy outs . [B]Hate them. I find if it's seized in there tight enough to snap the bolt it's usually tight enough to snap the easy out. As said before you snap an easy out and you are in real poo poo. Every tried to easy out an easy out?[bigsmile]

When I have a problem like this I have a set of Cobalt drill bits just for this purpose. I start with the 3mm bit and step up until I can use my tap set and tap it out. Just make sure the first hole you drill is SPOT ON down the centre of the broken bolt.[thumbsupbig]

[danny_]

Thanks for the quick responses everyone.
I will give an easy out a go even though they have snapped on me before,
Worst case ill spend $150 on a new hub and fit that.
I think i forgot to clean off the excess blue loctite when the hub was taken off last time and thats probably why its seized on.

Cheers.

[Tins]

Easy outs . [B]Hate them. I find if it's seized in there tight enough to snap the bolt it's usually tight enough to snap the easy out. As said before you snap an easy out and you are in real poo poo. Every tried to easy out an easy out?[bigsmile]

When I have a problem like this I have a set of Cobalt drill bits just for this purpose. I start with the 3mm bit and step up until I can use my tap set and tap it out. Just make sure the first hole you drill is SPOT ON down the centre of the broken bolt.[thumbsupbig]

Could not agree more. The reason I have cobalt drill bits is that EZ outs are harder than most drill bits. EZ outs are the work of Satan, in my view.

[weeds]

When I got my first defender a bolt was snapped and somebody glued the head back on to make it look OK.......

I continued driving it like that for 10+ years without issue.

[workingonit]

I'll go one better and say get a carbide drill [biggrin] Cobalt is for newbies[bigrolf]

If I use an easy out then I drill a hole to take the most "weight challenged size" (can I say fattest?) easy out in the kit that the broken bolt can take. Generally my broken bolts get drilled so the wall tickness is minimal (close to the threads). Once you break the easy out you can then use the carbide drill.

These days I usually don't resort to the easy out if there is a little of the broken bolt protruding. Just drill up in size until the wall thickness is enough that you can collapse the hole in on itself with a small chisel or screwdriver with steel head.

The method used is usually dependent on your view of how stuck the bolt is, its size, and how much protrusion you have ie then there is flame.

I will generally clean loctite out with the appropriate tap, and wire brush the bolts (on a bench grinder preferably).

[Gumnut]

Hi,

if if you are out West (Birrong way) give Peter at Thread it Right a call 0418 615 127....

Be warned, I reckon he charges more for removing snapped ezy-outs!

if you really want to give it a crack, use a left handed (seriously) drill bit. It will heat the broken bit, and it just may, very possibly, grab when it breaks through and unscrew it.

Good luck!!

Gumnut

[roverrescue]

Don't frig around with drills and breaky-outs
Remove flange if enough shank try multi-grips
If that is no Bueno slip a 12mm nut over the stub weld it to stub

Heat of welding will help as well as now you have a nut to put a socket on

Will be quicker cheaper and more effective than above methods

Steve

[danny_]

Don't frig around with drills and breaky-outs
Remove flange if enough shank try multi-grips
If that is no Bueno slip a 12mm nut over the stub weld it to stub

Heat of welding will help as well as now you have a nut to put a socket on

Will be quicker cheaper and more effective than above methods

Steve


I am hoping that the the stub has penetrated through the other side of the hub and i can do that.
A new hub will cost me about $80 which is only a few dollars more compared to picking up a set of easy outs and good quality drill bits (mine are ****) so ill grab the hub just in case i cant remove the broken bolt.


Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions i will post a photo or 2 tomorrow.

[Toxic_Avenger]

Perfect application for the Left-hand drill bit.
LH Drill bit was about 7 clams... not outrageous by any stretch of the imagination.

Works a charm. Clicky!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjHyy65OeR0

[danny_]

Perfect application for the Left-hand drill bit.
LH Drill bit was about 7 clams... not outrageous by any stretch of the imagination.

Works a charm. Clicky!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjHyy65OeR0


I might just give that a go for $7 the only issue i will have is the bolt has broken off at an angle so it wasnt a clean break.

[weeds]

The L/H drill bit can be hit and miss and given you kinda have to get the drill to dig in and grip you have the risk of snapping the drill.

Years ago I had success once and two failures

[Tins]

I'll go one better and say get a carbide drill [biggrin] Cobalt is for newbies[bigrolf]

Quite likely. I know mine are blue and cost a motza, but they will drill through a broken ez out, whatever the correct name is.

[POD]

I've had success with the L/H drill bit with the variation that I grind a normal r/h drill bit to cut anticlockwise. Got to remember to regrind it the right way before you use it again- just last week I found myself trying to drill a hole with a drill bit that I had ground backwards probably 5 years ago.[tonguewink]

[danny_]

I tried 2 different size easy outs with no luck and snapped a 5mm drill bit
I ended up changing the hub with a new Bearmach one for under $100 with new flange bolts

128446
Thanks for all the suggestions and tips.

[knares]

As mentioned in an earlier post, weld it, get a piece of flat bar, drill a hole in it so it goes over the bolt, place it over the bolt and weld it giving it plenty of heat.
I do this all the time, this week I removed eight bolts out of a manifold, they all came out first go, but if it doesn’t, try it again.
Took me four goes on a turbo once but still better and quicker than drilling and tapping
thats as long as you have something to weld to, 3mm, a long way down

[roverrescue]

Danny,
Looking at your picture post drilling it looks like the break was just below hub surface.
I would still have chosen the welder and got it out:

Two techniques that work in below surface extraction is using a brass or aluminium tube with OD the size of the minor thread diameters in this case a 9mm OD would work, then reach inside the tube and build up weld until you are above grade, then whack on a nut and weld it out. The tube prevents sticktion of weld to thread walls. This technique is fiddly but can be done with MIG or stick.
Another way is to take a small nut or steel sleeve that slides into the hole down onto snapped bolt then carefully with a TIG torch wet the centre of the sleeve onto the centre of the bolt but preventing burn through to threads...

Either of the above methods would have got that stud out in less time than it took to go and buy a drill bit...

Dont throw that hub away now that you have replaced it - it is still salvageable!

Steve