My bolt sheared off - now how do i get it out?

[muffins]

I was trying to install some new seats today, but as i tightened one of the bolts under the seat, it unexpectedly sheared clean off, so now i have the bold stuck in the hole - how can i get it out???

[bogged]

remove seat
then drill and easyout.

[muffins]

The seat is removed - it's the hole in the bottom of the seat. What do you mean drill and easy out? I've tried drilling through the centre of the bolt with no luck - it just wont drill down.

[poppywhite]

What bogged said.! X2
you may need to start with small drill and go bigger. Easyout is obtained from hardware or some auto shops and comes in set of 4 or 5 just choose size appropriate for the bolt.

Dosn't bogged look attractive in that avitar MMMMMMM LOL

[bogged]

The seat is removed - it's the hole in the bottom of the seat. What do you mean drill and easy out? I've tried drilling through the centre of the bolt with no luck - it just wont drill down.

If it a high tensile bolt, you will need more than your bunnings 10 drills for $1.00 drill bit...

[Reddo]

stick your head under the car and see if you can see the thread as it comes through the floor, if you can see it, stick some WD40 on it and try and unscrew it with a set of multi grips

this m

[11_evl]

quality LH drill bit

[fool_injected]

stick your head under the car and see if you can see the thread as it comes through the floor, if you can see it, stick some WD40 on it and try and unscrew it with a set of multi grips

this m

If there is enough thread to get two nuts on
lock them together and undo it with a spanner on one nut

Make sure the damaged end of the broken bolt is cleaned up with a file so it don't damage the nuts thread on its way through

[chimpboy]

Have you tried heat? Or is that not possible due to non-metal seat parts being to close? A good whack of heat can loosen bolts up.

[KYSI]

try to tack weld something onto it and unscrew it like that

[Dozoor]

The seat is removed - it's the hole in the bottom of the seat. What do you mean drill and easy out? I've tried drilling through the centre of the bolt with no luck - it just wont drill down.

quality drill bit as stated start small, slow speed and use water or cutting fluid
to cool the drill bit , small bowl with fluid in it , drill a little then place the tip in the fluid repeat repeat repeat , time is your friend.

You can drill through a file if you take your time.

pays to take time to set the job up so you can get at it easy .

[sloshy]

stick your head under the car and see if you can see the thread as it comes through the floor, if you can see it, stick some WD40 on it and try and unscrew it with a set of multi grips

this m

I would use a set of vice grips if you can get to it from underneath.

[fester2au]

To explain more fully if all the other home handyman ideas don't work the easyouts are a course left hand threaded tool. You drill the correct hole size in the bolt then screw the easyout in and keep going and it turns th damaged bolt out. HOWEVER be warned it's not too hard to break an easyout especially cheap no name brand ones so be careful. You will have all sorts of drama trying to drill a broken easyout out. Before you easyout it tthe normal WD40 penetrating time, a bit of heat etc or the bolt freeze processes will all be you friend.

[love ke70]

go buy yourself a set of left handed drill bit.
centre punch the bolt, drill straight down the centre of it, leaving a couple of mm at most either side.
if you lucky it will grab and spin out.
if not, drill it til you think your through the bolt, then get a size just smaller than the bolt, and with plenty of pressure and slow speed, it should grab as it starts to cut and spin it out.

cutting fluid might be your friend.
slow drilling speed always will be, with lots of pressure, the best way to drill these sorts of things.

that is of course if you cant twist it out with a set of vice grips or something of the sort.

[chunks]

What bolts were using to secure the seat? I'm a bit worried if you sheared one off tightening it, what would happen in acco! Were you using the right thread pitch, or did you cross thread it? It shouldn't just shear off for no reason.

[sheps]

here is one i did on a flywheel

broken bolt on flywheel

place big washer on top of broken bolt

weld broken bolt to washer

use a pair of vice grips and unscrew broken bolt. weld a nut to the washer
and use a spanner if it is really stuck.

you beauty
[/quote]

[GU_247]

To explain more fully if all the other home handyman ideas don't work the easyouts are a course left hand threaded tool. You drill the correct hole size in the bolt then screw the easyout in and keep going and it turns th damaged bolt out. HOWEVER be warned it's not too hard to break an easyout especially cheap no name brand ones so be careful. You will have all sorts of drama trying to drill a broken easyout out. Before you easyout it tthe normal WD40 penetrating time, a bit of heat etc or the bolt freeze processes will all be you friend.

[pyrohamish]

haha always wondered what those odd shaped taps were for in the draw full of taps at home, now i know

[muffins]

Well i tried using pliers to grip it out, but that didn't work - ended up shearing more off. So went and got the easyout - again didn't work. In the end I just drilled straight through and made the hole bigger - eventually the bolt came out in pieces. Now i've gotta retap the hole. Thanks for everyone's replies though. Maybe i should be getting a welder.

[Hekta]

Goes something like this

Step 1. Cuss in ways to make a sailor blush.
2. Drink beer to cool-off.
3. Find where you put your easy-out set "so you wouldn't forget where you put it".
4. See Step 1 upon finding easy-out set in the most random place imaginable.
5. Realize battery is dead in cordless drill.
6. See Step 1.
7. Recharge battery while having another beer.
8. Wonder where the hell your center punch went.
9. After about 20mins of tearing your tool box apart, you find it... Right where you looked first but the damn garage gnomes hid it from you just for fun.
10. Swear to kill garage gnomes.
11. Center punch and begin drilling pilot hole.
12. Find correct size easy-out and begin tapping into bolt remnant.
13. Snap-off easy-out.
14. See Step 1.
15. Have another beer.
16. Realize easy-out metal is in fact made of the hardest metal alloy ever discovered, or at least harder than any drill bit you own.
17. Say "hell with it" and continue drilling-out drill easy-out and remaining bolt while ruining your drill bit.
18. Get at least 5 metal slivers in each finger (even through gloves).
19. Insert helicoil.
20. Insert new bolt.
21. Put easy-out set "somewhere you won't forget next time"...