Broken Distributor Bolt- I messed up bad

5046 Views 10 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Hockeyman48, Dec 8, 2012

AAX86

Discussion Starter · Dec 7, 2012

It seems i've made my current situation even crappier. Out of all the bolts that could break, i managed to snap the distributor's holding bolt. I got the bolt in about halfway when i felt a snag/resistance in the threads, tried to push past it, going, going, and *crack*. I'm an idiot. Snapped it right off. Now there's the bolt stuck in the block, with no head on it and barely sticking out above the surface. Not enough for me to grip it with a vice. I can't weld a nut on top of it cause i have no access to those kinds of tools or the knowledge to use them.

However, i'm not asking how to get the bolt out. I've already come to the conclusion that it's probably gonna stay there at least for a while. What i want to know is, how else can i keep the distributor in place? Does anyone sell some sort of external mount or clamp or something for it? If not, any ideas on how else to keep it in place? I don't even care if it's a ******* repair if it works in the meantime, i'll do it.

Later, assuming i get the car road-worthy again, who could i take it to that could get the bolt out? A machine shop?

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Mustangfreak196

· #2 · Dec 7, 2012

That bolt should come out fairly easy with an easy out. I know you said you are not looking on ways to get it out buts its simple.

Screw extractor | easyout | broken bolt removal - YouTube

I use these at work now and then. They work great. This way you have no need to take it anywhere or rig something up. It looks like you will need to pull the distributor out buts its easy after that. :bigthumbsup

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fast9050

· #3 · Dec 7, 2012

Cool vid. Good post!

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Rascal

· #4 · Dec 7, 2012

Answer

Non, There is no simple way for this fix. I have made this repair once in the past for another guy. You have two choices.

(1) You can mark the distributer in it's current position. Then pull it from the engine. Then carefully center punch the broken bolt and slowly drill out the center of the bolt with a small drill and go larger on the bits until the bolt is almost drilled out. This should leave just a thin sleeve of bolt in the hole and you should now be able to remove the sheared bolt.

(2) Remove the engine from the vehicle where you can easily do the same thing unimpeaded.

The secret to this repair is do not get frustrated go very slowly with SHARP bits and you can do this job. I won't kid you this job can be a real ***** but it can be done. Note! in the future if a bolt stops you and gets real tight,"STOP" back off use plenty of lube and work it slowly most times with a little patience the bolt will work loose.
Good luck, Rascal.

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AAX86

Discussion Starter · #5 · Dec 7, 2012

Mustangfreak196 said:
That bolt should come out fairly easy with an easy out. I know you said you are not looking on ways to get it out buts its simple.

Screw extractor | easyout | broken bolt removal - YouTube

I use these at work now and then. They work great. This way you have no need to take it anywhere or rig something up. It looks like you will need to pull the distributor out buts its easy after that. :bigthumbsup

Yeah i saw that video. I'm kinda scared of one of those things breaking off inside the bolt since mine's stuck tight in there. They are cheap though so maybe i'll try it.

Rascal, i didn't think of that. That actually might work.

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AAX86

Discussion Starter · #6 · Dec 8, 2012

Rascal said:
Non, There is no simple way for this fix. I have made this repair once in the past for another guy. You have two choices.

(1) You can mark the distributer in it's current position. Then pull it from the engine. Then carefully center punch the broken bolt and slowly drill out the center of the bolt with a small drill and go larger on the bits until the bolt is almost drilled out. This should leave just a thin sleeve of bolt in the hole and you should now be able to remove the sheared bolt.

(2) Remove the engine from the vehicle where you can easily do the same thing unimpeaded.

The secret to this repair is do not get frustrated go very slowly with SHARP bits and you can do this job. I won't kid you this job can be a real ***** but it can be done. Note! in the future if a bolt stops you and gets real tight,"STOP" back off use plenty of lube and work it slowly most times with a little patience the bolt will work loose.
Good luck, Rascal.

Hey i tried drilling it out just now. I went at it for about 10 minutes with a brand new sharp bit. It hardly made a dent in the bolt. Is my drill just not powerful enough? God nothing goes smooth for me. ever. Also just found there's a ton of coolant in my oil so, that's great too.

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fast9050

· #7 · Dec 8, 2012

Wow, when it rains...blah blah blah. Sorry man.

Good thing you are tearing into what you are tearing into.

What type of bit did you use?

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AAX86

Discussion Starter · #8 · Dec 8, 2012

fast9050 said:
Wow, when it rains...blah blah blah. Sorry man.

Good thing you are tearing into what you are tearing into.

What type of bit did you use?

The.. drill type. I don't know. it was just a sharp pointed bit.

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fast9050

· #9 · Dec 8, 2012

Okay, that's funny. Seriously.

You need a hardened bit, maybe some titanium bits that'll actually cut into the bolt. They do break easily though...at least the small ones, which you would be using to drill your pilot hole. So don't push too hard...let the bit do the cutting. Delicate balance, I guess. Probably why at the beginning of the video it has posted you need to wear eye protection.

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YLDPONY

· #10 · Dec 8, 2012

Wow, this is some hard luck. Engine bolts are usually hardened, hence why a regular bit won't work. You probably need a carbide, or at least a carbide tip bit:

www.mcmaster.com

Search for p/n 2750A11. That sounds like something that will do the trick for you, but you might call and ask (or ask a machinist if you know one... if you're lucky, Mark will see this. He should know :wavey). That is a 1/8 in. drill you can use for a pilot. You will probably need a bigger drill to use an extractor, but the exact size will depend on the extractor you get. Take a look here:

mcmaster carr - bolt extractors

The bolt that holds down the distributor is a 5/18 in. bolt. I'm not sure if it's a fine thread bolt (24) or a standard thread (18). That isn't important for selecting an extractor.
I would get something that can be used on left and right hand threads. The bolt is a right hand thread, but of you get something that can be used to turn the broken bolt clockwise you will be able to work it back and fourth like you originally should have done.

One note about the drill: You MUST have the drill completely straight!!!

I hope this helps!

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Hockeyman48

· #11 · Dec 8, 2012

Another option would be to drill and tap another hole directly behind and adjacent to the existing one.Block is easier to drill /tap than hardened bolt.A longer or modified hold down clamp would have to be fabbed,but it gives you another method for repair.Its hard to keep a twist drill from drifting off from center of the bolt and by the time you've increased drill sizes for removal you are usually tapping a new larger hole anyway with a larger bolt size.Sometimes a new hole location ends up being an easier repair.Just another thought. Good Luck.

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Broken Distributor Bolt- I messed up bad

AAX86

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