Like the title says. I snapped a exhaust stud off. I tried welding a nut on and it broke the stud more, now pretty flush with the engine. Then I tried the worst thing of all: easy out. It broke off inside the hole I drilled. Now, what was once easy to drill through with my cobalt bit seems impossible. Have any of you successfully drilled out the easy out or is there something else I can look into?

 

Drilling out the EZout ain't gonna happen.

Fortunately- maybe- for you, they're pretty brittle.
Try a punch and hammer, should be able to break it up and chip it out.

 

Are you talking exhaust stud on the flange of the exhaust manifold, or exhaust stud on the block? If it is the one on the back of the exhaust manifold, take the manifold off, and go to a machine shop. You can wrestle with it as much as you want, but in the end, it will be quicker and neater to just take it to a shop.

 

Man, it's in the block... of my freshly rebuilt engine at that. How would a machine shop get it out? I guess I have to drive the whole freakin engine over lol. I really hate easy out right now.

 

Consider this a learning experience.
EZouts don't work.

My history with them says they never work but I'm will to concede that someone, somewhere actually managed to remove a broken bolt/stud using an EZout.
My hat is off to him and a bottle of brefass scotch is ready to be claimed by this magnificent stranger.

 

so true

 

Well, the other thing you can try, is welding another nut on the stud. Just hold the nut against the block and try to use a nut that it's inside diameter is a touch smaller that the stud. Fill that nut up with weld. Now, try and heat the block around the stud, before trying to remove the stud. The engine should be able to take a bit of heat in that area, especially, if you still have coolant in the engine.

 

+1 to chisel or punch. EZ-outs are annealed, hardened steel. Hit it just right and it will shatter.

Get cobalt drill bits that are twisted in the REVERSE direction.

Once you've gotten the EZ out bits removed, use the cobalt drill bits starting small and working your way up. As the bits get larger and you remove more material from the center of the bolt the outer shell that you leave behind will become more and more flexible and put less and less pressure outwards against the threads. Eventually, the drill bit will grip the shell, overcome the friction of the threads and twist the shell out.

PB blaster and a MAPP gas torch will be your friends in this endeavor.

 

If I'm thinking of the right part (which is on the block) then you'll have to figure out a way to drill out the broken piece then re-thread it and do a Helios Coil (SP?) and then put a new stud in it. Good luck and take your time with the coil as they can be a pain in the *** and if not done right the bolt/stud will be loose and you'll have to redo it. if its on the manifold you may need to use a drill press after you've pulled it and grab the toughest drill bit you can find. The money spent for a good one as in most all cases is well worth it as you'll save a lot of time.

 

^ Heli-Coil... It's actually a brand name for "Thread repair kit"... Kinda like Xerox for "photocopy" or Band-Aid for "bandage" or Kleenex for "tissue".

Toughest drill bit available to the common person is the cobalt.

Drill slowly and use a little bit of thick oil to stop the bit from getting hot.

 

If you can get a small nut Onto the Stud,Fill the nut with Weld.Then weld another nut to that ..and try to extract the stud that way,.
Exhaust studs are a real Beotch.and If you apply Steady pressure they snap..I Try to give it the "love tap"method..to Break the Thread hold,quick,without breaking the stud itself.
The worst thing about the Studs is that they are at 90 degress,.so Best way to accompish a True Extraction is to Pull it the Hell out of the engine bay..It's alot of work,but it gives you a Clear Shot at exactly what the hell is going on,rather than a Eagle's view!.//Cheers,Good luck,Styx!

 

thanks for the clarification I'll remember that

 

Yea, I won't ever use easy out again or ever recommend it to anyone. If anything, I will advise against using it.

I am taking it to a mechanic who has a welder and I believe has dealt with these before. But I have to wait until tomorrow to do it. There is about 1/8 of an inch sticking out of the block so maybe it will work. *crosses fingers*.

This is what I will try next if that doesn't work.

I would rather not try the heli coil thing if I don't have to, but thank you for the advice. I think I would rather try to find one of those electronic machines that pulses it out or whatever, i'm not sure what they're called.

My engine is on a stand already so at least I have that going for me. The crappy part is I already tore it down, cleaned and spec'd everything, replaced all the worn parts and rebuilt it with new seals. THEN I got clumsy and broke an exhaust stud haha. Or else I would use one of the spare housings I have

 

Just a little follow up, incase someone finds this thread later. I took it to a welder and welded a nut onto it. This resulted in breaking the bolt farther in the block. But, I got the easy out out of the hole. There wasn't much left to try except drilling it out and I didn't want to risk it. I took it to a machine shop and had them do it. Ended up being a 100 dollar mistake. So my advice is to be extra careful when working with studs, a little patience can save you a big headache later. But if you do get a broken bolt, don't try easy out. It will make things worse.

 

glad you got it out!