Exhaust bracket bolt sheared - Argh!

Hoping for some inspiration in my battle with an exhaust bracket bolt.

The bracket had snapped so I got a replacement from Chris.

Unfortunately, when installing the new bracket the head of one of the bolts to the bell housing sheared off at the head.

Access is tricky.

I bought a stud extractor tool (the type where you drill a hole in the centre of the old bolt and then insert the tool which has a sort of reverse thread)

I actually managed a reasonable hole but when I put one of the tools in and cranked it with a ratchet bar, the top of the tool sheared off in the bolt leaving me back at square one.

Any thoughts on what to try next??

If the top of the extractor has sheared off in the hole bud, I'm afraid it's done for.

I don't know of any way that you'll get that out now

Just leave it, bar taking the gearbox off you're not getting that out

I havent had that bracket on my tt for about 4yrs with no problems

How the fudge did that bolt break? Never seen one rusted out

is there room to drill the other way? until you hit the stud extractor then it may come out with a suitable punch. then I would drill out bolt completely and put in a nut and bolt?

it's been a while i have been under my car so don't know if above is possible to do.

regards Chris.

You will NOT drill a stud extractor out. Leave things until the gearbox has to come out and hope it clears the broken bolt (now a stud...). Then grips or a welded on nut will get it out. Don't #~@ about with it and make things worse.

Yeah. Leaving it now is definitely the sensible option. I was clutching a straws for an alternative as it is bugging me a bit.

Access is awful, so the only time it might make sense would be if the engine and gearbox were out - which hopefully isn't going to happen any time soon.

As to why the extractor snapped - I guess the tool was crap. It wasn't as though I put much effort into it.

Lastly, the reason the head came off in the first place was pretty severe corrosion just under the head of the bolt. It has eaten away at the top of the thread.

Thanks for the comments.

Don't use those LH thread extractors, they expand the stud, they are pot hard, and generally junk. What I do is drill to take a knocked in Torx bit, which are tough, but not pot hard, and if the hole is the right size, tapping one in doesn't expand the broken part in its hole too much. You might sacrifice a Torx bit, but even top quality ones are not dear, but you can often get them out undamaged to live again. The only way you will get one of those LH extractors out is by spark erosion.

well... it's out. What a pain in the ass! I have spent so much time on this and used (and broken) so many tools, I can barely bring myself the think about it. Suffice it say that a Dremel type drill with a small stone grinding bit allowed me to remove the hardened tools that broke off in the bolt. I have no idea how I would have done it without. I also have no idea how that damned thing resisted all that I threw at it. In the end it had to be drilled, ground, filed and cut into oblivion.

Good work buddy I also removed a snapped extractor with the help of a dremel once too, but i used a carbide bit (or two). Sorry i didn't see this thread at the time or i would have put forward the suggestion. I remember it being a PITA job for me as well:swear: