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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Should've left well enough alone
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Message started by EJID on 09/11/10 at 23:05:09

Title: Should've left well enough alone
Post by EJID on 09/11/10 at 23:05:09

After checking the valves today I decided to go through and check lots of other stuff just to make sure they were all good.

Used a candle to find that I did have a small exhaust leak, but exhaust was a little warm to try and fix that right now.

I dug through the box of extra parts that the PO had taken off when he bobberized the bike before I had it and found the lower belt guard and matching bolts to put it on. Took off the front pulley cover and attached the lower belt cover. Things are looking good :)

Put on the pulley cover and cinche down the first two screws, but when I went to get the third one towards the rear I heard a POP :( sure enough the bolt snapped. Pull the other two out to see how bad it is, and it's snapped almost flush, only showing one thread or so.

This all happened when I was just putting things back together at 11:30 so I think I will look at it in the morning and see how good I am with an extractor set :-? If that doesn't work I guess I will have to try and go get a set of reverse drill bits and try that too.

First one of these soft bolts that I've snapped so far (boogered up the head on a few, but never snapped one) :-[

Title: Re: Should've left well enough alone
Post by Wolfman on 09/12/10 at 01:37:39

If you've got a dremel tool and have enough left sticking out you can cut a grove, try that and removeing with a reg screw driver first.
Worst case you got to go ahead and drill it and use an extractor.
Bad thing about soft bolts is besides breaking off the head they like to let extractors eat a nice round hole in the center.
Spray it down with some breakfree before trying to remove as well.

Title: Re: Should've left well enough alone
Post by Phelonius on 09/12/10 at 07:08:49

The other perverse thing about extractors is that as they take a bite, they try to expand the bolt they are in causing more friction.
If you still have an optional method, use it first.

Phelonius

Title: Re: Should've left well enough alone
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/12/10 at 07:32:12

Ifsaid screw is stuck in a pillar, Id be willing to lower the shoulder of the pillar a ways to get hold of the screw. It can be built back up easy enough, JB weld & awasher or 2 would handle it, since what is mounted there is no big deal really.

Title: Re: Should've left well enough alone
Post by Charon on 09/12/10 at 08:46:38

The bad thing about "soft bolts" is that they break. The good thing is that they usually break instead of stripping out the hole into which they are screwed.

From your description, the bolt broke off with a thread showing. Odds are it didn't hit bottom in the hole, but broke from being stretched (literally pulled apart). Once it broke, there should be no tension holding the remainder in the hole. You may be able to use a tweezer or a pick and gently unscrew the remainder, using only patience and maybe some Liquid Wrench or equivalent.

By the way, if the bolt hit bottom in the hole, it is the wrong bolt or something such as a spacer or washer is missing. A bolt that hits bottom cannot apply the proper pressure to the part it is holding, so in effect is never properly tightened.

Title: Re: Should've left well enough alone
Post by Routy on 09/12/10 at 09:15:18

Quote:
Once it broke, there should be no tension holding the remainder in the hole.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CORRECT !
Few too many people realize this !

On the other hand, if that same bolt was turning hard before the head made contact, you are in a world of hurt ! (meaning drill/Extractor)

Title: Re: Should've left well enough alone
Post by EJID on 09/12/10 at 09:31:57

First the bolt in question is the bolt holding the front pulley cover on and is closest to the swingarm. When I pulled the 3 bolts out this one seemed to have a slight bit more resistance, but putting it back in I think it went smoothly.

I will go back out later today and see if I can grab what is left of it with needle nose pliers, otherwise I will have to use the screw extractor since I don't have a dremel.

Thanks for all the additional ideas though.

Title: Re: Should've left well enough alone
Post by EJID on 09/12/10 at 13:06:31

Bad news, the bolt wouldn't come back out :(

I got to looking at the schematic and notice, NOW, that all three bolts have different length spacers. I did not notice that when I took them off.

For future reference the shortest spacer goes on the bolt on the bottom, the medium on the top, and the longest spacer goes on the one closest to the swingarm.

I believe I mixed them up and put a shorter spacer on the bolt in question and it bottomed out, so it got stuck and snapped with very little effort.

I tried to grab the 1 thread left with pliers and it just pulled off. Next I tried the screw extractor, but it still did not budge. Ended up drilling it out and trying to rethread the hole with a slightly different sized tap/die but I didn't have any luck with that either. :-[