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Ever have one of those days....

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davidk

davidk

Jedi Trainee
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Bought a rebuilt head on eBay. Turned out it wouldn't work on my engine (milled too thin for 2.5). Decided to clean it up a little and sell it.

Port for heater valve had a cast plug in it. Decided to remove it to make it more appealing to sell.

Soaked it in PB Blaster for a week, then rounded off the top of the plug with various pipe wrenches. Decided to drill it out and back it out with an easy-out.

Broke the easy out off in the hole. Can't decide how to get the easy-out out.

Any suggestions?
 
Might try the candle trick.
 
Never had one of those days, at least that the doctors have allowed me to remember.
Look at a McMaster-Carr Catalog, they may carry a carbide drill that will cut an easy out. Be careful, as most carbide drills are solely recommended for use in drill presses. They are very hard and thus very brittle. EXTREME care must be taken with a hand drill as the slightest bind can cause breakage. Also, expect to pay more for a carbide bit than you ever thought possible for a drill bit. Do not buy a drill that is advertised as coated. They typically are garbage. Good drills are hardened the entire length of the bit, not just the tip.
To assist in the plug removal, there are thermal penetrants on the market that help with very stubborn fasteners and fittings. These freeze the fastener causing their contraction in size, allowing the lubricant to wick into the threads. Customers of mine have had excellent results using these penetrants.
They can be found at better auto parts stores. Heat applied directly on the plug followed by a non flammable penetrant or candle wax can also loosen things up.
Good luck!
 
Plasma cutters do a good job of cleaning busted taps and easy outs. I 've done that before.

The heat will then loosen up what's left
 
DougF said:
Also, expect to pay more for a carbide bit than you ever thought possible for a drill bit.
Click to expand...
OOh! Ow! Ouch! :cry:

Might be worth trying a cheap C2 masonry bit first
https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43694

C2 is not the best for this application, it will wear much quicker than the harder carbides. But it's cheap and might get you through once. Also not as brittle (so can be used in a hand drill, tho I'd much rather use a press). It can even be resharpened if you've got a grinder and a fine grit wheel.

Hmm, come to think of it, might be worth repointing it to run backwards. Who knows, it might grab the easy-out and back it out for you.
 
Guys, thanks for the input. I'll try a few of the suggestions above and let you know what happens.
 
Not and expert but I have been working over a 150 outboard Mercury boat motor. I have tried everything but wax and Iwould try that if I knew how. But to get the broken easy-out removed, I used small drills to drill holes around the broken easy-out. Removal of some of the material around the easyout allowed me to work it until it freed up. Even after freeing theeasy out I still could not get the bolt out so it was off to the expert anyway. There are "reverse" drill bits available too. They cut counterclock wise. Good luck.
 
Candle wax is just a matter of applying heat to the fastener until it's good and hot. Then dab the candle into the area. The wax will wick into the threads and providing lubrication to the problem area.
 
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