[EricH]

I have an Exige-S...

Well, I feel like I loosened and tightened about 25,000 bolts today just to work on the exhaust (I also used the opportunity to install Alex's 1/4 turn kit for the diffuser :up. Out of ALL the bolts, I could have ruined ANY of them and it would not have mattered.... except for 2. Guess which one broke?

The passenger side bolt that holds the cat pipe to the header collector sheered off about 4 threads from the stop. This is one of the two bolts that also has the spring on it.

So, I understand the basics of getting out a broken bolt. The problem is the location. I can't get the correct angle with my cordless drill to drill it out. Would a 90deg angle drill work? I don't see how but maybe one of you have tried it? There is barely 1 thread worth of bolt sticking out of the collector.


Any suggestions? I just put the car back together in prep to perhaps drive it to a shop to fix it.. I hope I can just granny drive so the engine does not torque and open the connection... right now it is only being held together by the bolt on the driver's side.

This blows. That bolt didn't take much before it sheered. I drilled on the peice that I had just to test if I could even drill through it.. it is pretty soft. I didn't know what to do so I placed an order from Lotus for a new bolt. I don't know where else I could get one (or a better one).


Oh yeah, while I have your attention.. I noticed the diffuser looked like it had exhaust burn/soot on the driver's side. Turns out it was from a hole that seems to be drilled in the muffler. I am guessing it is to help drain moisture or something but I thought it was strange. Everyone have this pin-hole in their stock muffler?

 

[ZAMMY1]

i got my new bolts at the local toyota dealer. he had them in stock!
antisieze and antisieze! how about a pair of visegrips?
i was in there recently but forget just how much room there is, as well as mine's an elise.
the bolts looked like they were defective when i removed them, but the new ones looked identical.
good luck, sam

 

[EricH]

thanks, there is barely one thread worth of bolt sticking out of the collector. Not enough to grab a hold of with anything.. and not enough to weld a nut on so it can be turned out.

 

[apk919]

Oh yeah, while I have your attention.. I noticed the diffuser looked like it had exhaust burn/soot on the driver's side. Turns out it was from a hole that seems to be drilled in the muffler. I am guessing it is to help drain moisture or something but I thought it was strange. Everyone have this pin-hole in their stock muffler?

Yes, I have the same pinhole in the muffler... and I think you're right... it's to drain moisture.

 

[Brent Bauman]

take the header off the car and you might get to it from the other direction.

 

[EricH]

Ouch.. if the header is 1/2 of a pita as the full exhaust was.. then.. ouf. I am still holding out for a way to do it while all is installed. Maybe I am wishful thinking. Am I the only one lucky enough to break this bolt? They are pretty soft, I would be suprised if I was the only one.

 

[EastCityBoy]

I don't know if this will help because I am looking at an elise with the rear clam off, but FWIW...If you can take the heat shield off the header you should be able to grab the other end of the bolt with vise grips and turn it out. I am not sure if this will work in an Exige with the clam on though... my $.02

 

[EricH]

Humm, I will give the heat shield another look. I probably won't have time to mess with it until next weekend. Another idea I had was use a Dremel tool with "bendy snake" and a drillbit adapter to try and drill it straight on, then manually try to wrench a backout bit in and out. I am not sure the Dremel/snake will be strong enough to drill in the bolt.. I will try it first with the 1/2 of the bolt I have that is not stuck in the car. Thanks all for the ideas, please keep them coming!

 

[ZAMMY1]

i was speaking of using the visegrips to hold the joint together as a temp solution...while driving it to another location.
sam

 

[xtn]

Eric,

If you can get it drilled enough for an extractor to bite in, be sure to liberally apply some Kroil to the threads. This will significantly reduce the amount of torque necessary to turn the blasted thing.

xtn

 

[codymac]

Sounds like the car is telling you to upgrade. Yup, I can hear the faint cry of "please give me a new header" all the way over here.

 

[tesprit]

Eric,

If you can get it drilled enough for an extractor to bite in, be sure to liberally apply some Kroil to the threads. This will significantly reduce the amount of torque necessary to turn the blasted thing.

xtn

And, if it is possible without burning up the car, heat the broken bolt stub with a torch (oxy-acetylene preferred) or you will probably just break off the extractor at which point you will be totally screwed (no pun intended ) and have to remove the manifold to extract the bolt.

 

[apk919]

Eric,

If you can get it drilled enough for an extractor to bite in, be sure to liberally apply some Kroil to the threads. This will significantly reduce the amount of torque necessary to turn the blasted thing.

xtn

+1

I haven't used Kroil, but a good penetrating oil does wonders for releasing seized threads... (and I don't mean WD-40)

 

[RacyTracy]

And, if it is possible without burning up the car, heat the broken bolt stub with a torch (oxy-acetylene preferred) or you will probably just break off the extractor at which point you will be totally screwed (no pun intended ) and have to remove the manifold to extract the bolt.

If you've been quite generous using penatrating oil, is it still OK to use a torch?

 

[tesprit]

If you've been quite generous using penatrating oil, is it still OK to use a torch?

Absolutely! You just have to make sure there is nothing around that can catch on fire and have a fire extiguisher handy just in case (a soaking wet large rag to throw on anything that starts smoking is good to have too). The penetrating oil will start the loosening process and when it burns off with use of the torch, it seems to work even better. The penetrating oil also allows you to use a lot less heat so you can get the torch out of there before anything starts burning. I have removed bolts so rusty that you couldn't see any threads or any flats on the nuts using this method and a pair of vise-grips or an extractor. It is best to do any heating like this with an assistant watching to immediately put out any fire you might start.

 

[codymac]

If you've been quite generous using penatrating oil, is it still OK to use a torch?

Ditto what tesprit said. You'd be surprised how quickly a torch burns off penetrating oil. I keep a MAPP bottle in the garage for these uses (you can find them anywhere plumbing supplies are sold).

 

[choi0706]

those bolts aren't cheap..

i'd try to use a bolt extractor bit, and lots of spray lube..

 

[ZAMMY1]

seems to me the bolts were ~$8 at the toyota dealer....
my take-outs are available...sam

 

[EricH]

Sounds like the car is telling you to upgrade. Yup, I can hear the faint cry of "please give me a new header" all the way over here.

Ha! If it did not require me to fly Charlie out here it would have already happened.

 

[EricH]

those bolts aren't cheap..

seems to me the bolts were ~$8 at the toyota dealer....

Well crap. I think the bolt was almost $30 from the dealer (it is ordered but I'll be lucky to get it by Friday)... of course... I never even thought of Toyota. Lesson learned. I might hit the Toyota dealer tomorrow. Thanks Zammy!