How to remove broken long allen screw from clutch case cover

[vagabond]

I am still in my initial months of maintenance and accidentally over-torqued one of the long allen screws after replacing the clutch case gasket last week. The screw broke off at the thread, which wouldn't be an issue if it were more accessible. Because it's a long screw, it's recessed at least 3 inches from the opening of the screw hole to the threads. Unless I never want to access the clutch case again and oil pump is never ever has to be adjusted, I want to get this out as soon as possible and replace with a new set of screws.

I hear that Easy Out is a way to go, but I'm concerned both that it won't reach through the 2.5-3 inch hole and that, because of this distance, it will affect my accuracy in drilling straight into the screw to remove it. I've talked to a speciality screw-removal service but they won't work on it unless they're working directly from the thread level.

I'm kind of freaking out here...does anyone have any suggestions? Will Easy Out work safely?

 

[xjwmx]

So the break is about 3" down inside the hole? That's sticky. There's a machine called a bolt disintegrator that might work.

I wonder if you can get to the backside of the screw from inside the case.

If you set up a drill press, the hole would be accurate enough. You could weld an easy out to the end of a steel bar to make it longer. I would try to get hard steel so it wouldn't flex (twist). I'd use a high quality easy out, since the cheap ones are supposedly more prone to breaking off. It might be useful to have a specialty drill bit that turns counter-clockwise, to help nudge it.

If you just need to ride it, another thing to try might be to leave it alone and use a lot of sealer between the nearest good screws.

 

[vagabond]

So the Easy Out drill bits are too short--would the welding be strong enough to support the extension?

How do you think I'd be able to get to the screw from the inside of the case. Luckily (or unfortunately), the case is on pretty tightly.

I was thinking of alternative ways to get the cover off...but it seems as if the kick start shaft would prevent me from removing all the screws and just twisting the whole case off. Can you think of any other way around this?

It's looking like I might just have to weld an easy out to a steel rod and go at it that way...

 

[xjwmx]

The easy out length, they might make long ones, I don't know. They probably do.

I don't see how this is preventing you from getting the cover off, so I might misunderstand what has happened.

 

[5twins]

Take the cover off so you can access the broken screw better.

 

[vagabond]

The screw's still in there, but I, in my greenness, didn't realize that the threads are only on the seating of the clutch case itself, and not on the cover too. I had mistakenly thought that there were threads on both and that the screw was keeping them together. BUT...of course now I realize that it's not as bad as I thought... feeling kind of stupid but I'll take stupidity over an unfixable broken screw any day.

Thanks for humoring my anxieties.

 

[xjwmx]

If the screw was broken 3" inside, it would be broken below the cover, even if the cover was threaded... You sound relieved - so how far in is is broken?

 

[gggGary]

He is good either way. If it is sticking out, vice grips, done. If it isn't he can drill it using the cover and a chunk of copper tube as a centering guide, no big deal. Rather be doing something else but this rates a fairly easy on the fuckedness of life scale.

 

[vagabond]

Just below the top of the screw threads. I haven't had time to take off the cover to check it out, but I'm guessing the part that broke off is more or less flush with the screw hole. Hopefully I'll find later that there's something to grab onto with pliers so I can back it out without the need for Easy Out or anything like that...

 

[xjwmx]

Rather be doing something else but this rates a fairly easy on the fuckedness of life scale.

I'd put easy out high on the scale of fuckedness, real close to broken easy out.

 

[xjwmx]

Especially if the bolt breaker is also the easy outer.

 

[blackbetty]

I never have good success using ez outs!

These machines are old and full of phillips head screws. I have found that stripped fasteners are all most easily removed with the drill.

This weekend the left side rotor plate on my front hub had all 3 screws strip! I had to drill out all three, but after I did that, they came out easy.

 

[jayel]

He is good either way. If it is sticking out, vice grips, done. If it isn't he can drill it using the cover and a chunk of copper tube as a centering guide, no big deal. Rather be doing something else but this rates a fairly easy on the fuckedness of life scale.

use a left hand twist drill usually backs the screw out before cutting to deep

 

[vagabond]

I removed the RH cover tonight and got the broken screw out with a vice grip! No gambling with Easy Out necessary...

 

[xjwmx]

gggGary had a giant box full of replacement ones over by the woodpile.

 

[Purplezinger]

Industrial supply houses and some hardware stores have left hand drills. This is most likely the easiest way to fix it. If you can't locate the drill locally, go to McMaster-Carr on the web. They have them.