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Sooo... I screwed up... Need advice on bolt extraction and dealing with seized bolts

Smgbad

Member
Went to check out an overheat issue on my '86 Evinrude 150 yesterday and pulled both water jacketcovers and tried to pull both heads. I ended up breaking off 3 water jacket bolt heads in the starboard side head which will need extraction, and when I found 4 of the head bolts to be completely seized when removing the port side head, I started to just put them back where I found them and accidentaly snapped one off in the block from overtightening.

So now, I need to find a way to remove the 4 seized bolts and extract the one I broke so I can finish this project and finally get the boat on the water. I already tried plenty of rust-buster and tapping it with a hammer. One of the bolts is starting to round out at the head... Was thinking of dremmeling off the seized heads and then trying to extract the studs somehow.

Advice would be greatly appreciated as I have never dealt with this before. I would take it to a machine shop, but need to see if this is something I can handle first. Thx all!

Side note: the pistons on the starboard side looked great when I got the head off. Hoping it follows suit on port. I found the overheat issue after the fact... Some of the rtv I had used had smushed over and covered the two small t-stat water passages on that side making it impossible for water to flow through the passages. Also am replacing the water deflectors while I'm in there. Got the ones on the starboard side out and they were in horrible shape.
 
Get a good extractor set. And buy/borrow an acetylene torch setup. Heat the cylinder head around a bolt, one at a time, and remove. Prep the studs from the broken bolts in advance by center punching and drilling proper size hole for extractor.
 
Thx. I will try that next. Should I heat the bolts before using extractor? And the ones I do heat up with the torch, do I use a rachet and socket on them or? How long shold I keep heat on them... Just dont wanna risk warping the heads or block.
 
If the heads are still good, yes, socket and ratchet. Or impact gun. Don't heat the bolts, but the area directly around the bolts. You want the aluminum to expand slightly around the bolt. The ones that are broken, heat and then immediately insert the extractor. Tap it in gently to get a good bite and hope for the best.
If your welding skills are decent you could try welding nuts on the broken studs as well.
 
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Are the bolts sheared off flush with the block? If not soak them with PB-Blaster or Kroll and try with vice grips, work back and forth. If they are broken off flush do the same thing but get yourself some left handed drills. You have to drill the hole for the extractor anyway and with any luck the heat and vibration from the drill plus the penetrating oil will break the broken stud loose. I have seen it happen. A trick I heard recently but haven't tried is soaking cotton balls in the penetrating oil and leaving them over the areas that need it. Do not think you will spray penetrating oil on them and have them come out 30 seconds later.
 
Removing broken bolts is a learned SKILL. It's your motor and you can do as you please, but it is likely you will fail and more than likely you will mess up something $$$$ expensive. You will save money and maybe a motor by getting experienced help. Your choice.

BTW, there is no such thing as an Easy-Out. It ain't easy, and they won't get it out. If the bolt itself wasn't strong enough to come out without breaking, how can you expect a skinny, brittle easy out to do it?

I have removed many thousands of broken bolts over my career and every one was is a challenge. Bring me one with a broken easy out or thread tap, and I'll probably tell you something you don't want to hear.
 
Removing broken bolts is a learned SKILL. It's your motor and you can do as you please, but it is likely you will fail and more than likely you will mess up something $$$$ expensive. You will save money and maybe a motor by getting experienced help. Your choice.

BTW, there is no such thing as an Easy-Out. It ain't easy, and they won't get it out. If the bolt itself wasn't strong enough to come out without breaking, how can you expect a skinny, brittle easy out to do it?

I have removed many thousands of broken bolts over my career and every one was is a challenge. Bring me one with a broken easy out or thread tap, and I'll probably tell you something you don't want to hear.

Yeah. I really don't want to screw it up worse than I already have but I haven't found anyone locally who can work on it either. I was thinking of trying the heat / tapping / oil method to get the seized bolts unjammed. Was thinking of the extractor bits for the studs. In the meantime rest assured I am still looking for experienced help.
 
Think of all solutions carefully, i know alum can dissolve steel in aluminum I’m no scientist but watchmakers use it when taps or drill bits break in a case.

I recently drilled out a few exhaust cover studs, file them down flat, heat with map gas, penn oil, hit it with a hammer. Drilling studs is tough.

I know guys that made a bad move move and helicoil the head or tap it to a larger bolt. Where are you located, machine shops will help or auto mechanics if you can pay
 
Don't have any friends with an acetylene torch, but they do have mapp gas torches. Think that'll work as well?
MAPP will probably work but he sure to move around and not overheat a single spot. MAPP burns much hotter than propane and will heat the area pretty rapidly. I switched to MAPP years ago for soldering copper pipe because i got tired of holding propane torches on fittings for minutes on end waiting for them to get hot enough to melt the solder.
 
MAPP will probably work but he sure to move around and not overheat a single spot. MAPP burns much hotter than propane and will heat the area pretty rapidly. I switched to MAPP years ago for soldering copper pipe because i got tired of holding propane torches on fittings for minutes on end waiting for them to get hot enough to melt the solder.

this is correct, similiar to painting constantly move the flame. Aluminum can suddenly bubble if too hot. then damage is irreversible.
 
Since it'll be my first time and I dont want to risk overheating, I'll use my friend's Butane torch. I've tried watching some videos on this process, but none I've found show it on an outboard where the heat is going to have to get through the water jacket to the head. SO a few more quick questions just to clarify before I try anything. Is it better to heat the bolt itself or the area around it? Should you let it cool down before trying to turn it or whacking it with a hammer? Should you heat the bolt to red hot (afraid I'd warp the water jacket or head if I do that).

Also, would you guys trust this on the studs in lieu of welding if I cant find a welding machine? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...&pf_rd_p=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee
 
Aluminum expands at TWICE the rate of steel.-----So you heat the aluminum till it expands and looses its grip on the bolt !!!----The bolt obviously will heat up too.----But it does not grow as much.
 
Since it'll be my first time and I dont want to risk overheating, I'll use my friend's Butane torch. I've tried watching some videos on this process, but none I've found show it on an outboard where the heat is going to have to get through the water jacket to the head. SO a few more quick questions just to clarify before I try anything. Is it better to heat the bolt itself or the area around it? Should you let it cool down before trying to turn it or whacking it with a hammer? Should you heat the bolt to red hot (afraid I'd warp the water jacket or head if I do that).

Also, would you guys trust this on the studs in lieu of welding if I cant find a welding machine? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...&pf_rd_p=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee

I have never seen that tool. I can’t speak to it. If you are going to drill anything be sure to file the stud smooth, then you need a good center spot marked with a punch and hammer in middle of stud. It’s smart to practice, I came off center with punch and hit thread wall and chipped a piece once. I made an ad in local marketplace and found a guy doing side work. I wish you could post pictures that would help us all out
 
The yellow is the bolt that I broke off (appears to be nearly flush in the block if not poking out about 1/4"). The black ones wont turn AT ALL. Stripped the top ones edges, and put as much as I could on the others without risking stripping their heads.

IMG_20200920_121844177.jpg
 
The yellow is the bolt that I broke off (appears to be nearly flush in the block if not poking out about 1/4"). The black ones wont turn AT ALL. Stripped the top ones edges, and put as much as I could on the others without risking stripping their heads.

View attachment 25069


Where are you located? It appears vice grips may be able to grab a stud, but you are fighting corrosion in the threads
 
Bonus pics, for anyone who cares what the starboard side interiors look like...

I only found the one area I circles on the cyl walls. No idea what it is, but I'm thinking I should just leave it be.

IMG_20200920_135932339.jpgIMG_20200920_140026763.jpgIMG_20200920_140053198.jpg
 
I'm in Raleigh, NC.

Also worth noting, I'm going to be wire wheeling all the gasket material off, wiring each and every bolt, brushing the water passageways, and replacing all 6 deflectors. The deflectors I pulled from that open side were FAR past still being useful. I believe all I have to do is slide the new ones into where I pulled the old ones from. They were rotted and compressed and came out really easy with a pair of pliers and a small flathead.
 
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Looks like the clip for the wristpin is loose , broken or missing.-----A 6 cylinder motor will run with that damage.----It will be down on power.----Will run till it goes ---BOOM---on you.
 
That gouged cylinder is toast. You're wasting your time worrying about broken bolts, when you have fatal internal engine problems if not corrected. Could even be too late. That motor must be torn down and inspected/repaired.
 
I'll worry about any possible cyl damage I find once I've got the heads back on with new gaskets, unless the damage I find is really bad. That gouge is present, no doubt, but it's very shallow and the engine ran really good when still together, but had lower than normal compression due mainly to the horrible shape of the head gaskets. It had an overheat problem which prompted all of this (which turned out to be my stupid ass blocking the tiny t-stat ports by using way too much RTV so water couldn't flow to the cyl. So yeah, that shallow gouge may come back to be an issue later, but for now, I need to focus on finishing the head gasket replacement job.

I appreciate the help, and you are probably right... But for right now, unless there's physical metal shards or shavings present, I'm good on doing all that.
 
Good luck with it.-----We know that everybody works to different standards.---Everybody has a different understanding of " fine machinery " and different budgets come into it as well.
 
Smgbad, I respect your decision. It's your motor and you have the right to do whatever you think is best. But I would just like to be confident that you to understand that the wrist pin has come loose in that cylinder and will continue to drag and plow a deeper furrow. It's a matter of time till it becomes unrepairable. That's my opinion for whatever it is worth. Good luck.
 
Is it a fairly easy repair? Anything I can do that doesnt involve pulling the powerhead? Never dealt with wrist pins before, and these bolts are already making me learn whole new skill sets. Been working for a month fixing up this "water ready" boat I bought... Had WAY more going on with it than I was lead to believe. Nearly $8k and 30-40 hrs of work in and I was finally getting wind in my sails in the knowledge I'd be good to go once I get the heads are on and some lost compression is restored.
 
Not a simple job. You will wind up with about 3 boxes of parts. Powerhead has to be totally disassembled and at least one cylinder rebored and new piston. Additional work depending on inspection. Some techs will balk at just doing one cylinder.
 
Thx for the honest answer on that. Guess I'll ride it til I have to do them all, or buy a new motor and scrap this one. Assuming I can get the better of all these bolts... lol Gonna be a LONG weekend. My buddys are coming over to have an "Extraction Party" to see if we can know a few (if not all) of them out.
 
The motor ran on a hose.-----It did the " bark and roar " thing.----Since it ran there can not be much wrong with it !!-----As I get older I am observing that folks are really good at what they do day to day to earn a living.-----Common knowledge of motors seems to be going the way of the DODO.
 
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