Argh!! Bolt snapped and left a piece inside the block!!

[mach schnell]

I had a bolt snap off today and leave it's lower half left inside the threaded hole in the block.

There's nothing to grip - the bolt snapped off about a millimeter inside the block.

How do I get it out?!?!?!

[brian90]

There are bits that you can buy that you can drill a small hole into the center of the bolt and then you switch bits and it's a left hand drill bit that pulls it out. It's really not that big of a deal just go to your local hardware store and it will be by the drill bit section.

[5KWattson]

easy outs, reverse thread drill bits with reverse thread extractors

[rpob5t]

did you break it because the bolt was siezed in the block? If so I'd aviod the easy out more than likely you'll just break the easy out off in the block and be left with a harded piece of metal in the block that's next to impossible to drill (ask me how I know). depending on what kind of bolt it is I'd start drilling out the center with progressively larger bits and then try to break up the bolt with a punch (I've had luck with this on broken exhaust manifold bolts on small block chevy's; heat helps here to so have a MAPP torch ready). Depending on how much damage you've done to the threads I'd clean them up with a tap or have a heli-coil/timesert ready (again depending on the type of bolt, if its a head bolt or some else critical I'd make sure the threads are strong and probably helicoil or timesert just for saftey; a bracket bolt I'd leave if it just cleaned up with a tap)

[mach schnell]

Ok this sounds like something I should have a shop do.

What should I expect to pay for a job like this?

Does the engine have to come out of the car to do it...?

[Chrisv006]

I went through the same exact problem with a motor mount arm bolt.

I just went and bought a whole bunch of cobalt drill bits of increasing size and drilled it out. Then I tapped the hole one size above the stock bolt size. For me it was a motor mount arm bolt, I just made the hole a little bigger in the mount arm and presto...about $40 and problem solved.

It is a pain though.

[mach schnell]

Do I have to find a specialty shop to do this for me?

Or can any basic shop do it?

What should I expect to pay?

[Farbin Kaiber]

Depends where the bolt is but expect 1-3 labor hours.

[SiGmA_X]

OP, what bolt was it?

[lateracer]

Just had a run of the mill machine shop extract a head stud that was broken off below the deck. It was an extra $20 (San Diego is usually pretty expensive for machine work), but I was also having the head freshened up and had removed it from the car.

Just a reference point.

[Farbin Kaiber]

I gotta tap out an exhaust bolt on a Nissan VG30DE this afternoon. I'm not excited, but at least it's on the easy bank of the engine.

[lateracer]

I gotta tap out an exhaust bolt on a Nissan VG30DE this afternoon. I'm not excited, but at least it's on the easy bank of the engine.

Everyone hates tapping out, especially when the cost is more than $50 or so, but I will say that when it does happen I usually hand over the $$ with a smile because I'm so happy it's over.

[SiGmA_X]

It really depends on what the fitting is that you're dealing with. I do most of my own bolt extraction, but I have paid for broken studs to be removed from a Chevy 350 intake manifold and a turbo exhaust housing stud. Thankfully, my machine shop charges $20 for pretty much any extraction you need.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Me too. I'm just without much to do, and I don't have to finish it on any schedule, so if I get annoyed, I'll leave it and come back the next morning.

[mach schnell]

How much room do you need to do this job?

Can you do it with the engine in the car? It's on the front side of the engine near the fan.