OT: How a 20min tire change took an hour

The winter ended so it was time to install summer tires - lugged them out of the basement and started. I had removed-installed all but the last tire. I went to remove the 2nd stud and ping... the damn thing sheared.

So I took blocked the car more ( I don't like working near a car that isn't blocked well ) and removed the wheel. I needed to pull the rotor to get down to the sheared stud, which meant pulling the caliper and the caliper holding bracket. I think without the sheared bolt the rotor would have come out without taking the caliper holder off.

So with the rotor off I hit the stud with some penetrating oil and cleaned the rest of the parts. I hit it again with the oil and dug out my extractors. The extractors if you haven't used them are really handy. They look on the outside a bit like a socket but with a twist and sharp edges. Turning the extractor 'lefty-loosie' bites into the sheared bolt and with enough muscle turns the bolt out.

So I bring out my trusty torch apply some heat around the bolt (not to the bolt)... I give it another squirt of penetrating oil, grab my long breaker bar and pray.

With as masculine a grunt as I could muster ( I am just over 6' and not considered skinny ) the bolt turned out smoothly... I couldn't beleive it. The extractor worked... now I have alot of hope and not so much faith in extractors... it's a big releif when they work! If it didn't work I'd have to have removed the whole assemble and taking it somewhere that had more heat and more muscle or brough a new rotating assembly!

Longer than nessisary off topic post - but I am here to proclaim victory over Front Right stud number 2.

Cheers,
woot.

 

I don't own a set like yours Woot but I am familiar with them. I love my reverse twist drill bits, they have saved me countless times (great re-enforcement to use anti-seize). Glad your stud lost the battle, I had a similar experience with my truck and I had to take the whole bloody thing in to the machine shop to have a new stud swaged in. Ruddy annoying. A whole day lost to a snapped stud. Grrrr...

 

I was really lucky - to have only wasted 40 minutes is pretty amazing... well considering I'm not a hghly qualified wrencher!

My dad snapped one on his car - had to take it to the shop to have it re-done as well. Pricey and takes a long time...

 

I have a set of the ones your talking about, and they work pretty good.
But I would have to agree that you were lucky. Because any time I have ever heated a bolt and then inserted a easyout it snapped right off. They do not like the heat.

 

I heated around the bolt -- as little on the bolt as possible. Didn't really want to get into drilling it and rethreading

 

Used a mini one of those extractor thingys on my XJ carb boot bolt that ever so easily snapped...Just two days ago. Worked perfect...worth their investment I'd say.
Besides, I thought I'd incorporate the thread to keep us all in focus of our love of XJs.
Your story really hits home though Woot

Jeff

 

I know this is a late reply, but better late then never . If your going to be doing some work on your older equipment then a good set of extractors is a sound investment. For at home use a $50 set of extractors will be more then enough for most people. As a mechanic I have well over $500 invested in extractors of all shapes and sizes. I'd spend that money again in a heart beat, and im always looking for new styles to get. Left handed drill bits are also a wonderful thing.

Just a note on trying to remove a broken off fastner. Only use heat as a final measure. If you heat a broken fastner, you also harden it. That's why extractors break off so easily in metal that's been heated. Trust me, you don't want to try to drill out a broken extractor. If you think regular hardened steel is a pain to drill... Speaking of drilling, go nice and slowly with lots of oil to keep it cool. Drill to fast and you'll just end up with a useless drill bit and a hardend fastner and a heck of a temper.. do it to many time and you might end up with a drinking problem