Message text written by Steven Newell
>I'll need to remove two bolts broken off in the block of my old Volvo,
and would appreciate any recommendations or advice from those of you who
have gone before. I've removed broken bolts before by cutting a slot for
a screwdriver but these are both a thread or two deep into the block.
What else works? What doesn't?
For the rest of the story, I recently had reason to pushstart my '66
Volvo 122S wagon, and the Big Lurch caused the motor to part with the
body on one side. Turns out the motor mount didn't break although it is
old looking; instead the bracket on the block -- which attaches to the
mount, thus to the body -- broke loose. Appears that the top of three
bolts holding the bracket to the block was missing for a quite a while
based on carbon dating of the grease in that hole, and I then broke off
the bottom two bolts in the block. I have a pretty clear shot at the
spot with about 6" of space in front of the broken bolts.
<
Seems to me that if you got by on two bolts for eons, replacing the other
three should suffice.(?)
But if you want to do it right (what a concept!) I would start with a good
long soak in a good penetrating oil. Something along the lines of PB
Blaster. In fact, if you have to drive the car you could bolt the mount
on with the three while the other two soak. Spray them every day over
several days. If there is an amount of shaft protruding try to grab it
with a pair of locking pliers (ViceGrip(R) or eq) and turn it. If nothing
protrudes you will have to drill it for an extractor.
The trick is to drill as big a hole as you can get away with which means
you have to be very careful to start you r first hole in the center of the
bolt. This can be quite tricky especially if the bolt broke off leaving a
ragged end. Check the depth of the other holes and drill the bolt to that
depth. Removing the center of the bolt will relieve some of the pressure
on the threads which will aid in removal.
Good luck.
Dave
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