Brian I have a Mac set of those I think they are all the same whomever builds them. They work but they are not a sure thing either. It is important to drill the correct size hole for that extractor. I actually just had one warantied as I broke one a few weeks ago.

The problem for me with bolt extractors is that when you break one in the stuck bolt you're SOL. Now you have a piece of hardened tool steel stuck in the bolt that you now need to drill out. Now you have to go spend a bunch of money on a cobalt steel or carbide drill bit or two or three. I read once that bolt extractors aren't meant to remove corroded bolts but are meant to remove bolts that the head sheared off of. Dunno about that but I have had very limited success with bolt extractors.

Well I will see what happens....I do appreciate all the comments and advice. :)

I have been getting out broken bolts in coal mine equipment for 30 yrs, for me the best is drill, heat and easy out, then spray liquid wrench on the bolt as you turn, and with it beeing aluminum it whould be easy as you can expand the hole area and then shrink the bolt with the spray as you turn.


every now and then you have to drill out to the threads and pick out the left over.


I have tried everything that has been mentioned and it all has worked at one time or another, but my first try is always drill and easyout.

So do you use the name brand easyouts, or just a generic unit in that style? Do you drill the broken bolt hole as large as you can so you can use the largest easyout?

I have been over thinking this and now I am super paranoid about breaking off an extractor, or stripping the hole and it not coming out.[redface]

Was thinking of all in this tread the last couple of days, as I have had 1 small 8-32 hex bolt strip out at the hex, and while changing out the atf on my Ford Powerstroke, the hex head drain plug on the mag hytec pan stripped out. Mag hytec use to use a 3/16” Allen on their plugs, but now have gone big to 8 mm.

On the small head of the 8-32 bolt I took a scratch awl, with the point freshly grinder to a fine point, and hammer tapped that point into the head and spun it out.

On the drain plug, I drilled two holes into the plug about 3/8” from each other, just big enough and deep enough to get the points of a needle nose plier in the holes, then took a crescent wrench and latched onto the needle nose and spun the plug out. Home made spanner tool.

Those Irwin brand nut driver easy outs have never let me down. Have you tried those?

I have not tried anything as of yet, bought and returned a couple extractors, then bought some different ones and now considering return those and buying another set....I'm just OCD-ing on this I think. ;)

What style of Irwin easy outs Augie, Can you post a pic?

1stgenfarmboy...what style of easy out do you use...pic as well please. ;)

Just use a good brand easyout, " mine are proto " just your regular long flute " if you drill the hole to big when the easyout starts to bite in it will expand the bolt and not come out, about 1/2 the diameter of the bolt is what i do first, with it beeing aluminum you can heat up the entire area and it shoud come out fairly easy, spraying some kind of lube " pb blaster " 'WD40" while you turn is key because it will shrink the broken bolt, try to spray directly on the hole so it goes down in it.



I usually try to center punch it so I get the hole pretty close to center "if" i need to drill it all the way out.

the bad thing about trying to weld a nut on it is, if it don't work you have made the broken part so hard you can't drill it.

These nut driver type, TCows. Most auto parts stores carry them. To the left of the nut driver type are the socket type, which work well also.
If yours is a sheared off stud within a threaded port, then these won’t work

Hey T.C.

This is what the diesel mechanic I know uses for such issues. These burring bits allow you to grind out the bolt center, then pick out the threads. sometimes you can get the bolt to unscrew if enough of the center is removed.

https://store.snapon.com/Carbide-Bur...--P646332.aspx

I've seen him work miracles with them, and get bolts out of engine blocks and such that I didn't think was possible to do.

Another trick I've heard a couple old timers swear by is to heat up the area around the bolt and dab wax onto it when it is good and hot. Wax sucks in by capillary action and lubricates the stuck bolt. I've had some success with this method.

I've also found that a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF works better as a penetrant than any hardware store spray (wd40, liquid wrench, PB, etc.). The only commercial product that I've found that works as well is a product called Free-All.

Um, I don't know if we can still be friends? [laugh]

If you break off the tap while trying to rethread a damaged hole, you can remove the broken tap using a broken tap extractor, it fits into the flutes and spins it out backwards.

You might also be able to remove the bolt chemically using nitric acid.

But be very careful, nitric acid will dissolve the bolt like melting butter.
You can Google this procedure.

BTW a good Dremel tool with a carbide burr works better than a drill motor to center drill the bolt
Jim