ok, this isnt on my truck (thank goodness) but on my jeep. i went to remove the temp sensor and it snapped off flush with the head. the sensor was brass and the head is cast iron. i tried an easy out and it snapped right off (thankfully it was up high so i could get it out). before when a similiar situation happened, i chipped away the brass until i could get a screwdriver to back it out. this time, i couldnt make it work. becasue of the position its in, id prefer not to drill and retap it if at all avoidable. for the time being (since its my DD until i get my truck back ) i ran a bolt into the brass to plug the hole until i have time to mess with it. so...please....someone give me a miracle cure to get it out short of drilling and tapping!

thanks!

 

only thing i can think of is ALOT of heat and a better made easy out that wont break

 

I've always found that an easy out made the situation worse when brass is involved. It tends to push it out into the threads more. I always wind up drilling them and either peeling whats left of the thread out with pliers or using a punch to colapse whats left and pull it out.

 

That is the worst part about bi-metallic corrosion .... they tend to snap off at the worst possible spot, usually flush with the mating part.

Have you soaked it (drowned is a better word) with a penetrating fluid ? Maybe after a while it will loosen up enough to back out with another easy out.

If not, I would suggest that you carefully drill the center of the insert out with a large enough diameter drill bit that you come close to the threads without actually reaching them. Then, using a small needle file (triangle or half-round shape), start cutting a slot down to the roots of the threads, in effect cutting through the brass insert on one side. Once that is done, use a small chisel and hammer on one side of the slot, start peeling the brass insert towards it's center. Work your way around the insert and it should loosen up and pop out with a set of needle-nose pliers.

You will have a slight blemish to the cast threads in the area where you filed the slot but if you are careful and use a small enough file, the blemish will be small enough not to leak especially if you use teflon tape or a liguid thread sealant when you reinstall the new sensor.

When you can do this upside down under an extremely hot, wet and nasty boiler with sweat rolling in your eyes you will be ready to be a ships machinist !!

Good luck,
PISTOL

 

Buy a set of left hand drill bits, even the chinese ones works wonders. usually before you get threw it will unscrew. worth a try.

 

Presume that if you can install a bolt that the hole is large enough to use a hacksaw blade. It will take a bit of work, but cut two slots 180 degrees apart in the brass. Stop cutting as soon as you touch the cast. You can cut more slots if you want to. Once the slots are cut, then using a blunt chisel, aka as a screwdriver, push the brass pieces together to close the newly made slots. If you cut a bunch of slots then once you have pushed all the pieces together, the remaining brass should be able to be lifted out.
This process is a bit time consuming and can be hard on the hand if you do not have one of those special hacksaw blade handles, but it WILL work without damaging the cast. Any brass pieces falling into the engine will only be brass filings, so should not damage anything.