Broken bolt on power steering pump bracket

[Jetta Fan]

Ok, noticed my PS belt has been squeeling a bit when turning (even when it's not raining) so I crawled under to tighten the belt up. That's when I noticed that one of the bolts that holds the bracket on was broken off in the block. Not sure how it happened. Might have something to do with the critter I hit the other morning.

Anyway, I know I have to try to drill the old bolt out and re-twp the hole to install a new bolt. Anyone have any tips to offer on this?

I've had mixed success with drilling out bolts, especially if they are hardened. I have the belt as tight as the adjuster will allow and still getting some slippage. And with winter coming, I'd like to have PS when I am travelling on slippery roads.

[Toolbox]

If there is a little bit of the bolt still hanging out (1/8 inch or more) you may try welding a piece of metal to it like a lever and try turning it out that way.

Here's how-

Get a washer that fits perfectly around the stub of the bolt
Put the washer on and tack it with an arc welder -when it cools weld it the rest of the way
Weld a 5-6 inch piece of metal to the washer

You've basically just created the head of the bolt and the wrench to take it out. If you don't have the tools to do this then go to a machine shop. They see this kind of thing all the time and can probably fix it in a matter of minutes.

[burn_your_money]

Weld a 5-6 inch piece of metal to the washer

Just make sure you have enough clearance to turn it. It'd be a pain to have to grind it off. If there is enough threads you could put a nut on and weld the nut to the remander of the bolt

[Jetta Fan]

Thanks for the tips guys, but unfortunately this one broke off pretty much flush.  

[burn_your_money]

Is there anything sticking out on the other end of it?

[clbanman]

If it's flush that's really not that much of a problem.  As burn your money said, put a nut over the end of the bolt, and weld the inside to the bolt. As long as the end of the bolt isn't recessed, it should work fine. I've done a few engine mount bolts like this. The real pain is if it's directly overhead.  An added bonus is that the heat usually helps free the bolt if it's partially seized. Just let it cool before turning.

[Jetta Fan]

Is there anything sticking out on the other end of it?

I'm not sure....haven't been able to have a really good look at it. It is the bolt that is at the front of the engine.

Thanks clbanman....I didn't think I could weld to it if it was flush. Never thought of doing a weld inside the nut.

[Toolbox]

If the bolt is even a little recessed I wouldn't recommend hitting it with a welder. Maybe in the wide open where you had a perfect view of what's going on but that's not going to be the case here. You should also only use a bolt when you can thread it on a little bit. Keep in mind after you put the nut on you've still got to get a rod down into the bolt to tack it there which takes a fair amount of skill. If you have to hold the nut while welding your chances screwing up are pretty good and if you weld that bolt in you'll be drilling for sure. Thats why you use a washer on the stub thats almost flush. That way you're looking directly at what your doing. You can see the stub in the center of the washer and then tack it. You can also get a better idea of just how recessed the bolt is. If the center of the washer won't catch on the bolt it's too recessed to weld.

Your best bet is to look at the back side of the bolt like Burn_Your_$  said. If you can turn it out a little from the back you greatly increase your chances of success. If you manage to turn it out just enough to turn a nut on there you're 100% better off. If you can't turn it out, put the washer around the bolt just like you would the nut and weld it to the inside of the washer - just like you would the with the nut.

If you're not that experienced with a welder then seriously take it to a machine shop. If you miss even by a little you're going to be drilling....and drilling sucks.

[Jetta Fan]

Alright, had a look at things last night....definitely drilling. It is broke off up inside the hole about 1/8". Can't easily access the other side to see if I can twist it out a bit to weld a nut to it.

On the plus side, it's not a very big bolt and I can easily gauge the size bit to use by the hole and access is good too. I'll drill it out to basically the size of the existing hole and the tap it.

Like Toolbox said, drilling is no fun.

[burn_your_money]

Good luck, I've never had much luck with drilling.

[Jetta Fan]

Neither have I, but I have to do something. Dang belt slips when it's wet and winter is coming with lots of wet, slushy roads.

[burn_your_money]

Maybe drill a small hole in it and then try and use one of those screw extractor things for when the screw is stripped. It's unlikely it'll work but if you soak the bolt and heat it you might get lucky

[LeeG]

You guys need to work on some old salt water outboard motors so you can practice drilling broken bolts.  :lol:

tips:
If it broke from shear or overtourque, the piece may be loose in there so
try to spin it out with something pointy.

You only get one chance to drill a centered and straight hole.  

You cant drill it if you cant see it.

Center punch very carefully.

Figure out how you will drill straight and not at an angle, sometimes putting a long bolt in adjacent hole will give you a reference to keep aligned with, sometimes you can clamp on a magnetic square or rig up  bent welding rods as guides.  

Only use sharp bits.  Use a real drill that can spin the bit at a reasonable speed (no cordless drills here!)  Keep the wd-40 handy and lube the bit often once you get going.   You DONT want to temper the bolt!  If you havent drilled metal much, practice on something to get a feel for speed and pressure needed.

Start with a smaller drill bit but not so small that you can break it off too easy.  You dont want a broken piece of tool steel in there to deal with!  maybe 1/8" or 3/16"

Drill it out progressivly bigger until you have  a hole 1/2 to 2/3 the bolt diameter.  Now try to extract it, I often use the tapered tang end of a old file which has been ground to sharp corners (the tang end is usually annealed so it is less brittle)  Tap it in a try to turn it.  Dont break it off.

If that doesnt work, get a proper e-z out / screw extractor.  Drill out to use the biggest (strongest!) you can.

Still can't get it, keep drilling bigger until just a thin shell is left, it will eventually come out or you will have drilled it out to a size you can retap.

Before you try to retap, carefully inspect the hole to make sure there are not some left over bolt threads still in the side wall...Those suckers can shift around in front of the tap and jam the tap but good.  And you dont want a broken tap in the hole!

It isnt much fun, but it can be done with patience and a few basic tools.

[Jetta Fan]

You mean I need patience to do this? Dang, that's one tol I don't have.  :lol:

Thanks for the tips Lee.

b_y_m, I thought of the screw extractor things, but I figure it broke because it was rustind in there and would not turn.

[Doug]

Get yourself some cobalt alloy drill bits before you start. A little bit more money but they work. Stay away from all that cheap titanium nitride coated junk that pours out of the orient these days.