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Working as a mechanic for the last couple of years, i’ve come across more broken bolts than i want to think about and had to try to extract them. Some worked out ok, some not so much. I’ve used a bunch of different extractors like the spiral flute extractors to the multi-spline extractors. to me, the multi-spline worked the best. Ive seen the spirals break pretty often taking away any hope of removing the stuck bolt. im mostly curious and want to know what everyone else thinks about different types of extractors, which types work best, strategies, best brands ect.
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I’ve always found that its better to have an arsenal of different types. I have fluted, rigid, spline and left hand drill bits. The drill bits are usually my go to.
i always start with a left hand bit, some times i would get lucky enough for the bit to catch and walk the broken bolt out but others i have to reach for an extractor. if that’s the case, my go to set is one from snap-on, http://store.snapon.com/Combination-Extractor-Sets-Extractor-Set-20-pcs–P630634.aspx . it works pretty well. never had one break yet. the best technique i’ve come up with so far is using a pencil grinder to grind away the top few rusty threads from the hole, hit it with some fluid, drill it and if it doesn’t come out with the bit, i reach for that snap on set. seems to be an ok process.
One of my favorite strategies only works if the broken fastener still has some exposed threads and is not broken off flush or below a surface. What i’ll do is find the same size nut and weld it onto the end of the broken bolt. Then use a wrench to loosen it. When you weld the nut on, the heat created usually breaks up some of the corrosion
Ive used that method before too. thats always my go-to method if part of the bolt is still sticking up. i’ve even used that method if the bolt breaks off flush. i just set the nut over the broken stud and fill in the hole with wire. Unfortunately, most of the time (for me at least) the bolt breaks off inside the hole which is when i have to use surgical precision the extract it without doing more damage.
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