Seized brake reservoir screws. Insights please ?

[BruKen]

easyout? aye aye aye, break one off and it's a bin job. Easyout's are not for siezed bolts. Tbh, I don't know what they're for. They're satan's spawn for sure. They invariably break off leaving you kicking your heels. Don't be tempted. Sorry Dan.

[Bixxer Bob]

 

In all my years of engineering the only time I've had success with an easyout was if the bolt head sheared off through being overtightened. Never once did they work when trying to remove something siezed without a lot of heat.   Ask yourself:  if the bolt / screw / stud is so badly seized that the head snaps off or rounds out, is a smaller piece of metal going to fare any better????

I've had to remove three seized engine studs recently and they all needed drilling out.  Although, just going off a t a tangent for a moment, I saw a video recently of a guy building up metal on the broken stud using a TIG welder until there was enough to weld a nut on.  Then it came out with a spanner.

Anyway to get back to your problem, when it happened to me, I took a 4mm drill, drilled carefully into the cross until the head came off.  Then removed the reservoir cover and then removed the remains with a pair of mole grips.  5 minutes to sort at the most.

[JayDub]

I took a 4mm drill, drilled carefully into the cross until the head came off.  Then removed the reservoir cover and then removed the remains with a pair of mole grips

with Bob - Thats the best option, but don't drill any deeper than necessary or the rest of the screw will collapse when you get the mole grips on it... put some masking tape on top of the mating face to help protect it too.

[ram33]

Hi Jay,

I didn't think I was after a drill bit like that. The ones you've given me the link to is very new to me.

So I'd initially drill a 5mm hole down the middle of the screw with a normal drill bit, then use one of these 'easy out' bits to reverse the screw out?

dont drill 5mm hole in a 5mm screw or you will have no thread left. use 4mm if you think you can hit the center, otherwise try 3mm first. if you mess it all up you can always helicoil it

[Danwarb]

And one more... if the heads are already chewed up, drill a 2mm hole just 1mm deep and about 3mm in from the edge of the screw, then tap gently using a center punch in the hole to back it out - works every time.

AH JAY !!!

This was AMAZING !! I got both chewed up screws out ! It's so good I bet I could get 10 of 10 screws back out with this trick !!

Brilliant !!

[threepot]

Thats some precision drilling there guy's! :icon_wink: And with a hand drill

[nickjtc]

Thats some precision drilling there guy's! :icon_wink: And with a hand drill

We ARE invincible............... in our own minds, anyway.