Snapped exhaust bolts on beta engine

[Crinan12]

Hi, I just snapped the head off an exhaust bolt on my beta engine. I actually felt it snapped off quite easily. The bolt moved a bit initially then snapped.

What should I do now? If one snapped easily I am guessing the rest will.

Do I remove the rest of the bolts (broken or otherwise) and try and drill out the old bolts? Or do I see if I can take the whole heat exchanger home and sort it there - I don't know how easy that is.

Is it okay to use the engine meantime ?

Thanks

 

[Aja]

At least before trying to remove any more bolts soak with Plusgas or other proprietary release fluid. This will give you a better chance of removing the remaining bolts intact.

You could continue to use the engine with the remaining three.

You would need to see how much space there is and there will be someone along shortly to advise on using Easyout or similar removers.

Sh1t happens. As they say.

 

[John_P]

The engine should be ok to use short term as long as the 3 remaining bolts are tight. The exhaust is bolted to the heat exchanger, it would be a lot easier to remove the heat exchanger and remove the remaining bolts on the bench. Go slowly undoing the bolts and if they bind working them back and forward until they are removed, use lots of penetrating fluid. Hopefully the broken bolt is proud then you can use vice grips to remove, alternatively you can weld a nut onto the stud. If the bolt has broken flush with the heat exchanger then the only alternative is to drill it out. Good luck.

 

[Boater Sam]

Looks to be snapped off flush unfortunately. Can you drill through and use a nut and bolt, if there is room on the manifold side?

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Looks to be snapped off flush unfortunately. Can you drill through and use a nut and bolt, if there is room on the manifold side?

No reason why not

 

[Crinan12]

The engine should be ok to use short term as long as the 3 remaining bolts are tight. The exhaust is bolted to the heat exchanger, it would be a lot easier to remove the heat exchanger and remove the remaining bolts on the bench. Go slowly undoing the bolts and if they bind working them back and forward until they are removed, use lots of penetrating fluid. Hopefully the broken bolt is proud then you can use vice grips to remove, alternatively you can weld a nut onto the stud. If the bolt has broken flush with the heat exchanger then the only alternative is to drill it out. Good luck.

Thanks- yeah I think I'll remove the whole heat exchanger and take it home and sort it. Hopefully i can remove the heat exchanger without breaking anything else!

 

[John_P]

Thanks- yeah I think I'll remove the whole heat exchanger and take it home and sort it. Hopefully i can remove the heat exchanger without breaking anything else!

The removal is fairly straight forward, also gives you the opportunity to clean the tube stack which will be caked up, give it a soak in kettle descaler which works a treat. The only potential pain is the heat exchanger is bolted to the side of the engine with 6 bolts on long studs, if you have good side access then the heat exhanger can be slid off the studs and removed easily, if not, move the heat exchanger away from the engine to expose the studs and use vice grips to unscrew them, its a bit of a pain but not difficult, dont worry if you chew up some of the studs there are readily available from Betamarine and not that expensive.

 

[John_P]

No reason why not

Not possible as the exhaust bolt goes directly into the heat exchanger into a blind hole.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Worthwhile during the reassembly to use some copper grease on the studs to help with extraction next time.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Not possible as the exhaust bolt goes directly into the heat exchanger into a blind hole.

He did say if there was room and to drill through.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Or use a copper plated stud in the manifold with a brass nut to aid removal just BMC A series engines

 

[Crinan12]

Thanks. Yeah ill have a bash at taking the heat exchanger off.
Just when I thought I didn't really have any jobs to do this winter as well. Oh well.

 

[PCUK]

An induction heater on the remaining three bolts should ensure they come out easily.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

An induction heater on the remaining three bolts should ensure they come out easily.

But be careful not to allow the bolts to get red hot, repeated heating and cooling with application of plus gas or acetone / brake fluid mixture usually works but induction heaters are not cheap even the Chinese ones will be a couple of hundred beer tokens. Useful if you are regularly going to come across similar problems though.

 

[alahol2]

Don't take the H/E off yet... The same thing happened to me. Undo (or shear) the rest of the bolts on the exhaust manifold. You will probably find that, once the tension has been removed) the remainder of the bolt(s) easily unscrews.
I was lucky because the bolts (2 out of 4) sheared just below the head so I could get mole grips onto the remains (which were actually quite loose in the 'block').
When replacing, I used HT steel bolts and I now loose and re-tighten them every year as part of winter maintenence.

 

[penberth3]

Hi, I just snapped the head off an exhaust bolt on my beta engine. I actually felt it snapped off quite easily. The bolt moved a bit initially then snapped.....

That would be the bolt shearing. I doubt it moved at all.

 

[Crinan12]

Don't take the H/E off yet... The same thing happened to me. Undo (or shear) the rest of the bolts on the exhaust manifold. You will probably find that, once the tension has been removed) the remainder of the bolt(s) easily unscrews.
I was lucky because the bolts (2 out of 4) sheared just below the head so I could get mole grips onto the remains (which were actually quite loose in the 'block').
When replacing, I used HT steel bolts and I now loose and re-tighten them every year as part of winter maintenence.

I think mine has broken pretty flush with the heat exchanger so nothing to grip on to unfortunately

 

[Crinan12]

That would be the bolt shearing. I doubt it moved at all.

Ah!

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I think mine has broken pretty flush with the heat exchanger so nothing to grip on to unfortunately

It's going to be the standard procedure then. carefully centre punch the face of the remaining stud, soak for a day or two with whatever penetrating fluid you believe in, carefully drill a small pilot hole and then enlarge it with a larger drill to take a stud extractor and keeping it vertical hope it doesn't snap and starts to turn and remove the stud.
If that doesn't work then it's a matter of using successively larger drills a matter of drilling out the stud, if you are good / lucky and have got the centre well defined you may be able to pick the swarf / remains of the stud from the threads and all will be well. If not then you go and buy a Helicoil kit.

 

[penberth3]

It's going to be the standard procedure then. carefully centre punch the face of the remaining stud, soak for a day or two with whatever penetrating fluid you believe in, carefully drill a small pilot hole and then enlarge it with a larger drill to take a stud extractor and keeping it vertical hope it doesn't snap and starts to turn and remove the stud.
If that doesn't work then it's a matter of using successively larger drills a matter of drilling out the stud, if you are good / lucky and have got the centre well defined you may be able to pick the swarf / remains of the stud from the threads and all will be well. If not then you go and buy a Helicoil kit.

I wouldn't waste time with a stud extractor. If it's so badly rusted the head has sheared off a stud extractor won't work, that's not what they're designed for anyway. I'd go straight to careful drilling out and re-tapping to clean the thread.