hey guys so today bolting my front subframe i got to the last bolt and i broke half of the bolt inside,
heres a pic off the bolt that im talking about
the one i marked , i broke it, so my question is sens i have all the other ones tight will ibe ok leaving this one out , or showld i take the sub frame out, tap the bolt out and get a new bolt.
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How will I go about fixing it , should I just drill out the rest off the bolt that is still in there and then just put a new one?
Also can any one take some pics off there front subfram bolting points?
I try to drill out the center and use the square drive EZ-outs (can be found at Advance Auto or Autozone). They seem to work the best in my experience, just follow the directions on the package. Make sure to soak it in PB-Blaster as I'm sure you were tightening it was probably cross-threading or otherwise is stuck in there hard. Lots of cussing and sweat to ensue...
no the bolt was the correct one i had anti seiz on it, it got to a point that it wasnt going in any more so i had to use a brakerd bar and it just broke,
they hwere the old bolts wich they where rusted, i just thought if i cleaned them up they would be good but i gess not the bolt was week on the inside, but heres so more image i took tell me what you guys think,
after all this work i have to drop the front subframe again, ughhhh
You were using a breaker bar to put a bolt IN? I know you're beating yourself up over that. If not start, then learn from your mistake and never do it again
If a bolt isn't threading in right your best bet is chasing the threads of the hole with a tap and, if need be, the threads on the bolt with a die. It only takes a minute or two and saves a lot of headaches (like this one) down the road. Go on, ask me how I know If I have more than two bolts I want to chase I just put the die in a bench vise and go to town on a pile of them with a ratchet in hand. It makes quick work out of it.
Also, when you use that easy out make sure you use a punch to mark the center of the bolt and drill in deep enough to get a good bite with the easy-out. If you're off center when you start drilling you can damage the bolt hole. You also severely limit your options down the road if the easy out doesn't work and you have to drill out the bolt. I've been there and drilling out a bolt that you started off center sucks. You almost always have to drill out the hole and chase it for a larger bolt (if you can use one).
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Nick - AWD turbo swapped USDM 7g Galant
thankx alot guys for everything,
i just placed an order at jnz tuning for 2 new bolts,
also im picking up an ezy-out, saturday will be droping subframe and then sunday going to town drilling.
my only thought is scoring the threads then having to rethread them and needing a bigger bolt, then having to maket the subframe bolt guide biger for the new bolt and all of this sounds like alot of work.
doing the work doesnt bother me its just having time to do it and thinking about running in to bigger problems, not having that bolt on would it make a difrence, for a min i thought about leaving it like that?
If it was that hard to install then it MAY be Cross Threaded. If it is cross threaded, an Easy out will NOT get it out. I would start drilling the bolt with a 3/16" drill bit, then 5/16". Last I would finish off with a 10 or 11mm drill bit. After its all drilled out use the proper TAP to clean up the threads. Should be a 12mm x 100 or 12mm x 1.25 Tap.
Its much easier to start with a small drill bit and work your way up.
Also if you can get a skinny punch up in the hole I would center punch the bolt so the drill bit will stay centered in the bolt when starting the drill.
If it was that hard to install then it MAY be Cross Threaded. If it is cross threaded, an Easy out will NOT get it out. I would start drilling the bolt with a 3/16" drill bit, then 5/16". Last I would finish off with a 10 or 11mm drill bit. After its all drilled out use the proper TAP to clean up the threads. Should be a 12mm x 100 or 12mm x 1.25 Tap.
Its much easier to start with a small drill bit and work your way up.
Also if you can get a skinny punch up in the hole I would center punch the bolt so the drill bit will stay centered in the bolt when starting the drill.
Good luck
He's right, and I've never had any luck with an easy out. I'm anti-Easy out.
Just drill it, tap it, and install the same sized bolt.
#321688 was broken in my car when I got it and this is the procedure I used to fix it.
thankx alot for your guys opinions, i piked up a easy-out on the way to work and tomorow befor work ill drop the subframe and by monday ill be able to post more about.
for sure its not cross thread, my problem was the bolt was rusted and it got to a point about 4 5 turns befor it was all the way in it became so hard so i got the braker bar and it just snaped, if the bolt was new it wouldnt happen, but i showld have shecked the threads befor installing the bolt and now i paying for skiping a step.
i just got back from work so i wanted to post up the kit i got today to start on it tomorow befor i go to work.
i hope this works.
Last edited by 2gdanny; 10-23-2009 at 11:14 PM.
Reason: Auto-merged to prevent bumping
hey guys so the new update is the, front subframe was droped and bolt was drilled out.
As i wait for the new bolts to come im looking for the right tap can any one tell me what the right tap would be?
I like ez outs, they've worked for me on several occasions. the biggest thing to remember about ez outs is that you have to have a VERY good bite because your going to get a lot of torque between the ez out and the bolt. Also I'll take your word for it when you say it wasn't cross threaded and it was just so rusty. I've been there.
Yeah, the e-z out has worked for me in the past when I had my bay painted and bolts had broke off as I was taking off stuff.
This bolt was my foult as I should have cleaned the threads befor installing the bolt, I used a pry bar to take off the bolt becouse it was so rusted.
Should have been enough to let me know I needed new bolts and clean the threads.
I'll post images drilled then cleand, I just needed the right tap size.?
I would get a "heli-coil" kit so you can reuse the same size bolt. If you've never used a heli-coil before I would google it. Kits can be bought at autozone or off ebay. Just trying to thread the hole with the same size tap will not work that well. I believe that bolt size is 12mm but I am not a 100% sure of that or the thread pitch.
I think every bolt from 8mm-14mm on our car uses a 1.25 thread pitch. If I remember right 6mm uses a 1.0 pitch and I know the 16mm plugs use a 1.5 pitch. If you aren't sure of the diameter and pitch take the good bolt from the other side of the car with you when you buy your tap and use it as a reference. Might as well have a whole set of taps and dies for these sizes on hand. You know you'll need them at some point.
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Nick - AWD turbo swapped USDM 7g Galant
