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Tap broken off in exhaust manifold head stud hole...

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4gfun

Supporting VIP
2,009
55
Dec 10, 2007
Ask Me, Virginia
....and unfortunately it is the stud that is connected to the oil system!

Long story but I needed to retap the below hole. I tapped it and when I finished, I went to back the tap out and heard CRACK.

I have tried to use a center punch and then an easy out, but can't make a dent in the broken tap.

I am worried that if I drill it out, I will get tons of filings in the motor.

Do I need to pull the head, or is there another way around it?

Thanks
 

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The only way to get that out is going to be to shatter it with a punch. You will not find a drill bit capable of drilling thru that. If you ran a tap thru the hole than you already have metal shavings in the engine. Luckily it is not a pressurized oil passage. It is only an oil drain passage. You could probably just pull the oil pan and valve cover and spray the oil drain hole down with brake clean to flush those particles out.
 
The only way to get that out is going to be to shatter it with a punch. You will not find a drill bit capable of drilling thru that. If you ran a tap thru the hole than you already have metal shavings in the engine. Luckily it is not a pressurized oil passage. It is only an oil drain passage. You could probably just pull the oil pan and valve cover and spray the oil drain hole down with brake clean to flush those particles out.

Thanks for the tip. The problem is getting leverage with that punch, not looking forward to pulling the front condenser, front bumper, etc etc to get a straight shot at it but don't see an alternative. :hmm:
 
Thanks for the tip. The problem is getting leverage with that punch, not looking forward to pulling the front condenser, front bumper, etc etc to get a straight shot at it but don't see an alternative. :hmm:

Maybe get a cheap punch and cut it down short so that you have more room. An air chisel would be a good option to try.
 
Good ideas...thanks. Will do what I need to do....hate AC work :) Plus moving that FMIC....on top of it....just venting. :)
 
I'm still a big fan of the welding trick. Have someone or yourself if you know what you're doing, weld a bead out from the stud, weld a nut to that bead, turn it all out. My father-in-law is a pro at it and it literally takes seconds.
 
I'm still a big fan of the welding trick. Have someone or yourself if you know what you're doing, weld a bead out from the stud, weld a nut to that bead, turn it all out. My father-in-law is a pro at it and it literally takes seconds.

That works good for some higher quality taps, but cheaper ones, ive found that it doesn't work real well.
 
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By the way after all of this.....what would happen if I drilled this particular hole too far in and how can I tell if I did? What is on the other side of this hole? I have that to worry about on top of broken tap pieces going into my engine. :)

Thanks

I am googling and some people have had luck with carbide dremel bits it seems....supposed to take forever but it is supposed to work.
 
Should try to get them out with my little snap ring pliers.

So is it possible/likely to drill too far into this hole and wreck the head???? What do you get into if you drill to far?
 
I had a similar experience a year ago when I took my exhaust manifold out. The stud broke and I center punched it and use the easy out to back it out; however, the easy out broke off on me. So it turned out to be a week long project just using the carbide bid grinding it out bit by bit without hitting the aluminum head. It was PITA but there was no other alternative. :pray:
 
Should try to get them out with my little snap ring pliers.

So is it possible/likely to drill too far into this hole and wreck the head???? What do you get into if you drill to far?

The hole goes thru into the oil drain. It is probably an inch past where the threads stop where you could damage the head if you drilled to far. Pull the valve cover off and look at the middle oil drain in the front of the head and you will be able to see the back side of the hole.
 
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The dremel stones work, not sure on the carbide bits. But I broke a tap off in the turbos hotside once and when I couldn't fracture the tap into pieces, I went to town with the dremel and a stone attachment. Takes patience but you'll be glad when you start to see results. I'd jack the engine up for a little more clearance.
 
If the taps extractor doesn't work I would pull the valve cover and see if anything is protruding on the inside to grab it and turn. Maybe you could get the tap extractor on it from the inside?
 
Try the weld a washer,nut trick. I use it all the time for studs with a 110v mig welder, and it works great, although I usually weld a smaller sized bolt and then ratchet the stud out.
I also had someone weld a tap to a long rod for a special application, so that says to me that tap metal can be welded. Worth a try, seems to me.
 
Thanks all. I really need to learn how to weld....keep saying I will get there but it is time.

Thanks for letting me know where things lead and your experiences. I'll try what I can out and post the outcome.

The dremel stones work, not sure on the carbide bits. But I broke a tap off in the turbos hotside once and when I couldn't fracture the tap into pieces, I went to town with the dremel and a stone attachment. Takes patience but you'll be glad when you start to see results. I'd jack the engine up for a little more clearance.

Do you remember which stone attachment BTW.
 
Carbide or diamond is the only thing that is going to eat away at a tap. Even carbide would take forever, as it is even a slow process on a normal hard bolt.
 
You could also try getting it really cold by spraying something like liquid CO2 or liquid nitrogen on it and try shattering it. CO2 might not even be cold enough. Nitrogen, yes.
 
Why do people keep suggesting welding? It's a tap, not a bolt. Nothing is going to weld to it. Carbide or diamond is the only thing that is going to eat away at a tap. Even carbide would take forever, as it is even a slow process on a normal hard bolt.
Most taps are made of high speed steel. Cheaper ones (like what HF sells) are carbon steel. Either will weld fine.
 
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