[NuCKnFuTz]

Hey guys!!

Hate to start my first thread on this forum like this but I'm afraid I must! I purchased my cool silver 07 gxp a few months ago and have been loving the car since! With the solo sale going on I went ahead and picked up and exhaust and test pipe to give my car a little more grunt :thumbs: Today I went to tackle the install and everything was going well (unbolting stock exhaust etc) until I went to remove the heat shield. That's when it took a turn for the worst..

Loosened the top two bolts on the heat shield ok then I went to loosen the bottom one. The bolt felt tight but I sprayed liquid wrench on it and figured it had never been loose since being assembled at the plant so it could be a little tight 6 years later. Kept turning until the head broke off.:cuss::willy: Now I have one heat shield bolt stuck in the housing and don't know what to do..

Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

[The Shadow]

You could try an EASY OUT. I broke a bolt off some time ago, so I got the correct size easy out and the corresponding drill bit. It was a bit of a challenge getting the hole drilled in the centre of the bolt. If the broken bolt is proud of the hole a little bit, grind it flat and centre punch the broken bolt. Then drill into the bolt. When the hole is deep enough bang the easy out in until it is well and truly jammed in the hole in the broken bolt. Then using a wrench to back the broken part out. In my case the bolt was broken off inside the hole so could not grind it flat or get it centre punch in the centre of the bolt. I was able to hold the drill bit at odd angles until I had the hole started as close to centre as possible. That was the hard part, the rest was easy. If the easy out does not work you will be forced to drill the broken bit out and re-tap the original hole. When you buy an easy out get a good one. There are several cheap ones on the market, so beware, you don't want to break the easy out off in the broken bolt.

Cheers,Don

 

[Sly Bob]

Although my car is away for the winter so I can't confirm, you should be able to get access to the broken bolt so you can do what The Shadow suggested by removing the front wheel and the wheelhouse liner. After that it should be pretty straight forward. When you DO get it out and you reinstall it, put some anti-seize on the bolt.

 

[The_Ghost]

Make sure your "starter hole" for the easy out is deep enough! You DO NOT want to break the easy out off or you will NEVER get it out becaus ethe easy out is made of hardened steel and you cannot drill into it. My dad and I did that with his mustang on the thermostat housing. He had to have the guys design and make another brace that put pressure on that side of it because we couldn't drill into the easy out.

 

[The_Ghost]

And this is typical wverytime I try to do my own work...I call it "the one bolt syndrome". Never fails its always one bolt that won't come loose....

 

[boboborino]

And this is typical wverytime I try to do my own work...I call it "the one bolt syndrome". Never fails its always one bolt that won't come loose....

ya for me it's usually the last bolt! It'll be going smooth and I'll be thinking to myself this is easy, then BAM................
Anyway, my contribution to the OP would be to use PB BLaster penetrating oil. Spray it on liberally and let it soak for a day, then repeat. then use the the easy out. I swear by PB Blaster.

Bert

 

[rob the elder]

If it were me, I would take it to a pro at this point. The consequences of failure could be expensive.:thumbs:

 

[idkfa]

Make sure your "starter hole" for the easy out is deep enough! You DO NOT want to break the easy out off or you will NEVER get it out becaus ethe easy out is made of hardened steel and you cannot drill into it. My dad and I did that with his mustang on the thermostat housing. He had to have the guys design and make another brace that put pressure on that side of it because we couldn't drill into the easy out.

Yep, I've had one missing manifold stud for years now because the easy-out is broken off inside the head. I always have a exhaust manifold bolt break, even when i think i'm taking enough time with the torch and PB Blaster.

 

[L-N-F'n]

I just went looked at my old manifold, its looks like the lower bolt go's into the manifold.You may have to do more than just removing the front wheel and the wheelhouse liner. Even if you can perfectly straight shot with your drill, you can still have all kinds of problems using an easy out for the fist time. You could probably get by with just the top two bolts. It is just a heat shied. If it rattles you could do what I did, get a thin piece of aluminum 1 inch wide and attach somewhere else, there several other bolts right there. Aluminum is soft and very easy to bend, you could even use small hose clamp and attach it to the spot on manifold with the broken bolt.

 

[NuCKnFuTz]

Thanks for all the quick responses! Got the full the exhaust on this morning :yesnod: and after sleeping in it I woke up feeling a lot more optimistic about the situation!! For now I'm just gonna bend the shield away and if it rattles take further action. An easy out seems to be the best way to get it out but I think the chance of error is greater than the hastle of removing it rather than another solution.

Side note 2 thumbs up for solo! My car now has more grunt!! I couldn't be happier!!

 

[R&T]

If you have the space you could also try using a various sized left handed drill bit. I've helped a buddy do this on a broken off bolt. If you do this you might need a couple depending on the quality of the bit and the bolt material. It eventually came loose with the third bit and a ton of PB Blaster. You do run the risk of damaging the threads if you have to use a bit very close to the size of the bolt.

 

[TX08manualGXP]

well, I bet if it was siezed up enough to break, it't not coming out in one piece. I too have experienced the one bolt / last bolt problem and it's just the way it goes. some times you get lucky and sometimes you end up having to bust out the welder. if you can't gain access to drill it out and re-tap, since it's just a heat shield, you might be able to drill a small hole on the side and safety wire that one. sorry, I have not looked at the part so i don't know what your options are. any rate, good luck.

 

[GOINGSOLO]

Hi NuckNfutz, so sorry to hear about this. The "one bolt syndrome" is very annoying. Everything stated above is great info and what we would recommend. One big decision would be weather you want to tackle it yourself or take it to a pro. Sometimes when something geos wrong frustration sets in ( not saying it is in your case ) and it makes doing the fix by yourself a real problem. If you do tackle it yourself preparation and patience is key to success. Make sure all is right before you start. Getting "square" to where you are drilling can be difficult and the recommendations above are very important to do. Getting the proper access to drill ( taking off the tire, lining and converter ) will help ensure the job goes right. There's one shot with an easy-out, good luck. PS if you are close enough to one of our stores ( Buffalo or Toronto ) we could do this for you.

 

[Seltzinator]

That really sucks man. On your entire install, that is the one damn bolt where you don't want this to happen.

I'm pretty sure that removing the wheel and well will not give straight shot access at this bolt. You should be able to tell by visually inspecting the angles. You may want to put your exhaust back on and drive to a shop or even the dealer and tell them you twisted off the bolt and get an estimate to fix it. Be very clear about your wording, so you're getting a repair estimate and they don't charge you a diagnostic fee.

If they tell you its $50, then pay them. If they tell you they have to pull the engine block or something, then you know not to bother and just use a piece of wire to secure it. No one will ever know by looking into the bay because that lower heat shield bolt is not readily visible.

PS if you are close enough to one of our stores ( Buffalo or Toronto ) we could do this for you.

This is classy. :dthumbs:

 

[NuCKnFuTz]

Hey all!!

Thanks for all the responses!! I tried replying the other day but it didn't like my post!! Anywho, I got the exhaust and cat on, and after sleeping on it and looking at the posts I figured I could just bend it up a little and it's been working! I love my new exhaust!! One question tho, does anyone know the torque specs for the engine motor mounts?

 

[TX08manualGXP]

according to the service manual both right and left nuts are 41ft lbs.

 

[NuCKnFuTz]

according to the service manual both right and left nuts are 41ft lbs.

Awesome thank you soo much!!:thumbs:

 

[cdnite]

The "one bolt syndrome" is caused by your faulty bolt/nut removal process.

You are starting with one, loosening it and then removing it and continuing on to the next. This means by the last bolt, all of the compression force is directed at that one fastener. This locks the threads with compression friction. This is not the correct process of removing fasteners from a multi-fastener component (more then on fastener).

The correct process is to start by loosening each bolt/nut a 1/4 to a full turn, then tighten it a little bit (half or third fixing torque) then continue to the next. Once all of them are "broken" and lightly torqued loosen each one a quarter of a turn until there is the ability to shift/move the component. You may now remove the fasteners.

I'll also go over the correct fastening procedure.

Align the component and hand install a fastener about half the thread depth. do this for all the fasteners. now hand snug them all up. Finish by torquing each bolt to half fixing torque, then tighten all to the correct full fixing torque. If the component is a moving part (wheel, pully, control arm) or a heat cycling part (manifold, turbo, head) run the system for 30 minutes, let cool, then re-torque to the full fixing torque, Lastly running for 2 hours, let cool, and re-torque to full fixing torque.

--Christian

 

[boboborino]

The "one bolt syndrome" is caused by your faulty bolt/nut removal process.

You are starting with one, loosening it and then removing it and continuing on to the next. This means by the last bolt, all of the compression force is directed at that one fastener. This locks the threads with compression friction. This is not the correct process of removing fasteners from a multi-fastener component (more then on fastener).

The correct process is to start by loosening each bolt/nut a 1/4 to a full turn, then tighten it a little bit (half or third fixing torque) then continue to the next. Once all of them are "broken" and lightly torqued loosen each one a quarter of a turn until there is the ability to shift/move the component. You may now remove the fasteners.

I'll also go over the correct fastening procedure.

Align the component and hand install a fastener about half the thread depth. do this for all the fasteners. now hand snug them all up. Finish by torquing each bolt to half fixing torque, then tighten all to the correct full fixing torque. If the component is a moving part (wheel, pully, control arm) or a heat cycling part (manifold, turbo, head) run the system for 30 minutes, let cool, then re-torque to the full fixing torque, Lastly running for 2 hours, let cool, and re-torque to full fixing torque.

--Christian

Interesting, I usually crack each bolt,before taking them right out, but never have I re-tightened them once cracked/loosened.
I'll give that a shot next time, makes sense, I guess.

Bert

 

[cdnite]

Interesting, I usually crack each bolt,before taking them right out, but never have I re-tightened them once cracked/loosened.
I'll give that a shot next time, makes sense, I guess.

Bert

:thumbs:


I've been an Industrial FSE for 10 years and I see everyone do this wrong. A heated discussion about fasteners at an aerospace customer turned in to a bet and a full aerospace research project. 500 lab testing and scan hours resulted in a 15 page report and $100 in my pocket.

If I can find a copy of the report I'll post it.

Not sure how many tens of thousands of dollars the project cost them to learn... I learned it as a kid when my grandfather told me how to do it and I didnt listen... I then had to learn on my own how to fix it.


Before you use and extractor, get a good hole punch or chisel and give the bolt nut a very sharp and square hit in the opposite direction you were moving it when it broke. This will hopefully bend the threading the other direction and release the binding friction on the threads. This can also be done to set a bolt once its torqued down, just use a punch and hit it very sharply in the direction you were tightening it. Many manufacturers do this and you may have noticed when loosening a factory bolt for the first time that it seems locked and suddenly pops or snaps loose. That's because they locked the threads mechanically. This doesn't effect the clamping torque/force only the torque needed to "break" the fastener.


Next trick it to heat everything up... I like to use an old hair dryer, they don't get too hot and are cheap. Leave it on the area for 15 mins on small stuff and engine I'd say an hour maybe two. A torch could be used, but I seen very funny yet unfortunate things happen when open flame are used on or near a car. The heat will only help if all the threads are fully heat soaked, so its volume of heat not intensity/temperature that does the trick.


Then I try chisels and extractor are my last ditch effort.


--Christian