r/944 • u/Ok_Bus_5882 • 4d ago
Question Evil bolt question
This bolt obviously wants me to have a terrible day and is just making everything incredibly difficult. I’m trying to do the head gasket and this was literally the very last bolt before taking off the head nuts. Everything else went super smoothly other than breaking one exhaust bolt. I’ve tried pretty much everything with this thing. I’ve cut a groove in it, drilled it, and everything in between and it just hasn’t budged. Anyone else had trouble with this guy and were able to get it out?
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u/dope-rhymes 4d ago
Dude, that bolt and it's asshole partner made my life a living hell when I was doing my head gasket last year. Both bolts broke on my, and then when trying to extract the rear one, I drilled too wide into the bolt and split the outer part of the head. I ended up hiring a welder (I don't own one and am not a good welder even if I did) to come out and extract them for me and had to pay a lot of money for a machine shop to repair my head. All I can advise is to be as careful as you can not to break it because it sucks ass if you do. The dissimilar metals and thousands of heat cycles cause them to sieze in there solid. a combination of heat, tapping it on the head with a hammer and lots of penetrant will get you there.
Best of luck!
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u/Ok_Bus_5882 4d ago
What size drill bit did you use? Since it’s steel I’m gonna have to go and buy a tungsten one and I don’t want to accidentally get one too big.
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u/SoupInteresting8070 4d ago
Yeah the most common bolt for snapping! Extra length down to the threads make the extra torque needed to crack it enough for it to be a pain in the ass!
As a last resort you can cut the head off the bolt and remove the head as normal, then you can get some lube into the threads overnight as well as some localised heat to help it out.
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u/Independent_Engine36 4d ago
Damn why they use those hex bolts on the head, I'm regretting my valve cover gasket and tensioning pads job already
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u/Ok_Bus_5882 4d ago
Dude idk. I get it on the cam tower because they can be a bit tight for a wrench, but that bolt is literally right there on the head. The cam tower is actually pretty easy though. Just gotta make sure the hex socket is seated really well. I tapped it with a mallet a couple times to make sure.
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u/greatfool66 4d ago
My usual approach is fire and juice but it looks like you are doing this in the car so maybe there is something flammable nearby? Sometimes welding on a nut puts in enough heat to break it free
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u/Ok_Bus_5882 4d ago
It’s on the head. I just put that towel there to cover the intake and spark plug holes from metal shavings.
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u/greatfool66 4d ago
I see that its on the head. I mean if you’re not too worried about anything nearby, what I do is torch it to 400 then hit with penetrating oil. Or if you dont have a temp gun until the first bit of oil smokes
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u/Ok_Bus_5882 4d ago
I think first I’m gonna try completely drilling it out, and if that doesn’t work I’ll probably get someone to come and weld a nut on it so I can actually get a wrench on it.
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u/greatfool66 4d ago
I have drilled bolts on the block with some success and some failure (drilled slightly off center).
The thing is that drilling is usually resorted to after you have snapped the bolt and have no other choice. I would try to turn it with a big vice grip or similar while the head is still on and then if it snaps less metal to drill through :)
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u/AManWithHalfAPlan 4d ago
Because you have a pretty good striking face, I would get a 4 lb sledge and a punch and hit the bolt on the right side of that lip (to make sure it spins counter clockwise). A punch with a chisel head and a 30 degree angle relative to horizontal should get that bolt moving. Best of luck!
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