Remove a broken bolt using a left handed drill bit
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- Опубликовано: 21 ноя 2024
- Removing a broken bolt or stud can be extremely difficult but in some cases such as when the bolt head has been sheared off by sideways force it is possible to remove the remainder of the bolt using a left handed drill bit. Here we demonstrate how to remove a broken stud using the left handed drill bit method.
The first method shown was spot on and saved me hundreds of pounds, after overtightening an M6 fastener that snapped on my egr valve. thanks
I'm glad the video helped ;-)
Thanks for the comment
So I see some doubters here, I've been doing marine and industrial repair and maintenance for close to 40 years now and I have a set of extractors and Left Hand cobalt bits in my box. They've saved a lot of work, and made a lot of believers. Drilling the bolt relieves the stress using the LH bit means all of the torque is trying to twist the bolt out and gives you a head start on the easy-out. And yes it works on rusty and bi-metallic corrosion and if you're lucky even on galled SS. Don't count on the last.
Thanks for the detailed comment ;-)
Wish I had known this about a month ago...thanks for the info
Julie Drzymalski
You are welcome.
Thanks for the comment ;-)
What type of drill should I use for an anti clockwise rotation?
can you send me a list of
Thank you, thank you SO much for all your videos, especially this one. I have just removed a small bolt completely sheared off, by following your video. I have all the tools, I just needed your guidance. Please don't give up your video's, they're a God send and I can't thank you enough! 📏🪥🔨🪚🪛🛠️😊
Brilliant, well done 👍
Show me with a rusted bolt that's totally inaccessible up in the rear frame of my land cruiser...
Dave Lassell or in a rusted outboard motor with corrosion all all, nevertheless still a very good video......
if the bolt head snapped off it's because it was in there so tight it took less torque to break the bolt than the thread seal.
What a pointless comment. It goes without saying that the bolt needs to be accessible for this, or any other method, to work.
Same issue with me and a few rusted bolts on my Xterra I just recently bought. Bolt head snapped on surface or below the surface that go to the undercarriage.
You have to drill it right out in that situation. Then re tap the thread. Your going back to the 1970's when we used to do that a lot as we kept cars 40 years.
the reason an eazy out is not the best answer is it creates expansion and hench causes additional pressure to the thread surface thus defeating the removal attempt.the left handed drill is a little known and seldom used quick answer,smart stuff.I would have used a little larger bit as it relieves even more side wall pressure but you really have to have your center and bit alignment correct if your take the tolerances closer.Nice job you just made many people's lives easier.
I used to work in the toolroom at a plastic injection molding facility. Removing broken hardware is a huge part of the job. By far the worse thing to remove from a blind hole is a broken dowel pin. I was just going to say that you can get easy-outs in sets. They have the appropriate size left-hand drill with them. Most often, the broken stud comes out with the drill and you don't even need the easy-out.
This video doesn't show a real situation but it does actually work. I drill a hole through the bolt first and then step with a LH bit. The first hole warms the bolt up so that when you use the LH bit it will shake things loose
I Snapped A Spindle On My BMX, This Video Is Awesome, And I'm Blessed To Say That My Broken Bolt Is Leveled With The Entrance Of The Crank.
Thanks for the comment 👍
Thank you!!! Bought a rifle with a broken stud in the rear sight!!! You saved me the fee to have the gunsmith do it! Thank you! Thank you!
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment 👍
Thanks man, I spent almost 2 hours looking for someone to get it out and the only one who said he could wanted me to pay 40 $ !!!! and he was going to cut or burn or I do not know...
using your method it only took around 3 minutes :)
I just saved 40 $ and a long time of waiting and and and... thanks to you.
done many stud extractions but never knew left handed drill bits existed! thanks!
I know several maintenance engineers that have never heard of them either. I told one a few days back and he thought I was winding him up!
Thanks for the comment
It worked!!! This saved me so much time! I highly recommend this method. Even if your exhaust manifold studs are 21+ years old! Thanks so much!
Great video. I broke a exhaust manifold stud off in the head of my 03' F150 and it was hell trying to find LH drill bits! Finally found a 13 piece set at Harbor Freight. I'm going to give it a shot this weekend.
How'd it go 10 years ago?
Word is he is still trying to remove that bolt.
He appears to still be a car guy, so I’m assuming success 😅
@@heavyprogressive76 Well, I just got the Harbor Freight 13 piece set, and my right angle drill attachment can't grip the cylinder shaft well enough. Wish it was a hex end...
I'm impressed. I thought you were just gonna drill it out but this way is safer. I hadn't even thought of this.
I’m glad you found the video useful
Thanks for the comment 👍
Wow I never knew they made left handed drill bits, I use a similar tecnique with a right hand bit, but with a left hand bit a could double my productivity, thanks for the vid
Me either
Never to old to learn , never heard of left handed drill bit . Great video -thanks
You are welcome.
Thanks for the comment 👍🏼
or use gradually larger bolts to thin out the walls of the bolt so eventually it can be removed in pieces. i do appreciate your videos. sending this one especially to an australian friend of mine. who has a broken exhaust bolt on a motorcycle he needs to remove
I just unscrew an m5x16mm mtb cleat bolt using this method. Thank you for sharing this. It really worked!!!
Glad it helped 👍
get a left handed tap and die kit. You can put a left hand thread on the inside of the bolt. The put in a new left threaded bolt into the new thread. When it hit the hardened metal at the bottom, keep going and you will pull out the old bolt
Brilliant idea
I have many years of working on different types of machines . The best way if you have a welding machine weld a nut to the broken bolt or stud. after it cools down spray on penetrating oil and wiggle the bolt until it starts to move.
If you have stainless steel to stainless steel and the bolt has frozen you are going to probably have to drill and re-tap the threaded hole.
Thank you handyman you are always brilliant. So to double confirm we need to spin the drill anti-clockwise when using the left hand drill bit?
Yes, anti-clockwise for a left handed drill bit
Thanks for the comment 👍
Do you have an idea how to do this if the bolt is really stuck ?
Drill wider and wider exactly in the middle until there's nothing left of the bolt but the threads, then pull the helical threads out with a dental pick.
@@beyondwhatisknown I hope he found a way to get his stick bolt out...
😂🤣🤣
@@premkxk 8 years later😂😂
Lmao
1:33 Sounds like Arnold "so naawo .. get to the choppa" 😂
😂
I was livid when my screw broke off, now you give me hope.🎉
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment 👍
Thank you, Mr Ultimate Handyman 😍 I need to get a broken bent screw out of a bike frame. It was a screw for the kickstand. This I believe would work but was just wondering if you had any other easier ideas at all???? Thank you so much 💖
There are plenty of things that you can try, these videos might give you some ideas-
ruclips.net/video/MR2Dd30Wees/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/dJfkCj3FWBs/видео.html&t
Best of luck with it 👍
that's a sexy trick! I'll be giving it a try tomorrow as i broke off a rusty bolt in an old drill press base I'm trying to bring back to life. Not sure where to get a left handed drill. I'm pretty sure the Home Depot crew will look at me like i have a 3rd eye but I'll give it try tomorrow.
thanks,
Great video. For some applications this would work great(such as sheared off bolts). A left handed drill bit would never be able to remove a bolt which is seized in an engine block. Think about the amount of force it takes to get the head of a strong hex bolt(Usually grade 5) to twist off. The drill bit strength will not even come close. I have had broken bolt extractors break on me in the past, a few times. I just uploaded a video showing my solution to a recent problem.
Where's the link to you're video.
Copy & paste to the YT search box.
watch?v=Y2AN3vl-ykg
electronicsNmore
As a forty year professional mechanic, I can sat you are correct. Yesterday I was extracting a broken exhaust manifold bolt from a 4.8L GM engine. It was broken flush. It's a rare occasion that a left handed drill bit will back the bolt out.
One must first consider why is the bolt broken. Is it cross threaded, rusted, bottomed out?
Most of those conditions is going to prevent backing it out with a left handed bit. What is worse, breaking off a drill bit or an easy out because those are hardened and makes drilling them out almost impossible.
On the 4.8 L yesterday, it was just a whore. It was an 8 X 1.25 and I finally ended up drilling it out and Heli-coiled it to a 10 X 1.25 Fortunately is was a Savana Van and I was working on #7 cylinder. I had removed the motor mount bolts and lifted the engine to give me good access. It ended up being a good permanent repair and will outlast the life of the vehicle.
What people are not factoring in here is that *if* the drill is almost as large as the root diameter of the bolt, rather than as shown here, (in my experience) the remnants will not have enough strength left to hold themselves outwards against the female thread. Generally what's left of the bolt (effectively little more than a helical coil) will wind itself out if you feed increasingly hard so the drill bites before it gets right through. The heat from drilling also helps.
If you don't have a left handed bit the right size, just sharpen the tip of a RH bit the wrong way.
i WAS going to ask you almost the same question. albeit in a more polite way seems all of your videos are set up like this. BUT this to me is youtubes treasure trove of howtos for situations like this. thank you sir. btw may i ask , if this technique does not work, can a person weld a piece of small rod to the end of hte broken bolt, and then remove bolt by some other means?, vise grip pliers or some other tool if the easy-out doesnt work.
Hmm, I would like to see this done in a same scenario basis.. I.E. Rusted bolt in a threaded bit of old steep with a stainless steel bolt.
As an engineer by trade I have found that this method generally doesn't work, the easiest solution is to use molycote or anti-seize compound on the threads before tightening/torquing the fixing.
I prefer to weld a nut on the broken bolt and pull it out, or ld drill it out and tap the hole again, broken bolts cause flat threads (amongst other things)
What do you do if you don't have a welder and you need to put your only vehicle back together? Hopefully that I put a crap load of anti-seize grease helps in using a left handed drill to back it out
another one is to use a center punch on the out board edge and tap lightly counterclockwise.I've had good luck with this if the bolt is not rusty.another thing about counter drilling,it depends on the metal Rockwell.if it is grade 8 or more most bits just overheat and won't cut the steel.for sure metal can't argue with abrasives!
Thanks I've just bought some centre drills and a set of left handed drill bits... I have some M6 bolts sheared in aluminium to fix, fingers crossed :D
Trigger HappyTV Good luck with it ;-)
Did it work?
I've been machining various things for more years than I care to remember. I have never seen, or even heard of a left handed drill before I watched your video! Quite true, so thanks for enlightening me. Apart from stud removal, what else are they used for?
Guess we’ll never know...
But this is basic
theyre the normal ones in australia
they have no other purpose other than removing slipped/broken bolts.
This is the best video I've ever seen on this method. Thank you!
The only times this happens to me are in super cramped places like the engine of my truck where I can't even make a center point due to lack of space to adequately use hammer, let alone a drill. EXTREMELY frustrating, especially when that bolt not being sealed causes oil to leak everywhere. I hope some day I'll encounter a broken screw/bolt in a nice open space like this so I can actually use the 50 bucks worth of extractor crap I have successfully for once.
👍
How was getting it out kinda in the same situation
i love your accent and your tools...
maybe one day i will have a house/wife/kids a car, and a garage with big boys toys... then i will remember your lesson.
thank you in advance :)
Do you have a house/wife/kids and a car yet. And a garage with big boy toys??
@@SitlessSkatemore question still relevant in the age of the cough
Left handed drill bit. I honestly didn't think they existed, always thought it was a joke like a left handed screwdriver, sky hooks or striped paint.
sky hooks hahhahaha! how about the good ol chain/board stretcher.
Hi,
Drill out make a set that take out almost any bolt.
They are made in U.S.A but you can buy the full set for under £50 with delivery sounds a lot but they will last years. :)
Thanks for the video. One question. Should the bit used to drill the starter hole be smaller than the reverse drill bit or should they be the same size?
Hi, it should be smaller.
Thanks for the comment ;-)
@@ultimatehandyman does the reverse drill bit spin counter clockwise
@@speedracer175 Yes, it needs rotating counter clockwise for the drill bit to work ;-)
@@ultimatehandyman can I also drill the initial hole counter clockwise? Before the extraction drill.
@@speedracer175 Yes, providing you use a left-handed drill bit
My problem is the broken bolt is about 2 inches away from the firewall on my truck. But I didn't know left-handed drill bits existed Thanks for the tip.
Best of luck with it 👍
Love youre accent man, great vids!
Sweden
The drill i was using was 1500rpm max. I used a 3000rpm max drill and it worked. So i was just using a crappy drill. thanks for the help
Thanks for posting. This explains everything with great detail. Looks like separate bits and center punch is the way to go.
Glad it was helpful 👍
Nice information but only for mild steel bolt but if it is hardned pl also suggest if u have any idea
Some basic rules. 1 If it broke when you tried to unscrew it an extractor (easyout) 99% of the time will break in there. 2 You need to know how to find the true center of the bolt, the thread pitch is important here so you can figure out the true center. 3 If someone has already had a go before it comes to you then your problems have just started. 4 If it broke in a blind hole while tightening it may be bottomed out so will not be easyouted. I have drilled out extractors with tugsten drills.
Why not just start with the left bit after the center punching??
I had to do the this on a fascinator got chewed out with my Dewalt titanium bits problem is is that they were right handed drill bits. I got lucky that the fastener came out, and because the Dewalt titanium bits come with a pilot point you don’t need a center punch to start your hole, you just need a lot of downward pressure.
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Never new you could get a left handed drill bit,where would you get one from,surely not from your local shop. Handy video though. Thanks for the tip.
You can get them in some ironmongers, or they are widely available on ebay- fave.co/2FRtoSK
Thanks for the comment
Gr8 Vid , never heard of a left hand drill bit . Thanks for sharing .
nice, know i'll be looking for left handed drills each time i go to the hardware store ^^, ohh and nice drill by the way, haven't seen good quality drills in quite a while!
Straight forward. Good video! Many thanks. You helped save me over $100 and much headache.👍
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
You also can use left handed tapered stud extractors instead of a drill. Standard tool.
@@adityakumarrai7691 Of course. But you still need to bore a hole to start the extractor. Using a left-handed drill bit will work with you, not against you, even if it fails to spin out the broken bolt or stud.
yeah,got me some lefty drills and keep them with my screw extracters so as not to mix them with my regular bits...but you're correct, plenty of times the fastener will come out using just the lefty bit!
They are really useful ;-)
Thanks for the comment
Most people have probably never heard of a left handed screw bit. But, as you have shown in this vid they do exist. 😉 But, probably trying to get your hands on them is hot so easy unless you go to proper D.I.Y specialist. RAPID use to be the BEST for this But, no longer available. So, I have no idea as to where to find or obtain these bits ( MAYBE CLAS OLSON or even E-BAY or AMAZON ) or maybe someone else may know of a place that could have various sizes to do with the job. ANYWAY!!! GREAT tip on this vid for extracting a damaged bolt. 😉
Have you ever heard of Amazon?
www.amazon.com/Tools-Cobalt-64-Inch-Assortment-30520/dp/B0002NYBJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473549827&sr=8-1&keywords=left+drill+bit+set
Might as well use left hand bits when drilling a bolt out completely, and if the bolt material is not too strong for the method to work anyway, chances are it will twist out well before damaging any threads if it's properly aligned. Very useful for working near combustible materials where a flame or welding are not options unless one is seeking a Darwin Award. Could also use cold as well between attempts, as the bit will heat things up a bit.
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Brilliant! Thank you for the upload, I for one appreciate it. Cheers.
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment
In the USA, these bits are readily available from you local auto parts store or tool truck.
Yes, they are a bit spendy, ranging from $50 - 150 or there abouts.
Do an online search for these examples:
NAPA sells VG 11119 & VG 11135ZR kits made by Vise-Grip; stocked at a local DC. Other auto parts stores should also be able to get them.
For bits only, DBLS105 by Blue Point & DMCLM5 by Matco are other examples.
I would think these would also be available at your local hardware store, but I've had no luck.
Best exemplar taking out new bolt
"demonstration" ;-)
If it fails, use a left hand screw driver and the list goes on, good job, thought you were at it there😀👍🏻
And a left anded ammer. I talk like im and I've been living in Canada for 45 years.
Love it thanks. Going to try this on a bolt that snapped in my head gasket. Fingers crossed it works or the cars going to the scrap yard in heaven.
Update? Did you get out? Mine is snapped off in the upper timing chain cover in my Audi A4. Fingers crossed.
Great way to fix a broken stud
Thanks for the comment 👍
Watched 2 clips b4 this they got thumbs down. This gets the big thumbs up.
this is really help for me as I ride a bmx and brake bolts alot
Thanks for the comment ;-)
hi, is it possible that the bolt is just to strong to actually "drill" it out?and in that case what can i do?
Why is this recommended to me? But still interesting, what about the good old nut wielding to the bolt? Should work out as well,or not?
nice..in my case i have a broken head BUT its for a screw and not a bolt. so there is already a hole on the shaft. i cannot use vise grips to the the sides becoz the exposed screw is kinda deep. what do u recommend in that case. do i have to drill? or can i just use a extractor tool to directly and reverse? any ideas. thanks
That’s a great application for only certain bolts though. If they aren’t really rusted or stuck too bad this might work. However if it’s automotive and you live in salty road conditions and the bolt is really stuck /rusted in place . This will definitely not work.
Absolutely
Thanks for the comment 👍
Even better. Take a standard right-hand drill bit and regrind the end into left-hand cut. The flute will be the wrong way around, forcing the swarf back into the hole, instead of ejecting it. This gives a greater grabbing action.
Thanks for the comment
Thank you, worked perfectly!
Thanks for the comment 👍
Not needed now,but very VERY useful information Thnx.
Winston Smart
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment ;-)
Nice demo
You are welcome
Thanks for the comment 👍
What do you do when the drill bit beaks inside the bolt?
If you can't extract it with needle nose pliers, then go to a shop that sells steel. They usually sell high grade drill bits. Buy a couple of drill bits instead of just one. You'll need to drill out the bit that broke off inside the bolt. Then you'll be good to go.
You can also buy a titanium coated drill bit.
can you do the video again with the bolt seized into something see if it works then? thanks
Yes, I have two sets of left-hand drill bits, purchased in advance. "When needed, you need them"
Right on!
i learn it the hard way last time dealing with a wear off screw head by breaking the fixture instead.
always have both direction of drill sets.
Thanks for the comment
3:32 that's a real useful use; considering you ave an english accent. My appiness is appy to be appier.
16 year heavy equipment tech. Ive got lucky a few times with a LH bit, usually tho for me the bolt breaks off down in the threads and the top threads are burred, and after breaking off extractors in the past trying to pull em its easier to just drill em out and re tap
👍
Great channel!
Thanks 👍
I didn't tackle it myself as it was above my expertise. I took it to an engineering/machinist shop that specialises in building blocks and cyl heads plus fabrication with associated welding. He was able to get it out without having to retap it (I can still use a m6x1.0 bolt in the hole fine). So I do think he ended up welding something on it as the surface looks "Fresh" & cleaned up. Gave me a set of SS M6 bolts so it doesn't happen again as easily.
I recently broke an exhaust manifold stud on my race car. Seeing as how I have a race this weekend, I may try this technique. I'm going to make sure I take my time with this though, as I do not want to cause further damage. Any tips?
would it be okay to tap a new hole in a bolt that is fully ceased in a hole that the original bolt broke off in?
Nice presentation, thank you!
You are welcome 👍
VERY GOOD VIDEO
So I'm workin on replacing the rear leaf springs on my jeep and i sheared a bolt that bolts into the frame and i can't really see the stud to drill in to it what you recomend i do to get the bolt out the left handed bit or a screw extractor?
Could you make suggestions for a steel bolt corroded into an aluminum spindle housing on a mower.
If you have a welder, that is your best bet-
ruclips.net/video/l-BxjWhqaQo/видео.html
Thanks for the comment
I need to get broken lug nuts out of my bmw e30. Is it best to start with a smaller big then increase size? Do you apply pressure when drilling? What is the chance this will work since you says it only works sometimes? Is it better if i put a lube on the sides to have a better chance that it will work?
Any technique to centre or flatten the sheared surface of a bolt/stud when it's in the hole and you cannot grind off material to expose/flatten it?
yes dremel specifically makes a milling bit that is the shape of a cylinder with tiny teeth on the end of it that lets you mill stuff out inside of recessed spaces.
How did you get the bolt to break off with a flat surface???
I might have to say that this is a set up like in the TV commercials.
Would this work for hardened screws? And what size bit would i get for a 5mm screw?
We used left handed drill bits and left handed extractor with drill in reverse mode to take out a broken tensioner pivot bolt!
Should the drill bit be same size as bolt?
Since the other side is open, could you pull from the other side if you had room?
Yes, of course. This was just set up as a demonstration
Can you still use this method if you can't see the bolt but you know for sure it's there? Mine broke off due to over-torquing.
You need to drill as close to the centre of the stud as possible- that's difficult if you can't see it?
You are the man....keep up the great work.....
Awesome video. Would you be able to make a video on the different type of bits you use on certain surfaces and how to keep your bits from getting worn down. Thank you!
Where can I get a Centre drill bit and left handed drill bit from in the UK? Thanks
I've been investing a lot of money in the extractor and my success rate probably under 10%. This reverse thread seems logical because it bites better than the extractor.
Sometimes they work and sometimes they do not. Left handed drill bits are often a much better option.
Thanks for the comment
If the screw breaks, it is because it is well adhered and possibly corroded, the drill bit will not remove the screw. in the video the screw is clean and loose even with a nail and a hammer you can remove it
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will this work on my scooter? the spring broke and its horribly annoying, the brake drags on the back wheel which makes loud noises, any help?
Can you remove with regular drill bit not left handed
Yes, but you will need a screw extractor- ruclips.net/video/SMrDYJvY0Ts/видео.html
Thanks for the comment 👍
For beginners without special Tools:
Drill 2,5mm hole. In to Hol 3mm hex key, and roll it out.
Center pointing good a normal wood screw.
HELP! I was drilling into the bolt and it just stopped drilling. the bit is still rotating but it wont go in further. ive tried several new bits and they still wont drill any further. have any clue whats happening?