BROKEN. EXHAUST. BOLT. %$#!@$!

Just what it says. #4 outside exhaust bolt, been missing a while, I finally get the replacement and locknuts from Z1, I loosen the remaining nut, pull the flange off...and sure enough, a little teeny tiny stub is looking at me like "HWUT YOU GONNA DO? HAHAHAHAHAH!"

So I walk my happy ass down to the hardware store, had to get some copper seal for the valve cover anyway, grab a fancy drill bit and an Irwin/Hanson straight screw extractor, walk home...say, out loud "you WILL come out". Proceed to drill as deep as I dare, checking bit depth with the replacement bolts I have. Tap the little extractor bit in, nice and solid...

Grab the vise grips and give it a go. Bit slides, so I hit it in harder, little by little, until it's solid... give it a twist, and the ^%!#$@^%@ bit twists. Now, I'm not he-man, k, so I'm all WTMFGDMF!

Walk back down to the hardware store, buy the next biggest extractor bit, thinking a fatter piece will both grab/seat better and hold up to my lady-grip. Tap it in, nice and deep, give it just enough to seat it without stuffing it in (This isn't prom night...). Grab the pliers, give it a twist, feels like it's moving and SNAP! *&@#^$go$#@&^$f!&^#@(*&! Bit breaks off inside the bolt.

The extractor bit is much harder than the drill bit, I try drilling it out, no luck, didn't even pit the thing. Manydeeeeeep breaths are had, don't want to frighten the neighbors right?

Any ideas on how to extract both the extractor bit and the bolt are welcome. I've got a buddy the runs a shop a few towns over, assuming I can get my bike back together without further problems (valve adjust, broken plug wires, corroded electrical wires under the shifter cover, etc) I'll gingerly re-attach the single exhaust bolt/flange whilst doing my best to pray that it doesn't snap off as well, so I can get to my buddy's shop. He's thinking that hopefully we can weld a nut onto the remaining bolt to back it out, I'm not so sure, maybe a heat cycle on the block will put pressure on the now drilled out bolt and loosen it up, otherwise...well.

I finally get around to spending some time and money on the thing, and it's like a black hole of 'what next'. Time for a beer. Tomorrow...tomorrow will be an exercise in patience, and probably practicing my sailor talk. Words I never spoke before shall be excised from my mouth, surely...

gravit8 wrote: ...thinking that hopefully we can weld a nut onto the remaining bolt to back it out....

That technique is often successful.

A better drilling technique is using reverse-cutting drill bits, which may remove the stud without needing an extractor tool.

Imo, valve cover gaskets are best installed dry, without any type of stickum sealant, on perfectly clean (as new) mating surfaces.

Good Fortune!

PO/ previous valve cover work had left behind a silvery sealant around the valve caps,had to scrape gasket material off the ends so I figure better safe than covered in oil. Couldn't find the black hi-temp rtv at local hardware store so I figure next best is the copper stuff. Seems like the caps weren't flush with the top of the head, and they're a bit loose so a little around the ends and a nice even torque pattern on the cover with a new gasket should get me sealed up night and tight. We'll see what happens when time comes, I guess if it doesn't seal tight first try I could open it back up and use some sealant eh?

I just went though this when I discovered that the previous owner had attempted to extract a broken stud but failed. It was a total mess. I pulled the head and tried to drill the remaining stud out with cobalt left-twist bits to no avail. the only thing that would cut the stud was a dremel tungsten cutting bit that I used in my dewalt 1/2'' drill. once i had a hole cut through, I then drilled it out slowly increasing the bit size. then i retapped the hole to 8mm for a new stud. it was a total pain. I can't believe the previous owner did that and then just bolt the exhaust up.

Had similar situation not long ago. I ended up having to take it to a local shop that had an EDM. They burnt that damn extractor right out.

Here is my post:

www.kzrider.com/forum/2-engine/465607-br...torwhats-next#466986

Good luck to ya. It will come out one way or another.

edm is the only way sometimes unless you can get to a welder dude and he knows his stuff and luck is around too

Awwww damn you guys...Give a brother with a welder some hope! Once I get the bike back together, assuming the _other_ stud doesn't break, I'll take it up to my buddy's shop.

But I'm reading all the other threads first in case that's a bad idea, lol. I'll update when I figure out wtf to do. I'm itchin to ride but waiting for (more) parts and tools...

I've heard people can use welder torch and just vapourize the bolts, leaving the alloy head and threads intact. But they really do have to know what they are doing.