RE: Broken stud extractor; now what?

[Greg Ames <tga@ma.ultranet.com>]

>>My nice, shiny, new stud extractor snapped (shattered?) into about 15
>>pieces and the broken stud hasn't budged a millimetre.
>>
>>Now, I know I can walk right into Sears and get my extractor replaced,
>>but I have a feeling that it's not going to get any easier.
>I had exactly the same thing happen when trying to remove a bolt on a
>Honda.  What I ended up doing was borrowing a Dremmel tool, going to a
>hardware store and purchasing a carbide bit ( the one I used had a
>rounded end and the "teeth?" spiraled from that end), and spending the
>next several of hours removing both the extractor and the remains of the
>bolt.  Note: the head is MUCH softer than the broken screw extractor so
>it is easy to apply too much pressure, bounce off and gouge the head.

Oh yeah, now I remember why I hate extractors/easy-outs.  I had a similar
experience trying to get the remains of a sheered-off bleeder nipple out of
one of the rear calipers on my Saturn (parking brake mechanism adds $90;
front was $35, rear was $125).  Ultimately, I punted, paid the $125
stupidity charge,and got a new caliper.

Some hints from my (less than successful) experience:

- Don't try to drill out the extractor.  You'll just wreck your bits. :(
- The extractor is hard to grind, but grinding down the top with a
  Dremel as Chris recommended can loosen it enough that you can get
  a dental pick or the like between the hole and the edge of the
  extractor.  Then flick out the carbide stump with the pick, and
  you're back to square one :)
- I've heard that Snap-On make really good extractors that use a
  different mechanism than the Craftsman and work better without
  breaking.  I have no experience with them, though.
- A friend has had good luck using reverse bits in a press to drill
  out a little of the stud/bolt at a time (going step by step).
  Often, with multiple drillings, the stud/bolt vibrates loose.  Once
  he drilled perfectly just to the threads, used a pick to dig out
  the leftover metal, and cleaned it with a tap.  I am not that brave...

Greg
tga@ma.ultranet.com
No Audi's yet, just 2 Saturns, hopefully an A4 soon...