HELP! (head bolts)

[Beattie]

A while ago i pulled the heat sink off my engine to remove a compression ring thingo. And when I put the heat sink back on... on the very last screw of the last tighten up(isnt always the way?) the very tip of the allen key snaped off in the bolt. You know where allen keys go a bit thinner so you can manouver them in the bolt? that whole little bottom section is suck in there and i can't get the bloody thing out. I just left it there for a while because it wasn't doing any harm... But i thought i better get it out now :hammer:

Any ideas on how?
I've tryed poking it, tapping it upsidedown and using tweesers.

Thanks in advance!

 

[vbgagnon]

Try taking a small drill bit and put a hole into the broken piece. Then take a screw with a pointed tip and screw it in as much as you can then pull with your needle nose pliers.

 

[ImBroken]

Been there, done that.... lol The tip is most likely locked in there from tightening it. If you can get something in there, you have to try to turn the piece as if you were loosening it. It shouldn't take much, then it will just fall out. It's just tweaked in there...

 

[Beattie]

sounds like fun, drilling a hole in a tiny bolt bit right down the bottom of a 11 fin heat sink(makes me wish i still had my .12) then screwing a tiny screw into it... Eh ill give it a try! I just gotta fins a small drill bit small enough... maybe even the viabrations will loosen it :hammer: :hammer: :hammer:

glad to see I'm not the only sufferer... Thanks guys!

 

[FRIDGE]

:ahh: you can get a verry small flat head screw driver side the roken allen then give it a tap with the hammer. hit the top most part you can so you dont end up wiht a ringed out hex head stick in there too.

 

[Omega]

Just brainstorming, Adhesives/Epoxies may work?

 

[Beattie]

No good! I tryed drilling, hammering, jamming screwdrivers in and stabing with a sharpend stick(metel). Nothing did anything because i just remembered Allen Keys are tool grade steel... you can't drill em etc! I nearly drilled the srew out from under it!

I dont want to use adhesisves coz i dont want to stick more poop to the engine! The allen key is olnly tiny remember... I might try to jam a small screwdriver in there again but its a tight fit!

 

[Rolex]

A center punch, or an awl. Something thin with a good point. set it in the corners of the hex on the allen head and tap gently in each corner. eventually it will get out of its' locked position and fall loose. You can't drill it.
The only other option is to get a round carbide grinding ball for the Dremel, and grind off the head of the allen screw. Then take ALL the head bolts out, remove the head, and use vice grips on the screw shaft to remove it.

 

[StrechM]

If you have access to a drill press and can contact your local tool shop for a drill bit hard enough, you can do it with ease. The reason I recommend a drill press is that may be the only tool stable enough to allow you to carefully drill enough of the head off of the bolt to be able to remove it without damaging the cooling head.

 

[ZANDOR]

been there done that get your self a 3/32 left handed colbalt drill bit (yes a left handed bit) when it spins it does spin in the oppisit direction.there about 14$ a pieace but well worth the money you will be able to use it over and over again.there great for extracting broken off screws most of the time it will thak out a screw with out useing an easy out MY 2 CENTS

 

[Rolex]

That just reminded me of an ad I saw a couple of months ago. Sears now sells left handed screw extractor bits. Sort of like a drill, but meant to Bite into ANY type of head for easy removal. Different sizes. That's probably the cheapest and easiest way out. And yes, I also recommend a drill press if you have access to one. Slowest speed.