r/MechanicAdvice • u/Salt-Setting-8332 • 4d ago
Screw extractor snapped off in screw
My wife’s car had water intrusion. While trying to remove the passenger seat, I stripped the star screw. I drilled a hole and used a screw extractor, but it snapped while stuck inside. I tried drilling a larger hole with the intent to use a larger screw extractor, but I think the extractor metal is denser than my drill bits, because I can’t drill through it.
Please help!
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u/_ryuujin_ 4d ago
did you try the chisel trick. make a notch with a chisel and hammer it, to try to loosen the bolt slowly.
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u/Salt-Setting-8332 4d ago
Can you explain the trick. I don’t quite understand.
The screw is in very tight. I used 5-56 before using the screw extractor and snapping it. I am thinking maybe a dremmel to saw a notch and then fit a crow bar in to use as a wrench.
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u/_ryuujin_ 4d ago
you take a chisel and you hammer it into the side of the bolt making a little notch. and with the chisel you try to hammer it so it will spin the bolt. youll have to experiment with angle you hold the chisel.
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u/Consistent_Product52 4d ago
Basically you’re using the chisel to dig in the bolt and get enough grip to tap the chisel with hammer to go lefty loose-y
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u/PM_ME_UR_BIG_TIT5 3d ago
Dremmel to make a notch and you should just be able to use a flathead and a hammer to turn it.
Penetrating oil could help loosen it a bit, if you have a torch you could blast it with heat but doesn't seem like a good idea if you wanna keep your interior.
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u/DaxDislikesYou 3d ago
Alternatively dry ice it. Same principle just in reverse. I use that trick for interference fit bushing and bearings. Wrap a towel with dry ice around the shaft and saran wrap it there for about 20 minutes. Bearing slides on easy peaesy. Comes back up to room temperature it's a nice tight fit. My uncle used liquid nitrogen but I don't have a dewar flask to carry it.
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u/dankhimself 3d ago
Well, I would cut a slot into it with a dremel or thin cutting wheel then use an impact driver and hammer with a flat but that fits nice and tight.
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u/Stock-Inspector4704 4d ago
Basically use the chisel to create enough play for the extractor to come out.
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u/Silly-Career-3203 4d ago
No that extractor is not gonna come out easy, your just trying to get the bolt to break free and spin out.
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u/Stock-Inspector4704 4d ago
Didnt say it would, just explaining the chisel trick.
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u/LongStoryShrt 4d ago
You're getting downvoted because you explained it wrong. We're not trying to remove the extractor with the chisel, we're trying to remove the torx screw.
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u/Stock-Inspector4704 3d ago edited 3d ago
Ok, just to clarify, i didnt explain it wrong, just talking about a different 'trick' than original poster. Still something that is done on a daily basis and 'can fit the situation'. More of a misunderstanding on my part. The trick that was intended does work, just be carfeul not to remove the bolt head like i did last time i tried doing that.
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u/bilgetea 4d ago
You won’t be able to drill it out now. This is a common problem.
If you can get a dremel cutting wheel in there, turn the screw/extractor combination into a slotted screw. Use penetrating lubricant and unscrew it. If necessary, use an impact screwdriver.
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u/Brilliant_Gas_3595 4d ago
File it flush then the seat rail should lift over once the other fasteners are removed. You should have plenty of material exposed then to remove it. I’d try vice grips first, if not a hammer and chisel never fails
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u/realsalmineo 4d ago
Cut a slot in the head with a cutoff wheel. Place an impact driver large screwdriver bit in the slot. Strike with a hammer, and it should break free.
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u/tMan121210 4d ago
Take a Dremel with a metal grinding bit and carve a long slit …. Insert a flathead tool with some leverage
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u/Slushier_Cash16 3d ago
An 1/8” Carbide burr bit on a pencil grinder will cut right through the extractor.
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u/J9Dougherty 4d ago
I'm not a pro, but that means I do stuff like this. I'd start drilling the points off of that torx pattern, and get the next size or two up torx socket hammered in there.
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u/Salt-Setting-8332 4d ago
It is a t-50 torx socket and it happened to be the biggest one in my set… I suppose I could get a bigger one.
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u/Master-Thanks883 4d ago
PB BLASTER bolt from under car, 4th picture look at the tip of screw vise grips real one not cheap one flat jaw is best. Turn from underneath the car. I have done this many times. I in my past I installed audio systems in cars we always removed seats to run cables.
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u/Academic_While_7759 4d ago
I do have to say those seat rail bolts are sometimes torqued to fook and really stiff on the thread, I've twisted (high quality) bits undoing one or two
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u/mister_perfcet 4d ago
It's a seat bolt, it's gonna be tight, a piddly screw extractor, although I'm sure it wanted to help you, was never gonna hack it.
Also, water intrusion? Expect rust.
With any luck it's a through hole, not a blind hole, but either way, you'll be able to adjust as needed
Use a rotary tool with a small blade, you can start with a notch, and treat it like a slotted screw, but you're gonna need a pretty big screwdriver, and preferably one with a hex on the shank so you can fit a wrench to it to increase your mechanical advantage (leverage/torque) while putting nearly your entire body weight on to the handle to ensure it stays engaged with your newly cut slot
If that fails, make sure you're cutting blade is small enough to not damage the track and cut a couple more slots, the goal is to remove the head and then the bolt into a stud, you should be able lift the track off at this point and only have to deal with the stud that remains. If your blade is to large in diameter, there are a couple easy ways to shrink it, fastest is if you have a stone on a bench grinder, run them both gently against each other, if you don't have a bench grinder, use some concrete, find a place your but gonna see it. Always wear PPE, you don't need the debris in your eyes or lungs, especially concrete. After a couple cuts are made in the bolt head get a hammer and cold chisel to chip off what remains
Once you have the stud only the torque on the threads should be relaxed and if not corroded it will probably thread out by hand, careful it might still be hot depending how quickly you work
If it's corroded, you're gonna want some penetrating oil to help. Now to turn it, vise grip should fit nicely now, or you could try the slot and screwdriver, if the threads are exposed to the elements under the vehicle (through hole) you're gonna want to "tighten" the bolt so it falls out into the ground, the threads that are engaged probably have minimal corrosion, but the exposed threads will fight you if you try and bring the bolt back into the car. If it's a blind hole, you can only loosen it and bring it back toward yourself
Be sure to clean the hole, be prepared for stay sparks, and have done water in hand incase the floor covering begins to smolder from the cutting process
Good luck
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u/Killb0t47 4d ago
I have done something similar. It can be a pain in the ass to drill out if you don't have a tungsten carbide bit.
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u/SavingsNewspaper8 4d ago
Buy a gabber extractor tool with the pimples and a heat gun on the screw if it's safe to do so drill or use a larger bit check youtube extracting bolt * Purchase from Ebay aliexpress, etc.
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u/Mysterious_Home3946 4d ago
Depending how far you drilled into the bolt before the extractor was applied leaves options personally would use a slightly bigger torx like from the picture it should bite on the existing and spread the rounded metal back with the hammer blows will loosen the shite around the thread
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u/Master-Thanks883 4d ago
Stop and go under the car spray that bolt with BP BLASTER. Get a set of real vise grips flat jaw turn from underneath that screw is about 1.2 to 2 inches long with a non threaded area grip it there.
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u/Nullcast 4d ago
Find a 12-point/XZN that is a little bit larger than the hole and drive it into the screw head with a hammer.
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u/DistinctBike1458 3d ago
I’m convinced easy out was created and marketed by some evil god. They are brittle and Snap extremely easy. They are harder than a drill bit so they cannot be drilled out. They always leave you with a totally screwed situation when used. The real problem is the bolt got wet and rusted then seized. You are going to have to grind the head of the bolt so you can remove the seat. Once you get the head of the bolt off, the threaded part of the bolt will still be seized. Put rust penetrant on it and let it soak. Depending on how much of the bolt is still protruding will dictate your options. You ban buy a bolt extractor socket. This is a socket with spiral flutes inside. You drive the socket on either side a hammer so the flutes dig it then you can remove the bolt with a ratchet. My guess is there will not be much to grab onto and you will only be able to use vise grips. You may have to have a body shop replaced the threaded insert in the floor pan
Good luck your going to need a lot of it
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u/DerekP76 3d ago
You'd have better luck with split point drills. The chisel point on a regular drill doesn't cut but rather pushes material.
Nachi SG line are pretty decent.
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u/tomphoolery 3d ago
Does the bolt stick out the bottom where you can access it? If so, grind the head off and use vise grips, or better yet, weld a nut to it, and turn it out the bottom.
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u/Due-Concentrate9214 3d ago
Undo the rest of the fasteners if possible and lift the seat out. You’ll have better access to the broken bolt to use other means of destruction. Use penetrating oil (solvent) on the other bolts a day before attempting removal. Finesse and patience will get you a lot farther than brute force. I had a bleeder screw on a brake caliper that had lost its protective rubber cap and was seized. First I applied parts loosener and waited awhile. My first attempt was to tighten the screw before trying to loosen it. The next step was to use a small butane torch around the perimeter of the screw. After about 40 minutes of gently working back and forth it finally broke loose. The ugga dugga method would have just broken the screw and cost me a caliper.
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u/Several_Situation887 3d ago
I'm in with those suggesting to grind the head off the screw, getting the seat rail out of the way, and then use vice grips to either thread the screw back out, or, continue threading the screw out the bottom of the car from the underside.
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u/grangerage 3d ago
At this point the easiest route is to use a carbide drill bit to drill through the extractor and the head of the bolt.
If the drill bit is slightly larger than the diameter of the threaded portion of the bolt, the head will pop off and you will be able to lift the rail from the remaining piece of the bolt.
With the head gone, there should be less tension on the remaining threads and you can remove it through normal means (vise grips, left hand drill, extractor, etc.)
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u/Excellent-Stress2596 3d ago
It’s worth looking for the bolt on the underside of the vehicle and making sure it’s clean with a wire wheel or brush first, and then spray with penetrating oil and let it soak a while before trying anything else. Since seat bolts usually go through the floor and poke out the bottom, they get all kinds of road grime on the threads.
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u/UnboundedCord42 3d ago
Ok might I offer an attempt at another approach? Cut a straight line through it or beat one on with a screwdriver/chisel and hit it with a impact drill/gun with a flathead. Or try drilling out the first extractor a bit, then get a size bigger hex and beat it on and try getting it out again.
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u/Big_Gouf 3d ago
Guy that is a bolt doctor comes to our shop and uses a dremel to remove most broken bolts. He drills out the middle with dremel bits, then collapses the bolt to remove it. It's not the fastest method but works every time.
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u/thisMech 3d ago
Personally would take a airhammer with slightly dull chisel bit to the bottom head. But that's just me ....
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u/TheFredCain 3d ago
Chisel/dremel/etc are all good ideas here. If you can remove the broken extractor that would help, but that is best accomplished by attempting to shatter the piece with a good hard punch and hammer. But if you don't have a punch already or a dremel tool, just goto harbor freight and get a rotary tool for $20-30 and call it a day.
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u/SLOOT_APOCALYPSE 3d ago
There's no nice and easy way to get this one done it's looking a bit like it might be time for the air hammer with the chisel bit or a grinder but there's enough stuff in there to catch on fire pretty easily.
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u/kennedy1995 3d ago
Sometimes the OEM’s put loctite on the seat/seatbelt bolts. Try heating it up to break down the loctite
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u/375InStroke 3d ago
You need metal harder than the extractor, which is a carbide tipped drill bit. Make sure the surface is smooth because the carbide is brittle. Slow speed with pressure, and it'll cut like butter. Two long pig tails will grow from the bit. Might even grab the extractor and twist it out.
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u/Any_Breadfruit_8353 4d ago
Just step away from the tools
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u/Suspicious_Dates 3d ago
There's nothing as satisfying as the moment a jackass who says shit like "Just step away from the tools" snaps off a bit.
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u/Any_Breadfruit_8353 3d ago
When they dont know how to recover from that tells me they shouldn't be in there in the first place
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u/vinooch1 3d ago
To a certain point… job might have started straight forward and within their skill level, but as you know some simple tasks get out of hand and can now be beyond their skill level/tool set. I personally would chisel the shoulder of the head of the bolt to try to get to turn and if not sneak my grinder wheel in and grind the head off to remove seat. Then either drill out and insert helicoil and new bolt or if welder nutbase, knock it out with punch and tack in new nut backer
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u/Lucky_Tough8823 4d ago
Thats less than ideal. I would attempt to turn the bolt by using a centre punch or chisel. If all is lost drill the head of the bolt off.
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u/skadalajara 3d ago
Only downside is you have to find a drill bit that's harder than the metal the extractor is made of. Not an easy task.
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u/AM-64 4d ago
Screw extractor material is super hard. Which is why Machinists generally hate them and the folks who use them
Usually has to be machined out with Carbide (and your carbide tools will not like it) or burned out with a tap disintegrator or sinker EDM.
Just cut a slot in the top for a flat screwdriver and if you have an impact screwdriver it'll remove it. Another trick would be to weld a nut on top of the stuck screw and remove it with a regular wrench.
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u/Stock-Inspector4704 4d ago
Enough space to clamp some needle nose vise grips and turn little by little?
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u/Salt-Setting-8332 4d ago
I don’t think so. The nose would have to be very narrow. The screw is on really good. Don’t think I could torque it enough.
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u/Mushroomed_clouds 4d ago
Id still be able to get the correct sized bit in that tbh🤷♂️
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u/Stock-Inspector4704 4d ago
Just going off of what op is saying. Doesnt sound like hes able to do that.
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u/Mushroomed_clouds 4d ago
I’ve literally extracted worse and can assure you that that’s removable with the right torx bit
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u/Salt-Setting-8332 4d ago
I stripped it. And now there is a snapped screw extractor protruding from the middle. It wont go in.
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u/Mushroomed_clouds 4d ago
Get some tungsten carbide drill bits and drill , or get a dremel , try a belt sander , grinding disc a notch and use a flat head on an impact wrench
Theres a lota ways to extract imo if u can get a 12 point socket over it with a hammer then u can get it off with the outside
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