Situation:

While installing my Crawford Plenum, one of the bolts which are inside the plenum, the head broke off while torquing it down. (Crawford reconized the problem and now offering stronger bolts)

Now I'm taking off the plenum so I can do some other engine upgrades.

I've been told there are drills which has a special drill bit which I can drill into the screw, and be used to unscrew it out, but I never done anything like this, or even know the name of the drill bit that needs to be used.

If anyone has any information on this, I'd really be thankful. I'm worried that if this doesn't work, how I'm going to take off the plenum without the risk of the screw/screw shavings while drilling droping into the engine. Any help or advice would be great.

 

FIRST: are there enough threads exposed to get some vice grips on it? If so, then just grab it tight with some vice grips and turn.

NEXT: if it is flush, then you need an easy out. You are right to be concerned. you could easily scratch the side or break pieces off. a shop vac should take care of shavings and pieces easily enough.

go easy on your drilling speed when drilling the hole for the easy out, use a punch to set the initial hole and drill exactly perpendicular to the top of the bolt. Use a pilot hole and gradually increase the size of the drill bit to match that of the easy out. Then you should be able to turn the bolt out counterclockwise using the top of the easy out.

if you mess up and drill the threads some you can tap the threads SLIGHTLY larger and use a larger bolt for that hole. This is ghetto but is a whole lot cheaper than a new lower plenum.

I personally would practice on something else first, I still remember vividly the hours I spent under my 86 Jeep Cherokee when one of the shock absorber bolts sheared off and I f'ed up the easy out drilling. I spent two days tapping the new bolt hole and another day looking for the right size bolt.

 

You can drill it out and use a helicoil available at AutoZone. Drill out and re-tap it. Try a screw extractor. Those are kind of a pain though.

 

I've used these before and they work great. Just take your time doing it.

 

Another solution may be using a drill bit that is made to turn counterclockwise. I'm not sure what they are called but I have used them with success. The bolt is probably not that tight, so it should come out fairly easy.