Big Horror Story

[Pin2003GT]

I was installing some Steeda pullies and T/A and you know the starter bolt Steeda gives you to start the crank pulley....well it fu*@ing snapped off IN the crank. So, I've been trying easy outs and what not to try and get the other half out. Its been a lot of work. I've looked everywhere and cannot find a starter bolt like the one Steeda gives you. I guess its an odd size or something. If anyone has one lying around from doing their pulley install, I will buy it off you. I still don't have the broken bolt out yet, but I hope I will soon and I'm gonna need a starter bolt to finish this nightmare. Any help and/or suggestions are appreciated...a 3-4 hour install has been going on for 2 weeks now!

 

[00gtconv]

The folks at steeda are very cool. It is a very unusal bolt and thread.
They will sell you just the bolt and get it to you right away.

Forget going to Lowes or a hardware store that carries bolts in bins.
I got close to the bolt and they were able to tell me what kind of bolt it was at a special bolt shop and they woud order me one, but it was quicker to go to steeda

 

[02mingreyGT]

DUDE! same thing happened to me just the other day. FREAKING HORROR STORY so my car has been sittin here for the past 3 days and the bolt is still in there and i dont really know how to get it out so im gunna go find an easy out and pray alot

 

[todd4566]

I hate hearing horror stories like that . I don't think I'll ever be putting pullies on! I swear the bolt would break on me too

 

[Go HoTO!]

The $50 that I paid to have mine installed is sounding like a real good deal right now.

 

[02mingreyGT]

They wanted 100$ for mine

 

[Pin2003GT]

I wish I would have paid someone to do this. I'll call Steeda on Monday. As far as removing that MotherFu*@er, I'm on my 3rd Craftsman easy out/retracter bit, not to mention about 8 hours of drilling already. I'll keep you guys updated. I've talked to machine shops and everyone I could think of that could help, and they said I've got 2 choices. 1 is what I'm doing, 2 is pull the motor, drop the crank and bring it to a machine shop. Sounds expensive, so I'm drilling for the rest of the summer. I feel like I'll never drive my car again. Uugghhh!

 

[AdRock]

You can buy a high enough grade bolt and a flat washer at pretty much and NAPA auto parts store. It's not some strange thread, it took me about 5 minutes to walk in find the bolt and washer and get out.

 

[jamathi]

Do a search a remember this happened to a guy about a year ago. I've broken many bolts. Drilling sucks like crap. My advice is use the bolt out sockets....unless that is what easy outs are. Try using diff sizes. Try heating it with a torch and to soak it with pb blaster. How much of the broken bolt is sticking out for you to work with. Best of all try finding the thread about this and see what that guy did.

 

[jamathi]

There are a lot of good threads on corral.net about this. Search the words : brke steeda bolt. Hope this helps.

 

[Pin2003GT]

I'll try it...The other half of the broken bolt is in the crank. I can barely touch the end of it if I stick my pinky finger in there. I've been using those Craftsman retracter/easy out pieces. I'm on my 3rd one. My arms are like jello. ****. ****. ****.

 

[yellow5.0cobra]

Dont heat the crank with a torch, you will take out a lot of seals in the process.

I guess go and buy some VERY nice drill bits and drill it out, and heli-coil.


Im sorry for being misinformed, but I never did pullies on a 4.6, I assume there are 4 bolts?

USE ONLY 3!


How bout you use a SMALL drill bit, something not that small, but enough to have some meat on the edge of the bolt in the crank. Now... drill it out in the center and then buy a REVERSE tap and tap it in, then screw in another bolt, bolt it in, then it will catch the end of it and start to unscrew the bolt in there by the tap.


Pete

 

[ROBW9999]

...

Been there done that ....

sorry to hear that guys, I try to warn as many people as possible when doing pulley installations about this. Last summer this happened to me when installing mine, the installation pulley broke off before the pulley ever made in on.
Day 2- we try an easy out to get the bolt out, it breaks off in the bolt. I then got the car towed to my house (it was at a friends house) and I never had time to work on it until 2 weeks later.
We ended up having to drill the bolt out (after we dremeled the easy out, out), then we had to tap the crank and move up to a considerably larger bolt.

In the end we got the pulleys and timing adjuster on(which had to be modified a little to work with the bigger bolt)

Good luck and e-mail me at [email protected] if you have any questions, I wouldn't wish this kinda thing on anyone after having gone through it myself.

 

[ROBW9999]

oh and another thing, when you do get the bolt on DO NOT use a bolt to pull the pulley on. You won't find any kind of repair manual that will tell you to use a bolt to put a crank pulley on. Use a mallet with a thin piece of wood or something over the pulley and lightly tap it on.

 

[Pin2003GT]

thanks...I think I'm gonna stop with the easy-outs. I hear too many of them breaking off in there. I'm gonna just start drilling it out and hope for the best. Man, this sucks. Why couldn't this happen in December when its 8 degrees out?

 

[yellow5.0cobra]

REVERSE TAP IT!

Then bolt in a new bolt in the bolt, basically, as you tighten the bolt in the bolt, it will loosen the bolt in the crank!

We did this numerous times at the shop for other bolts that get stuck with good sucess.


Goodluck man,
Pete

 

[Pin2003GT]

thanks a lot Pete...I'm gonna try the reverse tap and see how it goes....

 

[02mingreyGT]

any luck?

 

[Pin2003GT]

not yet buddy...i was going to work on it today. I'll keep you guys updated

 

[BLKVERT]

Do a search a remember this happened to a guy about a year ago. I've broken many bolts. Drilling sucks like crap. My advice is use the bolt out sockets....unless that is what easy outs are. Try using diff sizes. Try heating it with a torch and to soak it with pb blaster. How much of the broken bolt is sticking out for you to work with. Best of all try finding the thread about this and see what that guy did.

I believe your right, PM Firemanz, it happend to him on his old GT before he got the Roush. I am sure he will help you out as best he can, giving you advice.