Bandit exhaust bolts siezed

[marksmith]

Hi folks,

My '99 Bandit 600 has a hole in the exhaust, so it needs to come off. I've got 6 of the 8 socket-head bolts out but the last two are just completely stuck. I've tried penetrating oil (lots of), heating with gas torch, attempting to remove them with allen key sockets, hammering a spline key into the socket, bolt extractors on the outside and so on. Last two absolutely will not budge, and now they're completely rounded off inside and so badly mashed outside that the extractors won't grip. Part of the problem is that they're round heads so the bolt extractors were not ideally suited anyway.

Any further suggestions?

Thanks,

Mark

[Anthony]

your best idea was soaking them in WD-40, i did that on bolts that were seized on my bike and they came out with that and a Halfords socket set is it the two middle ones??

[marksmith]

Looking at the bike from the front, it's the two on the third downpipe from the left.

Any ideas given that I no longer have this option?

I did thoroughly soak them all with penetrating fluid overnight before I attempted to remove them. They've been in there 10 years - they're properly seized.

[Guest]

Nut splitter?

[marksmith]

Nut splitter?

They're bolts, not nuts. Also I don't think I'd get one in there

[Bill_on_a_bike]

Put a hacksaw across the head, cut a line right across the middle fairly deep, when it's deep enough get the longest flat head screw driver blade you can find and hammer it in there. That's about the only way I can think of to get purchase on it.

Good old fashioned WD-40 will probably help loosen it up too.

[Mightycaz]

Do you have a little blow torch? A little bit of heat and gentle nudging (impact engineering my old boss used to say!) with a hammer does wonders for all nuts/bolts.

[Guest]

Nut splitter?

They're bolts, not nuts. Also I don't think I'd get one in there

Note to self, pay more attention...!

Don't suppose there's room to drill them out and tap a new thread?

[marksmith]

Yep, heated them with gas torch and got one out that way (five had already budged) but two remain. To be honest I think if I'd heated them BEFORE mashing the heads I might have had more success... but I didn't.

I tried to drill one of the heads off and it just blunted the drill bit almost immediately, and hardly touched the bolt. I say hardly, because it did mash the socket so badly that there's now no hope of getting it out from the inside (using a hex key or similar).

Argh.

Sawing a slot sounds like a good idea but I doubt I'm going to be able to get a saw in there - the exhaust ports are sort of recessed into the engine. I might be able to get a tiny little "dremel" type cutter in there, though, possibly, at a push.

Thanks for all the replies!

[Guest]

Yep, heated them with gas torch and got one out that way (five had already budged) but two remain. To be honest I think if I'd heated them BEFORE mashing the heads I might have had more success... but I didn't.

I tried to drill one of the heads off and it just blunted the drill bit almost immediately, and hardly touched the bolt. I say hardly, because it did mash the socket so badly that there's now no hope of getting it out from the inside (using a hex key or similar).

Argh.

Sawing a slot sounds like a good idea but I doubt I'm going to be able to get a saw in there - the exhaust ports are sort of recessed into the engine. I might be able to get a tiny little "dremel" type cutter in there, though, possibly, at a push.

Thanks for all the replies!

 

go on banditmania.com, they do FAQ and can fix your exhaust.. once its off..

generally heat the head smack a small socket over the head and then use the socket to undo..

http://www.banditmania.co.uk/faq.htm

Q] Take my header pipes off to send to BanditMania for repair? The bolt head is so weathered the key just spins, is this normal?

A] Its normal don't panic!! Go for a run on the bike to get it really hot then when you get back leave it ticking over for 5-10 mins. You'll need a 12mm multi sided socket. Hammer this over the bolt head and then attach the socket driver and slowly and carefully start undoing the bolt a little at a time. You'll burn your fingers on the exhaust but this is the best bet for removing the header pipes. Remember patience is a virtue! You can help matters even more by putting a lube on such as WD40 morning and night for about a week before you attempt to take the exhaust off.

[Colin the Bear]

WD40 is a poor penetrating oil. Something Graphite based works better.

A bolt extractor kit may work. You drill a small hole into the bolt and screw in a left hand thread tapered cutter. As it bites the bolt should come out. When fitting replacment bolts use copperslip. Or studs and brass nuts.

American site but good for ideas on kit available

http://www.brandsplace.com/tool-hand-to ... ctors.html

This may help

http://www.bikerlifestyle.co.uk/tech/screw/extract.htm

Knock yourself out here http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&so ... ractor+kit

[collier32]

Can you get in to weld another nut on top of the rounded off one

[marksmith]

Well, I managed to get the last two bolts off, after a fashion. Heated them again for a good 5 mins per bolt, let them cool, lots more penetrating fluid, then tried with the 12mm socket hammered on, and the bolt extractor again. Both sheared off (one with the 12mm socket, one with the extractor).

Anyway the exhaust is now off, and I have the fabulous task ahead of getting out four sheared bolt shanks. I bought some smaller bolt/screw extractors which will grip the remaining shanks, and I'm hoping that with more heating, more penetrating oil and a lot of luck, the studs will come out rather than just snapping off too short to get the extractor on them. However they were previously seized enough to shear the heads off, so I'm not supremely confident!

Fingers crossed...!

[Guest]

Well, I managed to get the last two bolts off, after a fashion. Heated them again for a good 5 mins per bolt, let them cool, lots more penetrating fluid, then tried with the 12mm socket hammered on, and the bolt extractor again. Both sheared off (one with the 12mm socket, one with the extractor).

Anyway the exhaust is now off, and I have the fabulous task ahead of getting out four sheared bolt shanks. I bought some smaller bolt/screw extractors which will grip the remaining shanks, and I'm hoping that with more heating, more penetrating oil and a lot of luck, the studs will come out rather than just snapping off too short to get the extractor on them. However they were previously seized enough to shear the heads off, so I'm not supremely confident!

Fingers crossed...!

you could always drill them and tap them... ready for new bolts.. and coppaslip the new ones..

[Colin the Bear]

Remove cylinder head and get bolts spark eroded or replace cylinder head. Sheesh. Gets complicated sometimes.

[Chrissb6]

Hi there, you should of not heated the bolts. you need to heat the metal around the bolts. heating the bolt will cause the bolt to expand and go tighter in the thread socket. Give the bolts another soaking of wd40 then heat up the area around the bolt, try not to heat the bolt. The expanding metal around the bolt thread should break the bolt free.

best of luck mate.

[marksmith]

We're down to two remaining sheared bolts stuck in the engine. Cannot get bolt extractors to grip on them but I am hopeful that if I could get purchase I'd stand a good chance of turning them out.

My last hope before I resort to removing the head (which I really don't want to do) is to MIG weld a nut onto the tops of them and turn them out with sockets. Any thoughts on this? One opinion I've heard is that it will make the bolts hard and brittle and they will snap and not be able to be drilled out. Anyone agree / disagree?

Thanks all!

[Guest]

We're down to two remaining sheared bolts stuck in the engine. Cannot get bolt extractors to grip on them but I am hopeful that if I could get purchase I'd stand a good chance of turning them out.

My last hope before I resort to removing the head (which I really don't want to do) is to MIG weld a nut onto the tops of them and turn them out with sockets. Any thoughts on this? One opinion I've heard is that it will make the bolts hard and brittle and they will snap and not be able to be drilled out. Anyone agree / disagree?

Thanks all!

can you get a nut on them.. then hammer the stud, so that the nut doesn't undo, but turns the stud out.. a deformed head/thread will make the nut find the easiest route.. hopefully undoing.. out of the block.

[marksmith]

can you get a nut on them..

No I tried with the intention of putting two on, locking them together and turnings it out using the inside one. Threads are too mashed from using the bolt extractor.

Also you'd have to really seriously mash down the head to make it easier for the stud to turn than for the nut to re-cut the thread, wouldn't you?

Ta,

M.

[Guest]

have you got them out yet??

[marksmith]

No.

Bike shop declined the work, but I've found someone with a TIG welder who will weld nuts on. Unfortunately the next time we're both free at the same time is 2 weeks away... bike's been off the road about 3 weeks already