Bolt snapped!!!!!!
 

Just snapped the bolthead off a tank bolt. About 1/4 in of bolt sticking out of frame. ANY IDEAS ON WHAT TO DO NOW? (I'm already banging my head on the floor:mad:)

Hmmm, which bolt? At the front of the tank? Put some penetrating oil on it and try using vice grips, and then perhaps an easy out. It's surprising that's so difficult to get out - I wonder if threads were crossed when it was put in last?

Good luck!

Lisle makes a great tool for this I just used it on a snapped bolt head on the header on the 250 rebel I used to have. "Rent it" like I did from Sears :) Let me find it for you. I would soak it with pb blaster in the meantime. My brand new hawk did the same thing when I got it in '99 I think the guy who put it together at the dealer cross threaded the damn thing

Use penetrating oil, and I'd recommend lightly tapping it with a hammer... LIGHTLY... your just trying to break it feel if it's frozen in there, not hammer it in... should come out with a vice grip after that.

J.

Here you go:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00946338000P

You just hit it onto the broken stud and it digs in and then you just (hopefully) unscrew it. Again they worked like a champ on a frozen header stud that broke off in the cylinder head on the rebel. You're really lucky you have some bolt still sticking out, when my tank bolt broke it broke flush. Good luck hope this helps! Again rent it from sears ;)

Like said earlier, vice grips.

Or I guess vise grips could work too. I couldn't use them because it was in such a tight spot-the recessed exhaust port between all the fins sticking out on the cylinder head. The bolt extractor will get a much better bite into the material though if it's really stuck in there-it digs in deeper and at 4 points-where visegrips could start slipping/rounding off at a certain point. Hey just my 2 cents...

THANKS FOR ALL THE INFO. iT IS THE FRONT BOLT ON THE TANK. I'm thinking about draining the tank and taking it off so I wont scratch it while I'm in there. Anybody taken the tank off, is it very difficult? I've got a service manuel and I think it's within my capabilities.

I went to Lowes to try and get a new bolt but they had NOTHING close to the size of the front tank bolt. Looks like i'll be ordering from MR Cycles. Bolt is only $1.12 but shipping will be much more!

Ok, I couldn't resist. I'm sorry for your problem with the bolt, and this is certainly a great site as you can see from the help you get just from asking. But, 'has anybody taken the tank off?" are you kidding? Just look at any recent post for the kind of work people do on this site.

its actually getting the tank back on that we all regularly screw up - just pay attention to the vacuum hose and where it mounts on the petcock and follow the manual for removal.

try an ACE hardware or an anfiliate that uses their product line as the have a huge amount more variaty in hardware than lowes or home depot.

i had the same thing happen to me. what i did was i took the tank off. then i took a dremel with a cutting wheel and cut a groove across the bolt. then i sprayed a little WD-40 around the threads and took it out with a flat head screwdriver. no problems.

To take the tank off, remove front bolts (minus the broken one), disconnect the sending unit harness, then carefully hinge the tank up towards the rear, and reach down in there with a small crescent wrench and turn off the fuel valve. (Mine had no handle.) Then you can disconnect the fuel hoses and vacuum line. You should be able to remove all these and the clamps by hand. Then just remove the sideways tank bolt that goes under the back, and lift the tank off.

Thanks. If the fuel valve cuts off will that prevent me from draining the tank?

the petcock is a vacuum operated switch. if it is in working order there is no need to shut the valve... or drain the tank.

tim

Go to your local Fastenal store. If you're lucky, like I was, they'll just give you a couple nice stainless steel hex-head bolts.

I snapped a bolt when putting on a CCT a couple years ago. Damn, my heart sank. Luckily it wasn't cross-threaded and it came right out with some needle-nose plier easy as pie. I'm guessing yours is cross-threaded though.

If you like, I'm in your area and I have thousands of metric bolts, you may have what you need free. PM me

+1

However it is a good idea to run the tank until it hits reserve, unless you want to build some muscles.

Especially if it's a full VFR tank.

Make sure you remember which hose goes where...............

Kai Ju

This should be a peice of cake to get out unless you cross threaded it and the threads are buggered up too. If you just overtighted it and twisted the bolt into the peice left in there will twist right out probably with you fingers.

I would suggest losening the rear tank bolt and carefully raise the tank 4 o5 five inches making sure to watch the fuel line and such are no stretched. A roll of duct tape make an excellent prop for the tank. just stick the roll ontop of the air box.

Then if you just over tightened the bolt you should be able to just turn it our by hand.

Oh i always cover the tank with a good towel to protect it from stupidity tool goof ups.

neat trick for aluminum.

You will need

A can of keyboard / electronics duster w/ straw
small butane torch

Heat remaining bolt with butain torch for 30 seconds or so.
Upend the can of duster and hose the toasty nub with liquid CO2.
Going from 400 F to -40 F causes thermal shock. Gradual expansion followed by rapid contraction breaks free the bonds that tie. Tap it a little with a steel faced hammer and grab on with some real deal vise grips with the flat serrated jaws, not the curvy jaws.

Alternate method is to place a fender washer over the nub and then place a nut that will slip over the nub without too much extra room. Get a friend with a mig or a tig "unhook battery!" to weld the nut to the stub. The flat washer will prevent the nut from arcing to the machined pad and ruining the finish of the frame. The heat will work it's magic and you should be able to shoot it with some CO2 from the duster, give it a few taps and give it a go! Use never seize on the new bolts.

+ 1
dremel with a cutting wheel