22 replies to this topic

[strudel]

Off topic as this about my DD 1997 Nissan Maxima. My wife's car. We attempted a clutch install today and ran into a snag. Everything was going more or less right untill we tried to remove the flywheel bolts. They normally are torqued between 61-69 ft lbs. We tried a Snap-On 3/8 inch drive impact and not a movement. Then we tried the 1/2" jobby. It has over 300+ ft lbs of torque available. They barely moved but got all but one of the 8 off. Then the last one started to round off. Luckily my Snap-On happy apprentice had these fancy nut removers and used one of those. Well, it snapped the bolt and we have about 3/8" sticking out of the crank. Not a good afternoon.

History. Nissan replaced the clutch a few years ago. So, I need to find out if they used loctite and how they torque the flywheel bolts if they used an impact and just reefed them on there I am going to give them a piece of my mind.

In any case I need ideas of how to get his last one out. Can I use heat or will that cause problems on the crank. Could I mig weld a bolt onto the end sticking out and try to wiggle it back and forth. Will that hold or a waste of time.

Weld another piece on the end and try to thread it and use a nut. Very difficult job to do right.

Try and drill the center out and then try an easy out or get to the point where I could possibly collapse the threads and unscrew?

Last resort. Leave it as is and just use 7 bolts to remount the flywheel. Would this cause issues? As in throw off the balance as there is about an ounce of weight missing or will it be OK near the center of the crank. I could also weld the part that broke off to the flywheel and forget about it forever as it will outlast the life of the car?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Luckily the car won't be missed for a few days as the rest of the fleet takes up the slack. JS

[SiSleeper94]

Off topic as this about my DD 1997 Nissan Maxima. My wife's car. We attempted a clutch install today and ran into a snag. Everything was going more or less right untill we tried to remove the flywheel bolts. They normally are torqued between 61-69 ft lbs. We tried a Snap-On 3/8 inch drive impact and not a movement. Then we tried the 1/2" jobby. It has over 300+ ft lbs of torque available. They barely moved but got all but one of the 8 off. Then the last one started to round off. Luckily my Snap-On happy apprentice had these fancy nut removers and used one of those. Well, it snapped the bolt and we have about 3/8" sticking out of the crank. Not a good afternoon.

History. Nissan replaced the clutch a few years ago. So, I need to find out if they used loctite and how they torque the flywheel bolts if they used an impact and just reefed them on there I am going to give them a piece of my mind.

In any case I need ideas of how to get his last one out. Can I use heat or will that cause problems on the crank. Could I mig weld a bolt onto the end sticking out and try to wiggle it back and forth. Will that hold or a waste of time.

Weld another piece on the end and try to thread it and use a nut. Very difficult job to do right.

Try and drill the center out and then try an easy out or get to the point where I could possibly collapse the threads and unscrew?

Last resort. Leave it as is and just use 7 bolts to remount the flywheel. Would this cause issues? As in throw off the balance as there is about an ounce of weight missing or will it be OK near the center of the crank. I could also weld the part that broke off to the flywheel and forget about it forever as it will outlast the life of the car?

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Luckily the car won't be missed for a few days as the rest of the fleet takes up the slack. JS

I have been in this exact situation before... welding something to it will be a waste of time... heat will most likely be your best bet... it should not pose a problem to the crankshaft however you will most likely need a new rear main seal afterwards... just make sure not to heat for too long and stay as close to the bolt as possible... it should come out with minimal effort with some vise grips... if that does not work... drill a hole in the center of the bolt and if you have access to a dremel tool, use a carbide bit and cut the bolt out ( be careful not to cut the threads on the cranks... hope that helps

[strudel]

Crank seal is not an issue as it's being replaced. Nissan did a strange design. Seal sits behind a plate with 3 bolts and two pins and then a rubber gasket on the bottom of the plate.

I will try some heat. Drilling is a pain as I will have to get some extra sharp drill bits for the hard bolt. I have a dremel and will have to get a carbide tip. Life is never easy!

If that doesn't work I am just going to put it back together minus one bolt head. JS

[3gcivicsi]

i dunno too much, but id try to weld a nut to the end and then try to go back and fourth using pb. i mean, thats what id try if i had the resources and were in that position.... good luck.

[strudel]

i dunno too much, but id try to weld a nut to the end and then try to go back and fourth using pb. i mean, thats what id try if i had the resources and were in that position.... good luck.

Good idea, never thought of that. Simple solution as there is space inside the nut to weld and not get all screwed up. I might try that one first. JS


Just went out to see how that would work. I could get a bigger size nut over the bolt and weld it on. Trouble is there is a flange in the center that the flywheel mates too similar to a tire on a hub and then the nut would only be able to be turned by an open end wrench and not a socket. Might be enough to get it to move back and forth a bit but it is in there real tight. JS

[strudel]

Just rethought this a bit. I can take a nut size that a socket will fit and clear the center flange. Drill the nut out to the same thickness as the bolt sticking out and then it will slide over and I can weld into the center of the nut and secure the bolt. Perhaps the heat from the welding will also help loosen the stuck bolt. Will try it tomorrow. JS

[DEIVIONCRX]

Try some heat first, heat will usualy break down loc-tite pretty quickly, altho welding should create a good bit of heat. If you get the nut on the good enough you dont think its comming off, try to tighten it first then loosen it, usualy that will free it up.

Id probably also try cutting a generous slot in the top and using a Impact Driver and the beafyest Flathead tip youve got.

[3gStreetRacing]

are you a good welder ??? weld one mother of a bolt on the then get the gas axe and heat it up .. sounds like they have locktited it in ... or it may have seazed .. do you live in a snowy area ... no signs of rust and shit?
i personally would have used a braker bar with pole extension on the end .. instead of a gun ( i know its harder ) then gunned it
good luck let us know how you go!

cheers
marcus

[jsgprod]

Just rethought this a bit. I can take a nut size that a socket will fit and clear the center flange. Drill the nut out to the same thickness as the bolt sticking out and then it will slide over and I can weld into the center of the nut and secure the bolt. Perhaps the heat from the welding will also help loosen the stuck bolt. Will try it tomorrow. JS

I would think that once you have welded a nut on, the process of welding it on will have heated it sufficiently to help in it's removal. If someone had used any kind of locktite on the bolts when it was last assembled the welding heat should definitely have softened it sufficiently to make it easier to remove.

I would not recommend assembling it without all 8 of the clamping bolts though.

Jay

[toxicshit]

weld somekind of lever on it ! a old wrench or something.

[strudel]

Thanks for all the advice. I should have posted this with the question earlier for a better understanding of what I have to deal with. I will try the nut welded on first as it is the best welding solution. Then, if that doesn't work I will cut it off flushe and drill with a carbide bit and then slowly work my way outward either wiht bigger drill bits or carbide rotary file or dremel tool of some sort.

The seal is not an issue as I will replace it. It is hiding behind that plate with 3 bolt holes and 2 pins. It comes as one unit for the Maxima. Weird system compared to a Honda. JS

[rwdcrx]

Just rethought this a bit. I can take a nut size that a socket will fit and clear the center flange. Drill the nut out to the same thickness as the bolt sticking out and then it will slide over and I can weld into the center of the nut and secure the bolt. Perhaps the heat from the welding will also help loosen the stuck bolt. Will try it tomorrow. JS

+1 ^^

I'd try that first IMO. The heat from welding should be pretty localized and not heat up any else enough to do any damage.

My $.02

Chris

[EuphoricBlue]

if all else fails, you could drill it out, bolt and threads, then drill the treads out of the other holes and re-tap them all for a slightly larger bolt. You might have to re-drill the bolt holes in the flywheel also.

It's a lot of work though, might be more worthwhile to replace the crank. (if all else fails ofcourse)

[toxicshit]

Jerry ive used a special kind of drill bit for this kind of trouble.

its a drill that looks diffrent from a normal drill


||
||
v
normal drill


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^
drill for removing broken bolts.

it allso rotates counter clockwise !! so it will eat itself into the old bolt piece left and rotate it out. Greetings Erwin.

[firstgencrx]

Thanks for all the advice. I should have posted this with the question earlier for a better understanding of what I have to deal with. I will try the nut welded on first as it is the best welding solution. Then, if that doesn't work I will cut it off flushe and drill with a carbide bit and then slowly work my way outward either wiht bigger drill bits or carbide rotary file or dremel tool of some sort.

The seal is not an issue as I will replace it. It is hiding behind that plate with 3 bolt holes and 2 pins. It comes as one unit for the Maxima. Weird system compared to a Honda. JS

First step, RELAX!!!!!!!! Take a breath. These things happen all the time and they are easy to deal with.

I doubt there is any thread lock on that bolt. The threads have galled/rolled up inside. It happens when you put two similar metals together without any kind of oil or anti-seize. There is a real chance it will not come out of there if the threads have started to roll up in there.

I like the idea of welding a nut over the end of the stud that is left. Use tons of what-ever penetrating oil you got, and work it back and forth. The welding of the nut will put more heat on the area than you need.

Your other choice is to use a good sharp bit to drill it out. Do not use carbide! Use a good high speed steel drill instead. Don't by it at the hardware or home improvement store. They don't sell real tools, they only sell crap. By it from where a machinist would by his tools in your area. Go to a machine shop if you have to, the guy will probably give you one. Good shops stock thousands of drill bits. I have thousands of bits and I am only a one man gig. Ask for a 135 degree split point stub. Cobalt would be good as well if you want to step up from high speed steel. Do not use carbide!

Center punch the end of the stud good and deep. Then drill a small hole first as straight down the center as you can. It's more important that you drill parallel to the axis of the stud than to be in the exact center. Use larger drills until you think you are getting close to threads. DO NOT NICK THE THREADS! You will have a hard time getting the new bolt to torque to full spec if you do.

When you go in with the Dremel bit, get the brightest damn light and the thickest bottle bottom glasses you have. You need to see what you are doing.

When you are done, you might need to chase the crank holes with a bottom tap.

Your last option is you can send me the crank an I will gladly take that out of there for you if need be.

Good Luck!

David