Removing Bent Screw Studs from Aluminum

[UOfan]

Hi all,

Any ideas to remove these bent screw studs from an ATV engine cover?

My extractor kit just torqued the heads off. Since the screws are deeper inside, I can’t get vise grips perpendicular to the stud.

Thank you for any suggestions!

 

[drmarkr]

Heat! Propane or butane torch, and these. That's where I would start. (after removing the seal from the other side of the case and cleaning it up, of course)

If that's unsuccessful (unlikely), then next I'd weld a slightly larger nut onto the stud and turn it with a socket.

 

[whateg01]

Heat! Propane or butane torch, and these. That's where I would start. (after removing the seal from the other side of the case and cleaning it up, of course)

If that's unsuccessful (unlikely), then next I'd weld a slightly larger nut onto the stud and turn it with a socket.

I would weld a nut on them now. That accomplishes the heat suggestion and gives something to get ahold of

 

[UOfan]

Thank you for the reply. I was a bit weary of using heat because I didn’t want to warp the bearing seat in the center. I will probably try heat, the maybe some vertical vise grips tomorrow.

 

[whateg01]

Thank you for the reply. I was a bit weary of using heat because I didn’t want to warp the bearing seat in the center. I will probably try heat, the maybe some vertical vise grips tomorrow.

You aren't putting the much heat into the housing by welding a nut on the stud.

 

[drmarkr]

You aren't putting the much heat into the housing by welding a nut on the stud.

Plus, you're putting the heat right where it needs to be. If you have a mig or tig, then just jump straight to this...I can't argue a bit on that.

 

[UOfan]

Thank you guys for the responses. I was hoping you’d just tell me I get to buy another tool!

I’ll MiG a nut on tomorrow. I have a Tig welder but I’m not confident enough with it. I’ll update once I battle with it a bit more.

Here’s the project in question, 2004 Yamaha Bruin 350 I got from a blueberry farm auction. Merry Christmas!

 

[Beerhippie]

Your TIG would be much better for this job. For one thing, no chance of weld spatter getting in that bearing. You don't even need to feed rod. Cut those studs off below the damaged part and either thread a nut on or find one that just slips over the stud. Leave the end of the stud about 1/8" proud of the nut (use shims to hold the nut up) and use that extra length as filler. You'll have to figure out your settings, but I'd start with 75-80 A. Use a circular motion as you fuse the stud to the nut. Just keep moving and you'll be fine.

Be sure you have good ventilation if those studs are galvanized. Same for the nuts. I try to find stainless nuts when doing this--but, working in a brewery, I always have lots of surplus SS fasteners around.

 

[Brianf60]

Mig works well. Set the welder high. You want to go in hot. Wait 10 seconds and then unscrew it. A Johnson bar may be a better choice than a ratchet. you may to work it in and out a bit as you unscrew it.

 

[jsaw]

Johnson bar? A johnson bar that I am farmiliar with is 5 feet long with wheels on the end.

 

[whateg01]

Johnson bar? A johnson bar that I am farmiliar with is 5 feet long with wheels on the end.

Maybe he meant a Tommy bar

 

[OccupantRJ]

Are you familiar with stud remover sockets? Heat may still be needed to break the bond.

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

Grab or borrow a STUD REMOVER to remove this. You can also try a pair of vise grip pliers or a small pipe wrench and maybe a little heat however, PRIOR to trying any removal methods I highly suggest soaking the stud overnight with a good penetrant like Kroil.

TIP! I would be "very gentle" with any heat because of the "soft" cast aluminum.……. And I would try removing this while cold before applying any heat.

I have one of these stud removers and it worked well on manifold studs.

 

[danielbuck]

I would definitely just weld a nut to them, they should back right out after that. if the threads are boogered and you can't thread a nut on there, slide on a nut that is the next size up, and weld it good and hot so the stud gets hot. the heat will mostly stay in the stud if you remove it right after welding. People do this all the time.

 

[larry4406]

My experience with welding nuts on has not been good.

That said, I tried using Grade 2 or garbage nuts. I’ve since read to use Grade 5 or better.

 

[danielbuck]

My experience with welding nuts on has not been good.

That said, I tried using Grade 2 or garbage nuts. I’ve since read to use Grade 5 or better.

how did they not work? if the weld didn't hold, that's probably not related to what grade the nut is.

 

[larry4406]

how did they not work? if the weld didn't hold, that's probably not related to what grade the nut is.

No clue. Ran a nice hot weld on the broken shank and spiraled out to the nut.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Hey, I'll echo the welding of the nut on it.

 

[UOfan]

Thanks for all the responses guys. I ended up using my TIG for this (miller diversion 180 I got on auction), set at 80A as Beerhippie recommended. I cut the stud down a bit to minimize the amount the shaft was bent, and got a 7/16 nut to screw down a bit.

I ended up using just a bit of ER70S 1/16 filler, then used a 12v impact to unscrew and it worked like a charm. I used a temp gun to check heat distribution, the nut was glowing red (I think my arc was too wide, I know my tungsten is probably sticking out too far) but it was about the same temp as the stud. The aluminum casing didn’t get over 100 degrees except right where the stud was directly contacting it.

There sure was a lot of **** in the threads. I’ll brakekleen the heck out of it and blow them out before I got hunting for replacement screws.

Chuckster, what’s a quality stud remover? I will buy one this week. On my 22RE I had a hell of a time removing exhaust studs and I don’t want to repeat that experience.

I appreciate all the advice everyone. Here’s some pictures for entertainment:

 

[whateg01]

I would guess that the heat did not than anything else. Glad it worked. Usually does, at least for me. The funny part is when somebody is watching you and is so amazed by it.