Badly seized engine bolt

Badly seized engine bolt

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Discussion

hawkeyefxr

Original Poster:

10 posts

126 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
I have a badly seized engine bolt on a motorcycle, It's on a HondaCBF500, the engine bolt really is a long shaft with a thread each end and nylock nuts each end.
The 'bolt' is seized where it passes through the engine on one side, it's a steel bolt passing through and aluminium crankcase. Basically the engine hangs from two upper engine bolts and this front seized one holds the front of the engine. There is a three inch space each side between the hanging part of the frame and the crankcase.

I have tried all the normal things, PB Blaster penetrating fluid, air gun, a 3\8 one as I think a 1/2in one is to heavy a knock on it. I have tried heat but the cooling rubber pipes are close by.

I have used a syringe to squirt the penetrating fluid into the spacer, taking the bike for a good run to get it hot and hopefully it seeps in but nothing has happened.

I have seen induction heaters but I cant get close enough to the seized area, and they are dammed expensive. I have also looked for a high frequency device but have not found any thing.

Any suggestions??????

Crudeoink

516 posts

62 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
It won't be fun. But I've had similar on a motorbike before. I ground down 4 nuts so I could fit 2 on each side of the threaded bar. Heated the bar as much as possible with a torch and turned the whole bar (with the 2 nut method) whilst my mate whacked the other side with a hammer, eventually came loose.

andrewcliffe

1,014 posts

227 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
It depends on the clearance between the aluminum casing and the bolt, but you may have to have the bolt machined out - and sometimes holding the piece is very difficult.


oakdale

1,821 posts

205 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
If it looks like the long stud in the image below, can't you just try to pull the stud through by using extra packing/washers behind one of the nuts?
You'll need to add more packing as it pulls through.

hawkeyefxr

Original Poster:

10 posts

126 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
Thanks for the reply's.

Yes it's that long 10mm shaft with the threads each end. One end if free so it's just the other end thats the problem, it is well and truly seized. I have welded a 4mm steel plate on the end of a 10mm nut, then ground it back so i now have a 20mm long nut that only has 10mm of thread that has a blank end, this let's the hammer action of the air gun hammer on the end of the long stud without damaging the threads.

I don't think doing the nut up tight will pull it through, just strip the threads, I will be right up the creek then. It's the spacers that make it difficult.

You have given me an idea though, yes put the normal nut on the seized end with pressure but use my made up nut with the blank end at the other end and use the air gun on it.

Will try that tomorrow.

TwinKam

3,046 posts

98 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
Love the sachet of Copaslip supplied with that (aftermarket?) kit... if only they were farsighted enough to use that in the factory....

Crudeoink

516 posts

62 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
hawkeyefxr said:
Thanks for the reply's.

Yes it's that long 10mm shaft with the threads each end. One end if free so it's just the other end thats the problem, it is well and truly seized. I have welded a 4mm steel plate on the end of a 10mm nut, then ground it back so i now have a 20mm long nut that only has 10mm of thread that has a blank end, this let's the hammer action of the air gun hammer on the end of the long stud without damaging the threads.

I don't think doing the nut up tight will pull it through, just strip the threads, I will be right up the creek then. It's the spacers that make it difficult.

You have given me an idea though, yes put the normal nut on the seized end with pressure but use my made up nut with the blank end at the other end and use the air gun on it.

Will try that tomorrow.
Good plan, let us know how it goes !

hawkeyefxr

Original Poster:

10 posts

126 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
TwinKam said:
Love the sachet of Copaslip supplied with that (aftermarket?) kit... if only they were farsighted enough to use that in the factory....
Your right there, i will be using copper slip when i put the new one back but that is stainless so shouldn't need it.

FMOB

1,189 posts

15 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
hawkeyefxr said:
TwinKam said:
Love the sachet of Copaslip supplied with that (aftermarket?) kit... if only they were farsighted enough to use that in the factory....
Your right there, i will be using copper slip when i put the new one back but that is stainless so shouldn't need it.
Stainless steel and aluminium suffer with galvanic corrosion, more so if there is a bit of salt around.

hidetheelephants

25,788 posts

196 months

Thursday 20th June
quotequote all
Thermal cycling, heat the crankcase boss the stud is in as hot as you can get it with a gas torch then squirt the ends of the stud with freezing spray, repeat several times. If you've got an air hammer I'd have a go at the ends of the stud with that, alternating ends; if not then a hammer and drift will be a reasonable replacement.

droopsnoot

12,179 posts

245 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
hawkeyefxr said:
One end if free so it's just the other end thats the problem, it is well and truly seized.
This bit puzzles me - can you explain exactly what you mean here? How is one end of the shaft seized but the other end isn't? Or do you mean that the nut is seized onto the shaft?

Tightening it up against spacers to pull it through would worry me if it's very tightly seized, couldn't that damage the face of the aluminium? Or doesn't that matter?

(It may be obvious that I know nothing about motorcycles or their engines.)

hidetheelephants

25,788 posts

196 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
droopsnoot said:
hawkeyefxr said:
One end if free so it's just the other end thats the problem, it is well and truly seized.
This bit puzzles me - can you explain exactly what you mean here? How is one end of the shaft seized but the other end isn't? Or do you mean that the nut is seized onto the shaft?

Tightening it up against spacers to pull it through would worry me if it's very tightly seized, couldn't that damage the face of the aluminium? Or doesn't that matter?

(It may be obvious that I know nothing about motorcycles or their engines.)
From the description the fastener is a stud with a thread at both ends which passes through a hole in the crankcase; corrosion in the hole is gripping the stud very tightly.

droopsnoot

12,179 posts

245 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
hidetheelephants said:
From the description the fastener is a stud with a thread at both ends which passes through a hole in the crankcase; corrosion in the hole is gripping the stud very tightly.
I got that, but I don't understand how one end of it seized and the other end isn't.

ETA - oh, unless that's a reference to the other stud at the other end of the engine. That's probably it.

InitialDave

12,063 posts

122 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
Hi OP, I found this picture online, is this what you're dealing with?



Also, whereabouts in the country are you?

Edited by InitialDave on Friday 21st June 18:51

hawkeyefxr

Original Poster:

10 posts

126 months

Friday 21st June
quotequote all
Bit late with the replies, sorry.

The long stud passes through the two engine mounts, so one it loose (free) and the other one corroded.
My idea of tightening the seized end up and using the air gun on the other end did not work.
I will take some pictures over the weekend and post them.

E-bmw

9,393 posts

155 months

Saturday 22nd June
quotequote all
Just undo the free end & tap it through from that side.

You may also benefit from some heat on the stud, as well as some percussion & even turning the seized end to get it moving.

hawkeyefxr

Original Poster:

10 posts

126 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
Hope this is explanatory enough. It seems my description has not been exact enough, the stud is 14in (36cm) long with threads each end that are about 1 1/2in in length.
Each end of the stud has a spacer around 3in long each end that fit between the down section of the frame and the radiator hanger. The right hand end is free, not seized, the left hand end is the one that is seized. Hammering on the end of the shaft is a no go as the actual engine mount are quite small and will not take any hammering.
I am carrying on with the penetrating liquid and will see if this works. If it is still seized come the colder weather I will cut the shaft off and drill it out.




droopsnoot

12,179 posts

245 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
I can't see the photo, but I think I get what you mean - the spacer is seized onto the long stud on one end, but not the other. Heat, maybe, as long as you can keep it away from the block. Or a die grinder with a suitable burr to cut along the spacer, if you're replacing it.

hawkeyefxr

Original Poster:

10 posts

126 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
Click on the little square at the bottom, I uploaded two pictures but don't know what has happened.
Will try again


Ken_Code

1,508 posts

5 months

Monday 24th June
quotequote all
Have you tried putting two nuts on one end yet, tightening them together and then tried turning it?

On the tapping it through suggestion the hangers shouldn’t be taking any force if you do that.