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REALLY stuck pilot screw !!

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by khblue, May 20, 2008.

  1. khblue

    khblue Member

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    Stuck screw...
    Mangled head...
    Used screw extractor.....
    Snapped off in screw.....

    Bleuch !!

    I've never seen or used a Dremel but could this help ? What attachment could machine the hardened steel screw extractor end out of the middle of the brass mixture screw ?
     
  2. xyxj650

    xyxj650 Member

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    Here is a bit from a thread that I copied that may help you. It ws originally posted by RickCoMatic. The thread is called: Clean Your Own Carb's - The Whole 9 Yards - by: Rick Massey

    http://www.xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic ... tubes.html

    Hope it helps. If you have any more ?'s just ask I'm sure someone that has experiance with this may have some more advice.


    Rescue-One, Paramedic-One, respond to Hitachi Carbs ... reported severe head trauma ... Units respond Code-3"

    Now, we deal with the tough issue of getting-out Pilot screws that somebody really did a number on. There's good news; and there's bad news. The good news is that the Pilot Screw is made of Brass. The bad news is that the Pilot Screw is made of Brass, too!

    The damage is done. Before you arrived, somebody did a hack-job and "Screwed-Up" ... Big-Time. They messed things up good. You're mission is to UN-mess-up this situation.
    Don't begin working on this project if you are angry or frustrated. You need to be in total control and able to systematically perform the various steps we'll need to take to get them out.

    Job One is: "Get them OUT!" Period. We do what it takes to get them out and deal with all the other stuff -- later.

    Phase One:
    Take a shot. Your turn. Evaluate. If it looks like there might be enough of a slot left to back that thing out of there, or you might be able to do some Dremel Tool surgery to improve the situation -- have at it! Then, Olive Oil and heat it up good. If this gets things moving; back it out. Muscle it if you have too. The damage was done before you arrived. You might get lucky and the damn thing will give-in and come out.

    Phase Two:
    First "Drilling" procedure. Using a seven sixty-fourths
    [7/64th's] inch drill bit ... chucked into your Dremel Tool ... drill a small hole ... dead-center of the screw ... just deep enough to get a Number-2 Screw Extractor ... better known as an "Easy-Out" in the drilled hole ... and make your first attempt to bring the Pilot Screw out of there. Tap-in the Easy-Out to get the tool a good bite before you start backing it out.
    Yes? Celebrate a small victory!
    No?

    Phase Three:
    Just like Phase Two. Bump-up one size. Five thirty-seconds drill bit. [5/32nds] Number-3 Easy-Out. You should be victorious. When oiled, heated and coaxed-out of there with the Phase Three approach ... there is still the possibility that the Pilot Screw can be brought back from the dead.

    Phase Four:
    Drill the Pilot Screw with progressively larger bits until there is just enough brass remaining to protect the Ultra-fine threading on the Carb body from being damaged. Then, using a Dremel cutting tip score though the brass, length-wise, at 12 O’clock and 3 O’clock and "Pick-out" the piece you scored for removal. Followed by Picking-out the larger section, too.

    Keep your eye on the prize.
    Job One!

    If you don't have a Dremel Tool, the right sized drill bits and the Screw Extractor Set; you will, after you make sure your Credit Card is in your wallet and arrive back home, from Sears!
     
  3. khblue

    khblue Member

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    Thanks for that. My problem now is that I have a hardened steel 'insert' in the brass idle screw that is un-drillable !!
     
  4. ZaGhost

    ZaGhost Member

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    IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!

    Easy outs.... be very careful in this... the brass is extremely sofy and will exbanp quickly...too much pressure an the aluminum tube will crack (just ask me how I know :) )
     
  5. simona

    simona Member

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    If any of the easy out is sticking out above the top of the pilot screw hole you could try cutting a slot in it and then put a slotted screwdriver, and try heating and wd40 and see if you can turn it out? Otherwise its off to fleabay to buy another carb rack !! The dremel has a narrow cutting wheel that might do the trick
     
  6. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    Separate the Body from the rack.

    Bring the body with the stuck EasyOut to a Machine Shop.
    They have an EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) Machine that will remove the chunk of EasyOut without doing any damage at all to the Aluminum Body.

    The EDM puts a focused electrical arc on the steel fragment and burns it right out, leaving the rest of the work untouched.

    http://www.engineersedge.com/edm.shtml
     
  7. RickCoMatic

    RickCoMatic Well-Known Member

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    You can use a Dremel ... BUT <--- That's a BIG But ...

    You need to buy a Diamond or a Carbide Bit.

    The Diamond Bit makes easy work of it.

    Here's a sleazy way you might be able to get it done.

    Call a Dentist!
    A real tooth fixing Dentist that's also a Motorcycle guy.
    Have him remove the "Cavity" from the Carb Body with a Diamond Cutting Bit!

    You'll have to do all your own sweet-talking ... but the Dentist might have a bit of fun with it!
     
  8. khblue

    khblue Member

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    Hee hee !! I like the dentist idea the most.
    Actually I bought a second set when things started going pear-shaped but they're really dirty and I'm feeling a bit determined now that I'm close with this set, rather than starting the whole process again !
     
  9. cowboy45

    cowboy45 New Member

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    Dremel tool with a small grinding bit. It takes a while to grind it out but it works. I did it when I broke a screw extractor off when trying to remove a stripped pilot mixture screw.
     

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