Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhh drilling out bolllttts!!!!!!!!

Motorcycling
1

Finally bitten the bullet and decided to do a bit of preemptive maintenance on the exup valve on my old Yam Thunderace (yamahas not very popular stopgap litre sportsbike in betwen the FZR and R1 - took a beating from the ugly stick but makes a cheap, powerful and very fast motorway commuter express thingy).

Sooner or later if the exup valve isn’t stripped and greased it’s gonna seize and result in a loss of power somewhere in the rev range depending on where it stuck.

I always knew trying to extract the exup from the exhaust system was gonna be a massive pain in the arse because the previous owner will not have touched it and the bolts will be seized.

So yeah - in spite of loads of penetrating oil, the first allen bolt I try and get off just sheers off - apparently this is a common experience. :doze:

So I’ve got to drilll three of the feckers out . . .

In the past - and as a result of a combination of a one speed only 1970’s power drill, a lack of experience in drilling metal and general impatience I have usually fecked this job up. :crying:

As a result of the above my heart always sinks into my boots when I realise that the only way through the problem is drilling out a seized bolt.

Any pointers on good technique would be appreciated.

Or should I just leave it to a pro? Someone who does this kind of thing on a regular basis?

If there was a two week residential course on drilling out bolts with a diploma at the end I would sign up in a flash . . . :smiley:

2

Go to OMC, Matt actually spoke about this, on a different forum, and the fact is the tools to do the job properly will set you back a considerable sum, and for £20 not only do you get all the tools you need, but you also get Matt to help you.

You would be mad not to!

3

Thanks Kaos - that sounds like a good idea - based on past experiences it’s not a job for an amateur with a crappy old black and decker like me.

4

Yeah mate I’d defo hand this one over to the pro’s… You need the proper tools, experience, know-how etc…

I’ve made these mistakes in the past even though you might do a better job than me I’d still recommend you take it to a mechanic//engineer

Good luck!!

5

I’ve made the mistakes too mate! - which is why I backed slowly away from the bike this time rather than ran straight for the black and decker!

I would go to the OMC as Kaos suggested but it’s a bit out of my way.

I’m gonna be ringing around today.

6

the mistake most people make is using $hite drills bought from poundland, get some decent drill bits and your sorted

7

I agree - a decent drill would probably help too - my crappy old one only seems to do fast - whereas i’m guessing a nice slow speed is in order during the latter stages of drilling (when your using a larger drill bit after drilling the initial small pilot hole with e.g. a 1.5mm) in order to keep everything straight and level and avoid the drill bit drifting and buggering it up.

8

F*ck it - I really haven’t got the time for this shit - mech I spoke to says remove the exhaust system before anyone will drill it - if i do that the header bolts will probably snap as well . . .

I’ll wait for the exup valve to seize and then deal with it - what a load of wank . . .

9

I feel your pain, I had an EXUP thou…

10

Yeah - it’s funny how when stuff like this happens you suddenly enter a world of Exup you never previously knew existed - via the internet various victims tell harrowing tails of broken studs and endless drilling.

The Haynes and Yamaha maintain a mysterious conspiracy of silence around the whole subject (no mention of an Exup removal procedure in the haynes and is not part of the official Yamaha service schedule - I wonder why … ?) Mechanics don’t return your calls . . .

My only advice is - if you ever own an exup equiped bike from new strip the exup and apply loads of copper grease and high temp grease to the bolts and exup parts - and do this every few months - it will save you and the individual (me :slight_smile: ) who buys your bike a lot of hassle.

11

Pre-emptive maintenance would have been to keep the EXUP valve and retaining bolts well lubed with lithium grease so it doesn’t seize :laugh:

Yes I am being sarcy NJ and I feel your pain because I know how abhorrent it is to drill out seized bolts.

I found liberal use of Halfords 3 in 1 oil, tapping bolt lightly with a hammer and tightening first before trying to undo, are things to try first.

Since you are past the point where the above would be useful, and like has been said, you need a good drill and drill bits.

As an aside, but closely related…‘Argggggggghhh, removing a rounded bolt’

I found these to be worth their weight in gold…

Irwin 5 Piece Bolt Grip Nut Remover Set

Remember to use lithium grease when replacing all nuts and bolts and if you can afford, buy stainless steel replacements to reduce the corrosive effects attributed to the cheese like alloy the Japanese factories use as standard.

12

Thanks Afro.

I had to get the drill out on the Kawasaki and the Yamaha just to get the fairings off when I first bought them - I guess i’m just sick to death of having to get the drill out whenever I want to remove something.

Drilling takes ages and I always seem to end up going in at an angle . . …