Removing broken wheel speed sensor - help!
Discussion
Bit of bother chaps.
I've mentioned on my Readers' Cars thread about the wheel speed sensor on my BMW E46 330
When trying to replace the sensor a while back, head of the bolt sheared.
Old sensor:
Clearer view of the sheared bolt
Today, thought I'd give it another go and see if I could get it off and perhaps tackle the bolt.
This sensor was solid. Hit it with a hammer - nothing. Tried to prise it off with a flat head screw driver - nothing.
Turns out trying to pull it off (Oh er!) with mole grips...
Results in this:
Hmmm....
Any ideas? (Apart from the inevitable take it to the garage next week option...)
I've mentioned on my Readers' Cars thread about the wheel speed sensor on my BMW E46 330
When trying to replace the sensor a while back, head of the bolt sheared.
Old sensor:
Clearer view of the sheared bolt
Today, thought I'd give it another go and see if I could get it off and perhaps tackle the bolt.
This sensor was solid. Hit it with a hammer - nothing. Tried to prise it off with a flat head screw driver - nothing.
Turns out trying to pull it off (Oh er!) with mole grips...
Results in this:
Hmmm....
Any ideas? (Apart from the inevitable take it to the garage next week option...)
Penelope Stopit said:
Burn it out
or
Angled drill through center and then go bigger and bigger and....
Should then collapse with a few taps and come out, don't damage the teeth below
Drill through center of broken bolt, near enough will do, go bigger and tap a new thread, near enough will do
Thanks for the advice.or
Angled drill through center and then go bigger and bigger and....
Should then collapse with a few taps and come out, don't damage the teeth below
Drill through center of broken bolt, near enough will do, go bigger and tap a new thread, near enough will do
Did think about drilling out the sensor but it goes in quite deep. Am concerned I'd break the upper half and have the rest stuck inside.
It appears my drill bits are too crap to drill properly into the bolt.
I think, as a courtesy to the mechanic, less is more. Don't want to make their job even harder.
If that's just a push-in sensor held in by the bolt next to it, I'd just keep pulling/twisting at any of it that's sticking out to see if you can pry it loose - when that's all broken off, attack it with a hammer and chisel until what's left falls out. To help your mechanic (or yourself, if you decide to press on with it) apply penetrating oil to the broken stud a couple of times a day.
Screw a nut onto the broken stud and MIG weld it in place from the top.
Put a socket on the nut and while it's still hot try and unscrew it. If it's still stubborn cool it down by spraying WD40 around the base of the stud.
Theory is that as it's heated any air trapped inside the rust expands and is expelled. As it cools it will pull the WD40 back into the rust rather than just air.
Give it a while to work it's magic from within, then try and shift it again.
Put a socket on the nut and while it's still hot try and unscrew it. If it's still stubborn cool it down by spraying WD40 around the base of the stud.
Theory is that as it's heated any air trapped inside the rust expands and is expelled. As it cools it will pull the WD40 back into the rust rather than just air.
Give it a while to work it's magic from within, then try and shift it again.
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