tap broke

I am putting a new head and head gasket on my truck and a mechanic at work gave me a tap that matches the head bolt heads to clean out the threads for the head bolts. Well I get to the very last hole and the tap broke off inside the block. Anyone know how I can get it out?

drill it out and use a smaller tap, kind fo like a cork, or just drill it out completely and start over. eh.

Take a small drift or pin punch and tap on the broken tap to try to loosen it. Use small needlenose pliers or create something to slide in over the tap on opposite sides and try to unscrew it.

if it's not broken much past the surface, weld a small blob on the end. then grab it with some vice grips. the heat from welding will help loosen it up.

use a punch or chissle to break it apart

Originally posted by WickedBird



if it's not broken much past the surface, weld a small blob on the end. then grab it with some vice grips. the heat from welding will help loosen it up.

even if its close to the top, weld a washer on it then weld a nut on the washer. they also make special screw extractors that are reverse espcially for shit like that.

Edited: 7/19/2006 8:09:39 PM by bdroppeddak

yea just drill a 1/4" hole in it, and get a corresponding extractor, those things are lifesavers. that way no worries about gettin spatter on the block, then trying to grind it off with an angle grinder, then ending up with a leaky head gasket. but damn how did you break a tap that big that wasnt even cutting?

the tap must have been hot if it broke off on the last hole. but yeah, these are all good suggestions. hopefully it's not broke off too far inside the hole.

I don't know how it broke. It was the last one and I wasn't turning it hard and it just snapped and it was a snap-on tap so its not like it was a cheap one.