EZ-Out Secret
 

Is there some secret I'm missing trying to get this damn tool to work? For the third time in my life I've needed to do screw extraction with this tool. This time it was for a broken bleeder in the brake caliper and again, zero success. I drilled with the right size drill, had to use a vise-grip to hold the extractor, tapped it into place and tried to exract the bleeder. SNAP. and thusly totally screwed. What am I doing wrong? Do these things ever work? Now it's to fastlane for a pair of remanned calipers, damn!

What broke?

There are several tricks.

The first is to use a left hand drill bit on a reversing drill. This will sometimes remove the stuck bolt, etc by heat and friction without the EZ out.

Second is to get the correct ones -- there are several kinds, and the tapered ones seem to fail more often.

You must insert the EZout all the way to the shoulder -- just getting the tip in will only ream the hole out.

Give the stuck part a couple good solid wacks with a punch and hammer before attempting to turn -- this will usually "start" them (unstick them some) so that you can turn them more easily.

Never apply breaking force to the extractor. Penetrating oil, impact, heat, but never more force than the extractor or metal will take. No point in breaking it or just reaming the hole larger.

On a bleeder, I'd use a pilot bit (Bullet drill) to make the hole, and remove a good bit of the metal. That way you can always take a fine punch are collapse the remainer to remove it that way if the EZout fails. Leave enough metal for the EZout ot grab though.

Peter

if there's one tool that you must buy only the highest quality it's an easy out,a touch of heat and a professional quality easy out will usaly bring out all but the most heavily rusted bolts,It is also possible to remove the broken easy out by tapping the flutes frimly with a hammer in the opposite direction with a small punch .........
William Rogers........

No, they never work.

At least they never work on a bolt that the original hex wouldn't work on. They work on bolts whose heads broke off due to fatigue; not over tightening or cross threading. The problems caused by broken EZ outs are worse than all the broken bolts they ever worked on.

They should only be used by the craftiest of craftsmen and only after one has resolved to replace the unit anyway.

Drill and Heli-coil. Sounds like the only fix.

Steve, you are right it's not really a tool for amitures bag, I owned a small machine shop in the late sixties and learned a lot of tricks or at least learned how not to break things witch may well be one of the most importion skills a home mechanic can work on.......
William Rogers........

It was the easy-out itself that snapped. Fortunately the caliper is OK and not leaking. Next step is a full brake job and I'll just replace the two front calipers with new loaded re-builds anyway. Few more bucks but easy enough to do. I now realize the easy-out only sounds easy to use and in fact takes some skill and experience. I may try to drill more and use a pinch for the rest, but new calipers will fix it too :-(