Hi there, I was planning on cleaning my EGR ports this morning on my 92 Accord LX. All was going well, I drilled a hole into the first port with a #25 bit. I went to tap the hole, because I planned on pulling the plug out with a 10-24 threaded rod I've got attached to some tubing. Anyway, the tap broke off in the hole.



As you can see, I tried drilling around the stuck tap but I couldn't get anywhere. I think I'm pretty much stuck besides bringing it to the dealer.. Anyone have any ideas?

 

I'm guessing you tried using a pair of needle-nosed pliers to try and twist it out?

 

You might just have to drill it completely through if you can't get a good grip to un-screw it out...

 

Couldn't get a good grip with needle nosed. It isn't protruding enough. I thought about drilling all the way through but the holes I'm trying to make on the side there won't go down.

 

Yea, I hear ya man......try using a smaller drill bit in the hole you already drilled on the sides, then gradually go to a bigger bit until it's all the way through????

 

if you broke a tap, pretty much your recourse is a machine shop, or buy another intake. sorry to say..

 

For PTA sake, a used intake manifold might be the ticket.....good luck man.

 

slide hammers are the way to go ... ur using too big to pull the plug out ..im guessing ur using the same size as wut ur drilling with

 

Needle nose Vise-Grips. They have a fairly decent point on them, once you get a good bite just rotate the tap back and forth to work it free.

Also, how did you insert the tap? Did you just try to drive it all the way home in one go? Because that will snap a tap. Normally you would use some grease and screw in/screw-out while gradually threading deeper into your work piece.

 

So here's an update. Surprisingly, I've been driving the car the past two days and it has actually been running just fine.. I don't really have any time on my hands this week, but when I do, I want to try and keep drilling down the side and see if I can get anywhere. My immediate recourse two days ago was to try and seal it before driving it. The only thing remotely close to a sealant I had on hand was some bathroom caulk. That obviously didn't work.. Anyway, I'll keep this thread updated. Hopefully everything seems to be okay for now. I can't believe the engine is running just fine. I'm not even seeing a single CEL!

 

I drilled around the tap tonight. In fact, got all the way through in one of the holes to the side. My question is, would a possible solution be to just weld the whole area shut? I was thinking of just going to a machine shop, and if they couldn't think of anything to try and get it out , just having them weld it closed. This really is just my daily driver. Can anyone think of any problems with that?

 

try JBWeld i guess.

 

Without pullin the plug you're not removing the carbon buildup. Your best bet is just to pull another im from the junkyard and doing it right.

 

Does that plug screw out? Sorry, unfamiliar with the exact task you were performing. If so, find the largest diameter washer you can with a hole slightly smaller than the plug. Have it welded to the top of the plug. Let cool. Get a nut smaller than the washer diameter, have it welded to the washer, welding it on the inside of the nut. Get a wrench and screw it out. The heat from the welding will help the threads release. Let the whole thing cool though before wrenching on it. If it is a pressed in plug, same deal, but get a nut the right size you screw it onto a slide hammer, and do your welding of the nut on the outside, maybe even weld 2 nuts together and attach. Let cool. Attach slide hammer, pound away! Good luck!

Rob

 

lol IM is like $20 at the junkyard ...or ebay or h-tech marketplace