David Salama

I was repairing a stripped thread on one of my oil pan holes and the 1/4 inch tap broke in the hole. What a disaster ! I know there are tap extractors, but I have done a web search and can't find a place to buy one. Any suggestions welcome.

Steve Lavigne

How I hate broken taps. I've broken them twice, luckily on small portable parts. I've always taken the parts to a machine shop called Action Machine in Lynnwood, Washington.

For tap extractors, check out Walton Tools:

Tap Extractors

I bought a tap extension made by them in December to clean the head stud holes before I installed Garrity's 190ksi studs. Seemed to be a high quality tool.

Give them a call and they should be able to find a retailer in the Charlotte area. One of the benefits of being in a racecar town (your case) or a airplane town (my case).

'86 951
-Steve

951and944S

David, I feel for you man, is that hole a blind hole..? I don't seem to remember if those holes penetrate all the way through a rail or, do they have a bottom..?
If you could gain acess from the other side, you could drive out the tap with a punch, overbore the hole and install a helicoil..
I learned after breaking my first and only tap, to continuously back up and clean the threads. This inconvenience is nothing in comparison to the time you will spend now.

I know it means little now but good luck..!

BTW, taps break cause they're brittle, have you tried chipping it away...?

Terry

Rog

Hi,

in case that doesn't work, try MSC.
That's where I buy most all my machine tool stuff, including, in the past, tap extractors. They haven't had a good extension for me yet though, so I guess I'll check out the site mentioned in Steve's post (thanks Steve)

MSC www.mscdirect.com

search in general, or under
Cutting Tools > Taps > Tapping Accessories

hope that helps
regards
roger

keith

David - I don't have an over-the-net suggestion for you, unless there is a portion of the tap above (below if it is in the car) the surface of the block, but I wouldn't mind coming by Thursday evening to take a look and give you a second opinion - two heads are better than one? I've broken a few also (don't tell anyone)

Email me if you think putting another brain on the problem may help!

jim968

David, For hard-to-find shop tools, try Grainger Industrial Supply. Should be one in Charlotte; we've got one in lil' ol' Asheville. See Yellow Pages under Industrial Supplies & related headings. The one here stocks a good inventory of such stuff, and can get what they don't stock overnight usually. They can be pricey, but it's good quality (our faculty & students get a 15% discount). They sell to the public.

Jim, time for coffee!!!

Jim

Lemon Yellow 87 n/a

Dave: I broke a tap a few years back but fortunately I could manipulate the other side enough to get the brokes head showing a bit. It was vice grip pliers the rest of the way. I think if you could make a tool (I know, its a pain) with four "forks" protruding in a way that they could slide in a part of the "shafts" along the thread you could unscrew the tap enough to grap it with a pair of vice grips. Good Luck.

ps: I havent received the shocks yet. Hopefully they will come on thursday...

Thaddeus

I saw a homemade tool once in a machine shop I worked at, it was 3 short studs welded on to the end of a metal plate, you'd insert the studs in the voids in the tap and turn. Might be something you could get a local shop to make up for you. Good luck, the situation you are in is bad and all too common.

Thaddeus

IceShark

Before you use the tap extractor make sure you clean out all the chips that caused this snap problem in the first place. Compressed air and fine oil.

If the tap extractor doesn't work, try shattering the tap with a punch and 5 lb hammer. Trying to burn it out, even with EDM really isn't an attractive alternative.

Heli-coil is a great invention.

David Salama

I really appreciate the input. I gave Waltontools a call today, and they sent me to a retailer in Charlotte that has a 1/4 inch Tap Extractor in stock. I'm working tonight, so I'm going to pick it up tomorrow. If this doesn't work, I'll take you up on the offer Keith, thanks !! Of course complicating matters is the fact that the tap is buried in the hole, and I need a 12 inch extension just to get up there. What a pain. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

billybones

1/4" Ouch... most of the time you break a tap in alluminum is cause the removed metal got caught up in the flutes... when tapping alluminum you need to back out and clean the threads on the tap once for every turn... Tap extracters are usually just a few pieces of thin metal meant to go into the flutes and give you a grab on the tap piece.. 90% of the time they just bend and fail.. that is if the flutes are clear.. The option after you bend the metal tangs on the extractor is, go and purchase a 1/8" masonary bit and drill out the tap.. the tip of a masonary bit is harder than the tap and will make progress.. once it is drilled out you might get an easy out into the back of the drill bit..and get it out.......the other option is use a 1/4" masonary bit and drill the origiginal bit down to nothing and over drill that hole one size and tap it to size.. but a few threads shorter.....

David Salama

Well, I got it !!! Yeah !!! After several attempts with the tap extractor, including bending some of the fingers on it, I finally got the tap out. I used Liquid Wrench, started the car to warm it, and punched the tap a few times. The tap became loose and I was able to unscrew it with the Walton Tools Tap Extractor. Thanks again for all the help!!