panic attack

[Jared]

Wow...This is a difficult situation. I thought I had it bad when I stripped a bolt inside my brake caliper.

[macmac]

The application is way too hot for JB Weld, it will just melt, and make a mess no one can clean up, and that will end any chance to tig weld it right then and there.

In the past I have used a heat gun to remove J B Weld, and that isn't anything like the heat these stds take.

You can mess around all you want, but the fix is either a top notch tig welder/machinist, or a new head.

All of any steel tools / stud left in that hole must come out, the hole must be filled with weld and then machined and drilled to thread and dead straight.

I could create a long list of woulda's coulda's but it will serve no purpose since the hole is butchered so baddly..

The first mistake was probably an off center drill hole, and the next was using any so called E-Z out. Working to fast was another..... A guy that knows what he is doing might have taken 3 days or so to get that stud out and if it was me made a bead to wear of it.

I am sorry to say most of this, but this is going to have a cost in cash money, unless you are a great tig welder/machinist.

There is a 1,001 ways to do it wrong and just 2 to do it right, the 2nd way is a new head.

[sarc]

I'll keep you posted, this just turned into a winter project....lolo

[macmac]

Best of luck guy... I mean it. I hate being a techie x mechanic some times, for the bad news I seem to always deliver. My LL has a lot of equipment I tend to maintain, and he isn't always happy at my diagnostics, since it always has a cost in parts.

I did loads of studs like this on many cars, including the most similar old VW bugs. People still bring these to me, and if I get my way before the nut has been turned and or the stud broken.

I wish the stud wasn't snapped off, and you had asked first. I feel like an ass for the words I gave, but they are my idea of truth.

[Cajunrider]

Sarc, A very experienced TIG welder could possibly repair this for you in place. Were you able to get the broken tap out? Did the side break off in one piece or in several pieces? Does it fit back in place cleanly? If all of the above answers are yes, the broken piece and the head may be able to be beveled enough on the outside to get good penetration and a solid weld. Then, the hole could be tapped out or drilled with a helicoil installed. A TIG machine won't overheat the head to cause other problems such as warping or cracks in the head. Again, it will have to be an experienced welder. I've done quite a bit of TIG welding years ago but I don't think I would have tackled this one unless the owner would have released me from any responsibility for any future problems. And it would have to be a very good friend who is very short on cash.

[Top Cat]

Just out of curiousity, how much would a new head cost?

[cactusjack]

Originally Posted by Top Cat (TC)

Just out of curiousity, how much would a new head cost?

Using a 2003 1500 Nomad as an example, Cheap Cycle Parts lists a "head, comp, cylinder, rear" at $778.09.

[Top Cat]

I was thinking if it were me I would just buy a new one but since it is that much money I guess I would exhaust (no pun intended) every posibility first.

[snarleybill08]

this is a real nightmare. mac mac is right on. jb weld won't work. bite the bullet and fix it right. a good tig welder could fix it on the bike but to do it right the head has to come off. try some salvage yards on line. you may find a good used head.

[zoom45]

sarc,
Did did it break off all the way to the back? The picture is blurred and hard to tell. If not, could you center punch it and drill deeper then re-tap it and install a longer stud? Worse case drill all the way through and use a bolt/nut with an angled shim where it curves on the backside. It's tight in that area to do any cutting or grinding with it on the bike but it's amazing what you can do with a dremel tool and the right bits.

Several 1500 heads are on Ebay. Here's one for $75.00:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/02-Vu...Q5fAccessories

Zoom45

[Top Cat]

I checked Ebay and couldn't find any. You must know something about searching I don't Zoom.

Anyway, if it were me that's the way I would go. Buy from salvage yard. That's how I replaced the stock fuel pump on my 07.

[zoom45]

I just searched for Kawasaki 1500 head and several came up. Some listed may be the older 1500 but you would have to do some research to make sure you bid on the right type.
Zoom

[Bdog]

A dremal will work on this but patience is the key! Flatten the surface with a small grinder. Center punch the stud. Center drill the stud starting from small bit and go bigger once you have established a centering. Keep focused on your angles. Do not damage the threads. Essentially you want to hollow out the stud. Check the thread pattern on the new stud to see if it is reversed. Fill the hollowed out stud with lubricant then tap a square easy out in place. Apply heat with a common bottle torch only to the surrounding aluminum, not the stud, (aluminum will expand quicker than hardend steel). With applied pressure to the easy out turn stud both ways as if you are tapping a new thread. Cursing while doing this does help a lot. Remember ..slow and patient is the key. Once removed..retap the threads..good luck bro...Bdog

[macmac]

Originally Posted by Bdog

A dremal will work on this but patience is the key! Flatten the surface with a small grinder. Center punch the stud. Center drill the stud starting from small bit and go bigger once you have established a centering. Keep focused on your angles. Do not damage the threads. Essentially you want to hollow out the stud. Check the thread pattern on the new stud to see if it is reversed. Fill the hollowed out stud with lubricant then tap a square easy out in place. Apply heat with a common bottle torch only to the surrounding aluminum, not the stud, (aluminum will expand quicker than hardend steel). With applied pressure to the easy out turn stud both ways as if you are tapping a new thread. Cursing while doing this does help a lot. Remember ..slow and patient is the key. Once removed..retap the threads..good luck bro...Bdog

If I see the pic correctly there is no more steel in the hole, and the hole is like a moon crater.

If there is a stud in the hole, and I missed seeing it, then maybe there is another answer..

Perhaps better pics are in order. I clicked to make it big, and it was, but blurry. Trying to see it better later, no pic would appear englarged at all.

[Cajunrider]

I had a hard time viewing the enlarged pic also. If the corner came off, it should be easier to get the bolt out if it isn't out already. If a TIG welder does make an attempt to put it back together, I'm sure he will know that all of that penetrating oil needs to be burnt out with a small torch braising tip. That's the best method of getting the oil out of the pores of the aluminum. It won't weld back together very solid if any oil remains. Remove the fuel tank and cover everything else with wet rags to prevent radiant heat damage to anything else. This may be possible to fix in place if the corner broke off cleanly. Otherwise, a used head in good condition would be the next option unless you have $800 plus shipping charges to purchase a new head. Good luck and let us know which route you took.