Broken starter bolt

[JalopiedAllOver]

97 k1500 burb w 5.7. Has had an intermittent rough start for awhile. Brand new distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs etc. but still will have a rough start if sitting for a while. recently took starter off and on again ( long story). Retorqued starter bolts back on. Today, went to start and one of the bolts straight up snapped. The other one doesn't quite keep it in place. So it would just spin. Played with the other bolt and by some miracle got it to start and drove it home. now the starter is ever so slightly misaligned. Looked at the remaining bolt that's still on and looks a bit bent. Only had this for about a year so i don't really know if these bolts are just the wrong size or if this all is stemming from the hard start putting all the stress on there.

Any advice regarding freeing the broken bolt and preventing this in the future would be appreciated.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

97 k1500 burb w 5.7. Has had an intermittent rough start for awhile. Brand new distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs etc. but still will have a rough start if sitting for a while. recently took starter off and on again ( long story). Retorqued starter bolts back on. Today, went to start and one of the bolts straight up snapped. The other one doesn't quite keep it in place. So it would just spin. Played with the other bolt and by some miracle got it to start and drove it home. now the starter is ever so slightly misaligned. Looked at the remaining bolt that's still on and looks a bit bent. Only had this for about a year so i don't really know if these bolts are just the wrong size or if this all is stemming from the hard start putting all the stress on there.

Any advice regarding freeing the broken bolt and preventing this in the future would be appreciated.

Does it have the big starter or the smaller one ( stepped case or straight case?). The bolts are different between the two, and you definitely need to use the correct ones to avoid starter and flexplate damage. The bolts can become bent from vibration or improper installation too.
When I replaced the starter on my crew cab before Christmas, I went to the local Chevy dealership parts department and bought a pair of new bolts. The parts store didn't have them, and what they did have, didn't look right. I was going from the larger, original starter, to the smaller one. It sounds a little bit different, but it doesn't fail to crank the engine.
The correct bolts have a step in their shanks, and knurling on both the larger and smaller part of the shank. This helps locate the starter properly and hold it in place. You DON'T want the starter to "walk around" on the transmission or engine block mounting pads, because that can lead to cracks in the block there, and damage to the transmission or flexplate. And that's a whole lot more of a repair job, than swapping out a starter.....

 

[Scooterwrench]

Broken fasteners are a mechanics nightmare. The first thing would be to drill a hole up into the center of the broken bolt and use an easyout to back it out of the hole. Once you determine the correct bolts to use lighten up on the wrench man. Every bolt ever made has a torque spec,go beyond that and you wind up with the problem you have now.

 

[JalopiedAllOver]

Does it have the big starter or the smaller one ( stepped case or straight case?). The bolts are different between the two, and you definitely need to use the correct ones to avoid starter and flexplate damage. The bolts can become bent from vibration or improper installation too.
When I replaced the starter on my crew cab before Christmas, I went to the local Chevy dealership parts department and bought a pair of new bolts. The parts store didn't have them, and what they did have, didn't look right. I was going from the larger, original starter, to the smaller one. It sounds a little bit different, but it doesn't fail to crank the engine.
The correct bolts have a step in their shanks, and knurling on both the larger and smaller part of the shank. This helps locate the starter properly and hold it in place. You DON'T want the starter to "walk around" on the transmission or engine block mounting pads, because that can lead to cracks in the block there, and damage to the transmission or flexplate. And that's a whole lot more of a repair job, than swapping out a starter.....

Thanks for the advice. Attached is the one I got. Along with the bolts that were used. Something feels wrong with the other hole that didn't snap the bolt, since I got it. It feels like someone previously over torqued it themselves. Not sure.

 

[JalopiedAllOver]

Broken fasteners are a mechanics nightmare. The first thing would be to drill a hole up into the center of the broken bolt and use an easyout to back it out of the hole. Once you determine the correct bolts to use lighten up on the wrench man. Every bolt ever made has a torque spec,go beyond that and you wind up with the problem you have now.

Thank you. Lesson learned. I have a torque wrench, I should be using it in the future. Gonna have fun getting this done.

 

[JalopiedAllOver]

And now that i think about it, the bolts themselves have a bad feel going in to the block or whatever. Hopefully not messed up threads on the inside.

 

[Scooterwrench]

And now that i think about it, the bolts themselves have a bad feel going in to the block or whatever. Hopefully not messed up threads on the inside.

Is that with the new bolts? The threads on the old bolts may be stretched so they would feel strange. Once you get the broken bolt out run a thread chaser(tap)up into the holes to clean them out. Don't force the tap,start it with your fingers. If the tap starts crooked and you force it you ruin the threads in the block.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Is that with the new bolts? The threads on the old bolts may be stretched so they would feel strange. Once you get the broken bolt out run a thread chaser(tap)up into the holes to clean them out. Don't force the tap,start it with your fingers. If the tap starts crooked and you force it you ruin the threads in the block.

And you want to have some light oil on the threads of the tap, to help it go in and catch whatever it brings out(debris in the threads).

 

[JalopiedAllOver]

Is that with the new bolts? The threads on the old bolts may be stretched so they would feel strange. Once you get the broken bolt out run a thread chaser(tap)up into the holes to clean them out. Don't force the tap,start it with your fingers. If the tap starts crooked and you force it you ruin the threads in the block.

Nope old ones

And you want to have some light oil on the threads of the tap, to help it go in and catch whatever it brings out(debris in the threads).

Thanks for the suggestion, you guys are great. Cheers