Help, broken a bolt :|

kapur · Post by **kapur** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:29 pm

As the title says, i've managed to shred a bolt while trying to remove it.

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/1794/e ... ean9hm.jpg

This image shows the bolt(s) i was trying to remove. It's a part of the hot air intake system, i remember reading somewhere that it's not needed and it can be removed, so hence, i was trying to remove it. I guess the bolts were rusted way beyond, so it broke while i was trying to turn it.

Theirs 3 bolts i have circled with a red circle. The lowest bolt towards the radiator grille has snapped. Is this going to cause any major problems now? It's only the head of the bolt that has come off. Would it be wise to just drill it through?

Also, was i right in thinking that the hot air intake system isn't needed and can be removed? How do i go about removing the hot air intake system part. I believe the 3 bolts or so located on that intake system are holding it to the engine. Should i try removing the other two? Also, what would people suggest i use to losen up the bolts? WD40? They are way too rusty. I'd love to remove the part if it's not any use, because it's making the engine bay look untidy, thats how rusty it is.

Note:- Sorry, i had to nick a photo of someones engine bay to describe what i've done.

Sorry to who ever it belongs to.

pettsy · Post by **pettsy** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:53 pm

no sure about actually needing the hot air intake or not, but snapping that bolt won't cause any problems. Drilling through it however,will cause your manifold to blow out of the hole,NOT GOOD!

Soaking the bolts in WD40 or plusgas may help with removal,but as the manifold gets mega hot it makes it makes the bolts very hard to get out without snapping them like whats happened to you.

hope that helps

Pettsy

kapur · Post by **kapur** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:05 pm

Hi Petsy, thanks for the reply. As usual, first on the spot.

What it is is that the car hasn't been run for over a month any how, so i don't think WD40 will cause any problems, so i might just do that.

Also, the engine cover, i think it's called rocker cover? It's completely rusted. Any idea where i can source a cleaner one from? Preferably in matt black?

Would it be possible to undo the other bolts, and then pull the air intake off?

As in, yank on it? Sounds stupid, but i'd like to remove it. I've now seen photos of it removed on other GT's, so i'm quite positive it's not needed.

How do i take out that snapped bolt now?

DelG40 · Post by **DelG40** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:15 pm

I snapped the head off that very bolt originally thinking it had to come out to get the shield off. But no. It's just a 'plug'. I've left it in there. No problems.

Mk2Adam · Post by **Mk2Adam** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:22 pm

tons of "plusgas" amazing stuff....and i believe you use stud extractors to remove bolts where the head has sheered off....they're like a socket but they clamp on to it so u can still get it out.

kapur · Post by **kapur** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:23 pm

Thank god, the man with good news.

Cheers Del.

By the way, any idea on how to remove the other screws to remove the hot air intake system?

Is it advisable to remove the system, or shall i leave it in place? As they say, every little (weight) counts, lolz.

Is their a best way to remove the other bolts? Their badly rusted. Will WD40 be any good?

Note:- Cheers Adam, just realised you've made the post. I'll check that out tomorow. I take it it's some sort of gas? Is that to remove the bolts?

Thanks again maties.

Mk2Adam · Post by **Mk2Adam** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:59 pm

funnily enough, it's not a gas, kinda like wd40 but it's super duper stuff, got me out of a few pickles with my bolts...

http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp?productID=7973
they sell it all over the place.

DelG40 · Post by **DelG40** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 10:00 pm

I wouldn't remove the hot air intake, purely because it's cold in this country. More so up this way. Like you said - every little helps (the car start and go). I can't see an advantage to losing it.

I would go and SOAK those two bolts in WD40 a few times, leave it over night then have a McCrack at it tomorrow. See if anything budges.

pettsy · Post by **pettsy** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 10:07 pm

DelGT wrote:leave it over night then have a McCrack

dunno why,but that made me laugh

kapur wrote: Also, the engine cover, i think it's called rocker cover? It's completely rusted. Any idea where i can source a cleaner one from? Preferably in matt black?

You could try giving it a sand down with some wet and dry sandpaper,priming it and then painting it with some heatproof paint. Other options are taking it off and getting it sandblasted & powdercoated?

I have a mk4 polo one on my G,but not sure if they are ok to use on a gt (does the gt need a breather adding i seem to remember?)

Hope this helps a bit

Pettsy

omicron · Post by **omicron** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:20 am

Dude - it's cold outside, leave it on.

Can't speak for a multipoint engine, but on a carb'd:

No/poor warm air feed = carb icing = farked exhaust valves over time.

Krupa · Post by **Krupa** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:08 am

I took it off my GT engine years ago and ran that quite happily without all that gubbins.

Run some alloy ducting (ram pipes, whatever they're called, the bendy metal tubes you can buy) and run them up to the inlet holes on the airbox. I had one from the gap in the bumper where the intercooler goes on a G40, and another which was pikey'd onto the cold air feed on the grille. Seemed to work well.

My GT was perfectly happy without a hot air fed, fair enough to say I don't live in Aberdeen like DelGT but it was subjected to a very harsh winter in Sheffield and was perfectly happy even when it was belting down snow.

The manifold/downpipe gets hot quickly, heats up the ambient air temperature in the engine bay. Not much risk of icing in a GT really.

Mikey c · Post by **Mikey c** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 10:35 am

i would think it'll be fine on the GT, as said above. DON'T do it on a carb'd 1.3 though, i took the flexi hot air pipe off and stuck it on the cold air intake so it poked out of the bumper, last spring i got carb icing over snake pass so i took the flexi pipe off.

then in november on the journey back to sheffield from anglesey it started gettin carb icing real bad, wasnt a fun journey that, it cut out several times and only started workin again once i slowed to 20mph on the motorway hard shoulder

so i have now replaced (bodged) the hot air intake back on with the plate (all the bolts were rusted) and its been fine over winter

havin said that this was on a mk2 golf - loads more drafty in the engine bay than in a polo i spose

hardhitter · Post by **hardhitter** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:10 am

You don't need a warm air feed at all on a GT.

DelG40 · Post by **DelG40** » Wed Jan 18, 2006 12:49 pm

Ok, good point about the ambient temperature Alex.

But to everyone else, what's the point in taking it off? D'you know what I mean? If there are no benefits why remove it?