Burn Pot bolt stripped, will not back out!

[vultage]

Now THIS is going to a be a B#$% I wanted to pull the burn pot, and get that cleaned out.
I was already afraid of the bolts being frozen up, so I went about loosening very carefully. The first bolt came right out,.. the 2nd,(left) bolt,.. felt really stiff,.. so I sprayed a bit of PB blast on it,.. and worked it back and forth. At a certain point, it freed up, but go figure,.. it actualy tore the threads apart. The bolt would not back out only spin in place,.. but would tighten back up. I could not back the bolt out enough to get the burn pot out. I ended up vacuuming the best I could around the loose burn pot,. then tightening it back up for now.

All night, and morning, I've not been able to stop thinking about how I'm going to fix this. Has anyone else has ran into this before?

My thoughts are,... If I can cut or break the bolt off on the inside first, allowing me to remove the burn pot, I could then cut the head off, and thread it out to the inside. Depending on if it is just the bolt,.. or the stove itself,. I could JB weld inside the hole.. then redrill and tap.

If anyone else has Ideas or thoughts on this plan, please share! Thank you!

 

[Ssyko]

Sounds like a plan, till you get to the jb weld. I would drill it out and tap it to the next size. Add some high temp antiseize to the new bolts

 

[vultage]

Sounds like a plan, till you get to the jb weld. I would drill it out and tap it to the next size. Add some high temp antiseize to the new bolts

that sounds easier, as well,.. lol thx!

 

[mikkeeh]

Would be helpful to know what stove you have?????

 

[Ssyko]

25pdv I believe

 

[vultage]

25pdv I believe

Yes,.. that is correct,.. sorry!

 

[alternativeheat]

I would get a helicoil kit so when you drill it out you can tap it and put in the helicoil insert back to the original sized bolt. This is a standard automotive/heavy equipment repair for things like exhaust manifolds or transmission bell housings and such, where bolts strip or break etc. I did that stuff for 46 years. We often had stripped threads in aluminum housing adapters on the back of diesel engines. The helicoil threads were much stronger than original in that case.

 

[nailed_nailer]

Not familiar with Harmon's but....
Standard stripped Bolt/Screw fix
Grind off the head with a rotary grinder (disc or burr)
Drill out remains.
Fill weld over old thread and drill and Tap new threads, or
Drill and install Heli-coil threadsert.

For replacement screw don't use Stainless they tend to gall.
---Nailer---

 

[vultage]

For replacement screw don't use Stainless they tend to gall.
---Nailer---

I didn't know that,.. what is "gall" ?

 

[alternativeheat]

I didn't know that,.. what is "gall" ?

They catch the threads and tend to pull them out or break before getting the bolt out. I've seen them seize up on the way out. Everything is turning fine and they come to a sudden stop, especially on something involving heat. It has to do with the dissimilar properties of stainless and other steels. Cast steel for instance.

 

[vultage]

They catch the threads and tend to pull them out or break before getting the bolt out. I've seen them seize up on the way out. Everything is turning fine and they come to a sudden stop, especially on something involving heat. It has to do with the dissimilar properties of stainless and other steels. Cast steel for instance.

Ahh yes! Thanks for the explanation!

 

[articcatbill]

I would second the helicoil approach.

 

[greg13]

Helicoil & Copper never seize.

 

[Ssyko]

Helicoil & Copper never seize.

Now you have me searching for 2" copper bolts

 

[vultage]

Well,. I got it straightened out!

First I used a hacksaw blade, with a small handle,. and cut the stripped bolt as best I could, without seeing it,.. Cold chissel and a tap with the hammer, sheared it right off. Got the burn pot out,. and that gave me a little room to work. I then used the dremmel with a grinding wheel, and ground all the threads off the inside end of bolt,.. after that,.. It pulled right out. Turns out,.. the bolts threads were all broken off inside the plate steels threads. Chased them with a tap, and that cleaned all the broken threads out. There was plenty of threads left in the steel after that.

New Gasket, never seize, and 2 new bolts. I cannot believe how much cleaner it is burning now, there was a ton of ash built up in the 2 air chambers to the side of burn pot, imagine that? lol. This morning the glass was not even the slightest bit sooted

Now,... about the copper bolts? I saw copper bolts, but was worried about them causing a problem like Stainless could, so I just replaced with Grade 5 steel bolts. The ones I took out were grade 8. This will still be ok? I also only had regular aluminum never seize, and didn't see the post about copper until today. Is this still ok? I didn't see anywhere on the bottle about it being flammable, and it says good for some 500*C *(from memory)

 

[sportbikerider78]

This is not a problem. Personally, I would use graphite instead of never seize. I'm not sure what that paste does at high temps. It is used in engine heads around spark plugs, but i'm not sure liquid cooled heads get to the temps we see in a stove.

 

[vultage]

I did pick up some graphite lube, the type for locks. I will try that when I disassemble at the end of the season.

 

[DneprDave]

Silver anti seize is not made with aluminum, it is made with nickle and is just as effective as copper anti seize. Both will withstand high temperatures.

Just use regular old grade 5 steel bolts and anti seize.

 

[vultage]

Silver anti seize is not made with aluminum, it is made with nickle and is just as effective as copper anti seize. Both will withstand high temperatures.

Just use regular old grade 5 steel bolts and anti seize.

Cool,. thx for input!

This stuff I have says Permatex Aluminum Anti-Seize Lubricant. "Prevents seizing, galling and corrosion of metal parts in temperatures of -65*F-1600*F" Contains Petrolium Distillates, Calcium Oxide, Aluminum, Graphite, and Mineral Oil.

 

[Ssyko]

same as mine, your golden

 

[nailed_nailer]

For a High Temp Anti-seize
My Enviro M55 came with a small tube of
Loctite C5-A Copper Antiseize

http://www.loctite.com.au/3320_AUE_HTML.htm?nodeid=8802636201985
The TDS says it's good to 1795 Degrees F

The application explanation provided in my Enviro Manual was to Lubricate the Burn Pot Agitator rod on the roller bearing surfaces.
So It should work well in your application.
Other Anti-seize compounds may also work.

---Nailer---