Trim pump rear bolt/stud head snapped off

[jkscarab]

1998 250 EFI motor. Dont have serial # in front of me but very common trim pump to almost all 3L Mercs.

From picture the rear power trim bolt head snapped off with just the stud sticking up.

Question: How best to remove stud?

Standard steps below:
A) clean up the stud/mating surface with wire brush to allow penetrating fluid (PB blaster, Liquid Wrench Pen Fluic) and let sit for 24 hours.
B) Vice Grip the stud and try to unscrew stud.

Thoughts from experienced users..

1. should I add heat (long reach fire starter lighter) or torch to stud let cool and then try vice grip?
2. Just keep adding penetrating fluid
3. Give it to an experience mechanic to give it his best try as an amateur will snap stud off at the mating surface creating a bigger problem?

Any ideas thoughts most welcome!!!
I would really like to try my best attempt before giving it to a professional but I am not so arrogant to not know when I am in over my skis.

[Savage]

Weld a nut on the broken screw. Heat from welding process will help loosen the screw.
Use propane heat with wax used for lubricating cutting blades.

[jkscarab]

Thanks for your input Savage (lubricating wax and weld nut). I do not know how to weld...if I were to search for someone who could do the welding would a "mobile weld" guy (craigslist) be an option? Is it typical for trained mechanics to know how to weld?

[smoken86]

Welding a nut as said above would be best. Anyone with any welding skills should be able to do it. Other option is they do make some easy outs that you can buy to go over it.

[massbays]

Looks like you have a lot of stud sticking up.
you can double nut, heat the aluminum casting surrounding the stud.
aluminum casting will expand faster than the stainless stud and you have a window where you can back the stud out.
can usually be done with a hand held propane bottle torch.

[FeFanatic]

Looks like you have a lot of stud sticking up.
you can double nut, heat the aluminum casting surrounding the stud.
aluminum casting will expand faster than the stainless stud and you have a window where you can back the stud out.
can usually be done with a hand held propane bottle torch.

I would attempt this first. Put a washer between the nuts and try to remove the stud from the bottom nut.

[jkscarab]

Thanks everyone for your input!! I appreciate the various ideas.
1) The problem with the 2 nut method is I gripped the stud with a vice grips to just see sorta see what that "felt like" and in the process I cheesed up the threads. I could probably run a die over the threads to clean up a bit. Live and learn...

>>>My real fear is that if I snap the stud off at the surface of the casting I am in a sh*t position to had it off to a boat "mechanic who would have to take the engine off as there isnt enough room in this "trim area" to use an "easy out" or similar.

I like the idea of heating the aluminum casting (expand thermally) as aluminum>steel conductivity. Do I need a torch or might a long reach lighter work? Is there some kinda newbie/amateur tool/torch ? how about the attached butane amazon thing??

Huge thanks to all and appreciate the continued help to figure out best solution.

[FeFanatic]

I would heat the stud itself. What that will do is expand the bolt in the aluminum housing and forcing the housing out just a little. Once cooled back off the stud will shrink and that might/should allow you to remove it. Remember that stud is stainless steel so it is a little harder than a standard stud. If the threads aren't too screwed you should still try the double nut first. Get that little torch and heat the crap out of the stud and leave the aluminum alone. Let the bolt push the aluminum instead of the aluminum expanding from the torch.

[EuropeanAM]

Gonna want to remove engine from transom or trim unit from engine. Very hard to adequately heat right against transom.

Protect pump opening- any debris in there will be a big problem.

[jkscarab]

Thanks again FeFanatic and EuropeanAM. I understand the logic of heating the stud to expand and letting cool off. And EuropeanAM I placed the old trim pump in the pump housing to help ensure nothing gets in there. Good reminder though....always great advice.

I am awaiting butane torch and will advise my findings.

[jkscarab]

So, bad news. I followed the input for all the helpful folks on this site….Tons of penetrating oil >Heated the sh*t out of the stud/ let stud cool overnight and then heated the aluminum casting and vice grips to try to rotate stud. Stud sheared off at casting. The issue is the original bolt has threads all the way down where the new bolt only has threads for the bottom inch. The original stupid long threaded bolt was bad design and hence improved with new bolt.

>>>>Next steps? As there is not much room above the stud to “ez out” or similar are there any other options or is it time to pull the motor and hand off to a pro to remove buried stud?

I am open to ideas …I see it as a learning process.
Thanks again to all on here for all your input. Live and learn….

stud shear.JPGScrewoldnew.JPG

[massbays]

Pull the entire trim assy (requires spreading the mounting brackets), take it to an auto machine shop to remove the stud.

[JOE54]

salt water is bad shat

[jkscarab]

Thanks massbays for the input. Is it possible to do as you say (spread mounting brackets) without removing the engine? Furthermore, the idea "take it to an auto machine shop" do these guys ever do "mobile" work ...i.e. will they come to you provided you pay travel costs etc? Thanks again for the input!

[massbays]

Yes you can leave the motor on the transom but you can't be driving the boat around.
I use wooden wedges between the top of transom and the motor tilt tube, unbolt trim from brkt, unbolt stbd brkt from transom. Steering tube nut needs to be removed.
Probably won't be a mobile guy. I'm saying machine shop because I doubt a local boatyard/repair shop will have the equipment to get it bone.

[blackboat]

That one is going to be tough. Hard stainless in an aluminum casting will be almost impossible to drill without messing up the casting,especially a bolt that small. Take the part to a real machine shop and see what they think. Google MDM tap and bolt removable. I have seen broken bolts removed from auto cylinder heads with good results using that method.

[jkscarab]

Thanks Massbays and others for your thoughts, I have a question from your comment and the service manual description to remove trim assembly.
See attached pic. Massbays comment “put wooden wedges between the top of transom and the motor tilt tube” .

Observation: Given starboard bracket is
still fastened to the top tilt tube the bottom of the stbd
bracket can only be moved a small amount 1/2” clearance
or so???

Question 1: This 1/2” clearance now allows the tilt assembly
to be removed from below?

Question 2: with the starboard thru hull bolts removed what
Is supporting the right side of the engine (engine ~500lbs).
Or this could the wood wedges be placed between top of
Transom and bottom of right engine bracket?
final1.JPG

Finally, I dont see how placing wood wedges (Massbays "top of transom and the motor tilt tube") allows the tilt assembly to be removed from below?

Lastly, I have reviewed the service manual closely and it is never mentioned that the motor must be liftted/supported/removed etc to take off the tilt trim assembly. I dont doubt you real mechanics know the process but it just reads oddly.

Thanks again for all your help!!

[JOE54]

pm

[massbays]

The wedges are supporting the motor while the brkt is removed.
Stbd is the brkt I always remove, could probably be either.
Once you remove the tilt tube nut the bracket can go as far as necessary.
The newer motors come apart without spreading the support brkts.
Also the pivot pin at top of ram needs to come out. That can mean breaking the trim sender attatching bolts.

[jkscarab]

Thanks Massbays, Yes, I understand better now how the wood wedges function. The boat/motor wasnt local so I had to look again to better understand your description.

The only comment to your above it the manual says not to remove the nut from the tilt tube but "to loosen all the way till the end of the threads." I assume if the trim assy will come off with as such that is all that matters.

One more, this boat is an old Wellcaraft scarab 302 with transom bracket. It would be easy(ish) to do as your original response above "wooden wedges between the top of transom and the motor tilt tube.
>>>>Question: For your wooden wedges are you just blocking up as high as possible with like a 2x4(s) and then snugging up on the 2x4 with like wood door construction wedges (shims) to get the tilt tube well supported or are you using something more substantial like custom made oak wedges/hard plastic of some sort???

I apologize for this getting tedious with my questions but Im just looking for as much info as possible.
Appreciate the input more than you know.