About two years ago, I bought a nice O-320 with 174 hours since total overhaul for my project. I saw the engine run before it was taken off the donor aircraft but I never noticed that one of the baffle mounting screws was broken off. It's the one forward of the No.3 cylinder. When i finally noticed the problem I was pretty confident that I could get it out but the job has gone wrong.
I was drilling out the core of the screw with a #40 bit in preparation for using a screw extraction tool when the tip of the bit broke off in the body of the screw. It broke off cleanly so there was nothing to grab. I used every tool I had today and got nowhere. The steel in the tip of the bit is just too tough for anything I have available.
These holes run through to the first gap between the fins so there is no way of getting at the back of the screw.
One idea I had is simply to leave the broken screw where it is and drill / tap a new hole lower down in the same boss. there is plenty of space there. However, I would obviously prefer to get the broken screw out
All ideas gratefully received.
I was drilling out the core of the screw with a #40 bit in preparation for using a screw extraction tool when the tip of the bit broke off in the body of the screw. It broke off cleanly so there was nothing to grab. I used every tool I had today and got nowhere. The steel in the tip of the bit is just too tough for anything I have available.
These holes run through to the first gap between the fins so there is no way of getting at the back of the screw.
One idea I had is simply to leave the broken screw where it is and drill / tap a new hole lower down in the same boss. there is plenty of space there. However, I would obviously prefer to get the broken screw out
All ideas gratefully received.