freegdr

Any progress ?

SteveMongr

IronRock sends a tapered tap with the kit. I didn't like drilling the hole longer than needed for the bolt, just to accommodate the tap. Now I know what to use next time!

edited; corrected tap types.

TheHouseOG

I used one I bought at an ace hardware. Not 100% sure if it was fluted or flat on the end.

F1Addict

When this happened to me, I filed pins into a spare 9mm 1/4" drive socket. The pins keyed into the clearing flutes on the broken tap and I could use a wrench to back the tap out. It took a couple hours to make the key but I wasn't sitting under my Audi scratching my head for days in a row.

Rogue4x4

OK so my bad, I said fluted, I meant to say tapered....this is a tapered tap

and this is a flat bottom

and this is a fluted tap


You should be using the second one for blind holes

TheHouseOG

It was definitely the first one. Like I said, it was definitely a cheaper one sold at Ace hardware.

TheHouseOG

Couldn't this afternoon. My silly wife wants to actually hang out with me.... Weird. I don't even like hanging out with me.

Hog Rush

http://www.mcmaster.com/#tap-extractors/=rtm5ud

They sell the replacement taps too.

TheHouseOG

https://i.imgur.com/4HiMDsW.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/PR1Z5dL.jpg

This is it. Worked on it for an hour. Tried to heat the shaft and tap it out. Over and over again. No dice. I kept the rear drive shaft off.

Can I drive the 6 miles to the shop on the front drive shaft alone? It's flat paved road and my hazards will DEFINITELY be on. What do you guys think?

TheHouseOG

Oh and can someone do me a favor and post those pics?

TheHouseOG

I just used the "search" function. According to other threads I should be ok.

Rogue4x4

Resized and painted, per your request

...and is the tap in the package the same as the broken one? If it is, you have the right tap...if not, then NOW you have the right tap, LOL
Attachment 241234

Also, have you ever tapped threads before? If not, it is a kinda an art form, LOL...you gotta go slow, and be straight, you can't let that sucker wiggle even a little, or it will snap. Get it started, then use generous amounts of cutting fluid, and cut the threads one full turn, back off half a turn, one full turn, back off half a turn, and once you have some decent threads going, back it out almost all the way, clean the shavings out of the flutes, continue to tap using the method above. Do NOT rush through it, patience and precision is key here. Keep us posted on your progress!

TheHouseOG

It's the same tap. So it WAS the right tap but maybe the wrong guy doing it haha. I was soo nervous cutting that I would go quarter turn or half a turn at most and then back it out completely and dip in cutting oil. Maybe too many back and forth movements as in I should have done a full turn AND THEN backed it out half way. Either way it sucks.

Rogue4x4

I don't think it was too many back and forth movements, that can only help you when you tap in and back it out, I think your problem is too much lateral movement...you are trying to tap something sideways, and gravity is working against you that whole time, not to mention you're on your back and trying to keep a tap straight on a horizontal plane above you...tapping a hole like that is a challenge if you aren't used to doing it. BTW I painted a second pic of where to put your pin punch when you alternate sides, so here ya go...

TheHouseOG

After I heated it I used three points of attack (since one of them chipped off) and tried to tap it on the angle you showed in your pics. Lots of little taps on those spots and nothing. I ended up hitting it a little harder on each one and nothing happened. No movement at all.