It Broke Off! Now What? Please Help!

[FLATMOE]

Today i was going to adjust my pilot screw on my 350x, when i turned the screwdriver the head snapped off. then i put a small pair of needle nose vise grips on the remaining part of the screw and it broke off as well, now the screw is flush with the carb......need help, should i try to drill it out or replace?

[Rustytinhorn]

Today i was going to adjust my pilot screw on my 350x, when i turned the screwdriver the head snapped off. then i put a small pair of needle nose vise grips on the remaining part of the screw and it broke off as well, now the screw is flush with the carb......need help, should i try to drill it out or replace?

I'm not familiar with 350x carbs...but can you take the carb apart and access it from the inside any way?
Another option is to cut a small groove in the screw with a dremel tool and use flathead screwdriver to back it out.
Another option is to get a counter-clockwise, left handed, reversed..(whatever they are called) drill bit that is smaller than the pilot screw, and use that to back it out. But dont drill through it!! That is probably your best bet. It shouldn't be in there very tight.
Also there is a tap and die...I think that is what they are called. The tap punches a small divit into it and then the die is used to back the screw out. Maybe I'm getting it mixed up with re-threading something....I don't know. Anyhow, something along those lines should work.

[dads]

you have to drill and use an easy out to remove it.

[FlyingW]

The problem with the pilot screw is they are brass and soft brass at that. I'd try rusty's suggestion first and cut a groove in whats left of the pilot screw but you'll end up cutting in to the carb body a little bit but that's ok. If you do manage to cut a groove in it and it won't come out with a screwdriver then you will require a replacement carb body, sorry. The easyout option probably won't work because the screw is very small and soft. After you get the groove cut, apply a small amount of heat to the area of the carb body below the end of the snapped off screw but little heat. Be sure to disassemble the carb first and rinse it thoroughly to get all the gas out of it. If the head broke off, chances are the screw is cross-threaded. Bad news.... Good luck.

[XL-erate]

I'd suggest that you first soak it for a couple of days with PB Blaster, available at most auto parts stores. If you get in a hurry on this you're sure to fail. It is often possible to center punch the brass screw and use the revere drill bit, usually available at a building supply, but very pricey critters.

If it was me I'd pull the carb, take it down to a machine shop and have them remove the broken screw. They do this stuff all the time and it's usually only $15-$20 and no damage. Money well spent....

[jeffatc500r]

If you have access to Left hand drill bits, they work great!

[FLATMOE]

we'll i got it out everyone, thanks for all of your input.........i drilled it out and used my easy outs on it, i ended up going up 3 sizes in easy out from the brass stripping. i tapped it with a small hammer and it finally dug in and got it out.