well now i've done it....windlass finger stud sheared....

CliffA

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2009
4,712
Lake Norman, NC
Boat Info
2001 Sea Ray 340DA
Name: 'Happy Place'
4.5kW West. Generator
Purchased Nov. 2014
Fresh Water Use
Engines
Twin Merc. 6.2L (MPI)
640 hp (Total)
Raw Water Cooled
V-Drive Transmissions
I have a Lofrans Progress 1 windlass....I have recently been going through all my anchoring system to insure it is in good working order.....the threaded stud that the tension finger mounts on had been bent a little in the past....not sure when or how....and the spring for the tension finger had weakened over time to the point it would not hold the rode tight enough in the gypsy...so I bought a new stud, spring, washer, and cap nut for the tension finger to rebuild the tension finger assembly....looking at the job I thought this job should take about 2 mins......

boy was I wrong.....I won't go into the details but bottom line I sheared off the stainless steal stud flush with the windlass bottom plate....so now I have to figure out how to remove the sheared stud from the plate....

I thought about using a carbide drill bit slightly smaller than the diameter of the stud to drill out as much of the sheared stud as possible....then use a small chisel or screwdriver to remove the remaining perimeter of the sheared stud....

anyone have any other ideas how to remove the sheared stud?

thanks....
cliff
 
We were talking about this Saturday - when I broke mine it sheared off flush also. I soaked it with PBBlaster and used an easy out - I had to drill a hole into the broken stud, the hammer the easy out into the stud and reverse it out. Slow, easy and patient.
 
I feel you pain. Been there plenty of times. Stainless is a great material, but it's softer than regular steel and is therefore more prone to snapping off, as you found. Have found that there is no "one best" way to remove it, either. But I agree with Bill and would start there. Look around (easy to find) for a "screw extractor" kit (probably $15). As Bill said, they're often referred to as an EZ-Out.

Tap the broken stud with a good couple of whacks - helps ("helps", doesn't "fix") to loosen any corrosion/salt in between the threads. Then maybe even heat it up a bit. Then a couple days of PB Blaster, a few times a day. Then the extractor. I've found that an impact driver, with lot's of downward pressure, slow on the trigger, seems to work very well.
 
I second the left hand bits... I have a set from Irwin that are hardened. Plenty of PB Blaster and SLOW

Josh
 
thanks for the replies....

the stud is 8mm...I looked at a chart by Irwin and it says to use a 3/16" drill bit along with a 3/16" multi spline hex head extractor....so I am think of getting a 3/16" left hand cobalt drill bit and a 3/16" hex head extractor and give it a try....

the hole in the tension finger has enlarged over time to the point the finger does not fit snuggly on the stud....I was thinking about using JB Weld to fill the hole in the finger and then once it cures drill a 8mm hole in the JB Weld for the stud to pass through.....anyone see any issues with this?...the fingers are not made any more so replacing it is not an option.....

cliff

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Yep, that's pretty much what I used to get mine out - trick is you drill a pilot hole for the extractor, since the extractor has basically a reverse drill bit, as you run the drill in reverse, the extractor is drilling down and "bites" into the sheared bolt turning it out.

On the finger, the JB Weld thing might work, I would be more inclined to try to find something that would work as a bushing to tighten the finger up on the bolt. Thing is be careful with that finger since you can't get another one.
 
Yep, that's pretty much what I used to get mine out - trick is you drill a pilot hole for the extractor, since the extractor has basically a reverse drill bit, as you run the drill in reverse, the extractor is drilling down and "bites" into the sheared bolt turning it out.

On the finger, the JB Weld thing might work, I would be more inclined to try to find something that would work as a bushing to tighten the finger up on the bolt. Thing is be careful with that finger since you can't get another one.
+1 on the bushing!
 
so i ordered the left hand drill bit and the extractor and an 8mm bronze bushing for the finger.....not sure if I will get to the boat this WE or not to make the repair.....i'll post results after the repair....

cliff
 
I did the same thing... Used an easy out to get the bolt out and cleaned the threads with a tap... It was an easy job....
 
thanks for the replies....

the hole in the tension finger has enlarged over time to the point the finger does not fit snuggly on the stud....I was thinking about using JB Weld to fill the hole in the finger and then once it cures drill a 8mm hole in the JB Weld for the stud to pass through.....anyone see any issues with this?...the fingers are not made any more so replacing it is not an option.....

cliff

Had you considered a helicoil, or a time sert?
 
Had you considered a helicoil, or a time sert?


only as a last resort.....I think I can get the sheared stud out.....

cliff
 
You might consider simply drilling out that stud then threading the hole SAE and fitting a shouldered fastener.
That is what I did and it has been working fine for 4 years now. Here is a source to 316 SST shouldered fasteners:https://www.mcmaster.com/#shoulder-screws/=191vg23


thanks.....I did not consider that but will keep this in mind if things don't go as planned....

cliff
 
I'm surprised no one has come up with a retrofit kit to install a new style finger in place of the one that is NLA.

kind of surprised me too.....

cliff
 
I did the same thing... Used an easy out to get the bolt out and cleaned the threads with a tap... It was an easy job....


I hope I have the same luck.....

cliff
 
I'm surprised no one has come up with a retrofit kit to install a new style finger in place of the one that is NLA.
I ordered a replacement spring for mine last year. The customer service rep that I spoke with said that he gets calls frequently for those fingers. He also said that he pleaded with the company to keep making them but was shut down. I guess they just want people to buy new units.
I wonder if Dale (Masterfab) can make replacement fingers & if so, what the cost would be.
 
I ordered a replacement spring for mine last year. The customer service rep that I spoke with said that he gets calls frequently for those fingers. He also said that he pleaded with the company to keep making them but was shut down. I guess they just want people to buy new units.
I wonder if Dale (Masterfab) can make replacement fingers & if so, what the cost would be.


I bet it would not be too difficult to make a replacement finger out of starboard......I have some 3/4" white starboard lying around my shop so I may give it a shot.....

cliff
 
I bet it would not be too difficult to make a replacement finger out of starboard......I have some 3/4" white starboard lying around my shop so I may give it a shot.....

cliff

Keep us posted! You may have a money making idea here!!
 

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