I have been getting a rattling noise for bout two week out of my 85 se duke and got under it today and the long bolt in the starter broke off in the block bout 3/4 of an inch up inside the block. Not really seeing an easy way to get at it to use a drill and an ease out I took a 7/16 by 20 tap to it and tap it as far as it would go...Using several harden washers and a grade 8 bolt got it back in and the bolt tighted to 50lbs...Will this hold and if not is there an easy way short of taking the motor out to repair it...

Is the long one the closest to the front of the car. Is so check if the threaded hole goes all the way through.

Don't imagine the bolt is sticking out the top but you might check.

It might have broke because the hole got filled with junk from the top and then when someone put the starter in it jambed into the crud and they kept trying to get it tight.
I have never had a 4 so I'm only guessing at this..

I've dealt with this several times. Use a left hand drill bit and your drill in reverse of course. It should catch and remove the rest of the bolt easily.

I came across this thread using the search function...

I've got an '84 Fiero here (duke/4-speed) that I had bought as a "project" several years ago. It has clutch problems, so it's just been sitting waiting to be attended to. Anyway, I've finally got around to dealing with it, and among the many things I'm discovering it needs, the longer starter bolt (the one closest to the back of the car) is broken off flush with the underside of the block.

There is access to it straight up from under the car, but the access is a very narrow gap between the cradle and the cat.

[EDIT] Actually, I was wrong in my previous statement. The bolt that isn't broken is accessed from between the cat and the cradle. (Hey, that sounds like a Harry Chapin song!) The bolt that is broken is a bit more accessible at least as it's positioned just behind the cradle towards the engine. However, I'd need a drill bit that was eight inches long to reach up to the block (not including the end of the drill bit that would need to be in the chuck and also the necessary additional length at the pointy end which would be needed to drill into the broken bolt.)

Yes, I've heard that a reverse drill bit will sometimes work (by "grabbing" and backing the broken bolt out), but it's obvious that some kind of an extension would be necessary.

I'd like to hear what exactly those of who've tackled this job have used. For example, if you've used a reverse drill bit, what size was it? And how did you make it reach (when the engine is still in the car)?

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 09-26-2009).]

A 3/16" reverse drill bit chucked at the end so it's as long as possible works perfectly. I use a small bodied air drill, I'd guess a large bodied electric drill would be tough to get in there.

quote Originally posted by Nazareth: A 3/16" reverse drill bit chucked at the end so it's as long as possible works perfectly. I use a small bodied air drill, I'd guess a large bodied electric drill would be tough to get in there.

Thanks for the drill bit size.

Yeah, it's tough (impossible?) to get an electric drill up in there, which is why I'm also hoping to find out more about drill bit extensions.