Broken Drill bit during Timing belt change

kouik · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:54 am

Hi everyone,

I have been reading on this forum for a long time now but I had never registered as a member. But now I need your help guys...
Forgive me if this subject has been covered before on the forum but I searched the internet high and low for an answer and came back empty handed.

While working on a timing belt change for the first time on my 06 CRD, I used a drill bit to line up my flywheel to 90 DTC, while working on locking my cams with the pins I had to wiggle the crank a bit to get everything lined up, I for some reason there must have been a defect in the casting of my drill bit because it broke... and half of the bit ended up inside the bell housing.

Is there an easy way to extract that piece of drill bit or do I have to drop the transmission?

Could it still be stuck in the flywheel alignment hole?

I had an incredible amount of bad luck this year...

Hexus · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 10:57 am

Alright folks, this is the 2nd one of these we've seen in the past few weeks. I've said it before, and I'll say it again now with 2 recent cases to back me up 100%.

USING A HARDENED DRILL BIT INSTEAD OF THE PROPER TOOL CAN WORK, BUT IS DANGEROUS. Use the Right tool for the job!

Now, with the PSA out of the way, you can remove the starter and work through that hole with a bore scope or magnet or grabber of any kind, but I don't believe the last guy had a lot of luck with it.

kouik · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 11:02 am

Thank you Hexus :rockon:

I will try that.

Any other known methods?

Mountainman · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 11:30 am

I'm working on these motors daily, and I never even think about that crank hole.
Not that it helps you much now, but it's a waste of time messing with that alignment pin for the crank. If the crank witness is at 3 o'clock/ the holes in the sprocket are perfectly horizontal and vertical, then the crank is aligned. After you put the belt on, remove the cam pins, turn it two full turns and make certain the cams pins go back in without more than a hair of crank movement from the witness mark (sometimes you have to bump the crank back and forth a hair). If the cam pins line back up, and the crank witness is back at 3 o'clock, then it's timed.

As for that stuck drill bit. I'd try PB Blaster and the strongest magnet that I could get in there. But I've never even so much as looked for the hole, so I'm not sure how to get at it... :2cents:

lacabrera · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 12:57 pm

Hexus wrote:

Alright folks, this is the 2nd one of these we've seen in the past few weeks. I've said it before, and I'll say it again now with 2 recent cases to back me up 100%.

USING A HARDENED DRILL BIT INSTEAD OF THE PROPER TOOL CAN WORK, BUT IS DANGEROUS. Use the Right tool for the job!

Now, with the PSA out of the way, you can remove the starter and work through that hole with a bore scope or magnet or grabber of any kind, but I don't believe the last guy had a lot of luck with it.

X2 The timing could be a few degree's out with out using some form of alignment on the crank. I have come across several of theses with the timing out by alignment. Probably due to not locking the crank in the correct position.

pjigar · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 1:45 pm

The last guy who had broken drill bit tried to fish it with magnet from starter hole unsuccessfully. Later he just drove the car and the drill bit shattered in to pieces inside transmission bell housing. Drill bit is brittle so driving without worrying about it may be your last resort or drop the transmission to get it out in one piece.

kouik · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 2:57 pm

That somehow sounds like a bad idea, even if the drill bit would somehow break, the metal filings would cause premature wear on the components inside the housing. I'd rather not test my luck.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 3:06 pm

kouik wrote:

That somehow sounds like a bad idea, even if the drill bit would somehow break, the metal filings would cause premature wear on the components inside the housing. I'd rather not test my luck.

There is really not much in there that will get damaged by tiny pieces of broken drill bit.
And the pieces will just fall to the bottom.
If you want to ensure that the pieces stay in the bottom of the bellhousing, glue a powerful magnet to the bottom on the outside.
Otherwise, pull the transmission.
Its up to you.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Thu Sep 17, 2015 6:45 pm

Yeah, I agree with the drive it if you absolutely can't get it out. But, I'd try to purchase a magnet that will get in there first. And, lots of brake cleaner and PB Blaster to loosen it up. You might find a Lost member nearby that is able and willing to help.

If you are really worried about it, you could use a small level to make certain that the holes are perfectly horizontal, making the witness perfect at 3 o'clock. But, you have to be off an entire tooth for it to matter, and the cams wouldn't pin on the verification check...

I think more people get the timing wrong because they pin the wrong crank hole. Or techs at a dealership under pressure to get it done fast.

I take the tops apart, rotate the crank around willy nilly on a stand. And then, I just set the crank to 3 and put on the belt. It's that 720 degree verification that tells you that you timed it well :2cents:

lacabrera · **Posted:** Fri Sep 18, 2015 10:19 am

On the auto kj version I think you have a hole in the starter ring/back plate forgotten the correct name of it. but on the manual with a flywheel it has no hole, just a small dimple that is no more than a eighth deep so easily missed hence using the correct tool. But heck no way of braking a drill bit.

dirtmover · **Posted:** Fri Sep 18, 2015 12:23 pm

Try looking with a mirror. If you can't see anything get a borescope in there. You can pick them up real cheap these days especially if you go for the USB version. You never know you may be lucky and its still stuck in the timing hole in which case you should be able to get it out with some tweezers or a magnet.

kouik · **Posted:** Thu Oct 08, 2015 7:16 pm

Well, I drove my CRD for 1000km with that piece of drill bit in the bell housing. So far everything seems ok.

Mountainman · **Posted:** Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:02 am

Glad to hear it :rockon:

kouik · **Posted:** Sun Dec 27, 2015 3:01 pm

Hey Guys n gals, just a quick update. Its been over 7000km since I lost that drill bit in there and its still going strong. :pepper:

Broken Drill bit during Timing belt change

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