The International CBX Owners Association

My speedo drive , front wheel, has a screwdriver tip snapped off in the screw head (PO) so I cannot remove the speedo cable.

I looked on Ebay and every single piece for sale seemed to have the same problem.
Is this a common problem, and is there a secret to getting the screw out?

Thanks

johnod wrote:My speedo drive , front wheel, has a screwdriver tip snapped off in the screw head (PO) so I cannot remove the speedo cable.

I looked on Ebay and every single piece for sale seemed to have the same problem.
Is this a common problem, and is there a secret to getting the screw out?

Thanks

I have personally never seen it, the only reason I could imagine is people using AS screw drivers VS JIS.

The screw should come out with an extractor. A little difficult while everything is still installed. Maybe you can take the drive including the cable off the wheel in order to clamp it for drilling and extracting.
If everything fails take it off and throw it away. I have several speedo drives. I can send you one.

I have never seen a wrong screwdriver braking off a head. The problem between AS and JIS will be the wrong one does not grab the slots properly and ruins them. It will not be able to transmit enough torque to break the screw. The head usually breaks off when tightening it and over-torquing the screw, because the JIS screw slot is not designed to cam out when applying too much force like the Philips.

EMS

That's exactly what I thought I'd try, I'll see how it goes.
Thanks for the offer of spare piece , I may take you up on it if I fail.

The last 2 front tire changes i have done on the '81 the speedo cable has stayed with the wheel.
Wish i could blame it in the p.o.
No big deal.

EMS wrote:
I have never seen a wrong screwdriver braking off a head.s.

Read it again Mike, the screw head did not break off from the screw, the screwdriver tip broke off and was left behind into the head of the screw!

I'd try a small punch to drive the remaining pieces of the screwdriver free while it was still on the bike before you remove the speedo drive, start from the center tip of the slots and tap outward.

if you're able to remove the broken pieces of the screwdriver, put the tip of a soldering iron on the head of the screw for a couple mins before trying to remove the screw using a good quaity JIS driver bit or screwdriver, NOT a cheap Chinese bit or screwdriver, use a small impact driver and a good set of JIS bits to remove the small stubborn fasteners.

A small battery powered impact screwdriver with a clutch works well too.

Jeff Bennetts wrote: Read it again Mike, the screw head did not break off from the screw, the screwdriver tip broke off and was left behind into the head of the screw!

.

Point taken! Seems I was confused about what actually broke.
The issue with the JIS fasteners still remains. Unlike the Phillips fasteners, they will not make the tool cam out of the head when too much torque is applied.Whatever is the weakest part in the interaction will break. Usually, when using a Phillips driver with a JIS head and overtorquing, you mar the head. If you use a JIS driver, you would either break the tool or the fastener. It is possible, of course to break either the tool or the fastener, when using a Phillips driver too.
Bottom line is, be careful with the Japanese cross-slot fasteners. They break (or your tool does) when tightened too much.

If I'm having trouble removing a screw such as in the speedo drive, I often warm the area just a bit. A few seconds with a heat gun is all it takes to cause a little expansion of dis-similar metals, especially aluminum. However, depending on the application, sometimes you then need to wait for heat transfer, then rapidly cool the outer piece. Compressed air makes a pretty effective cooler.

And yes, I've broken a screwdriver tip in a speedo drive too. It was a Snap-On impact bit. Difficult to dig out.

If I apply heat with a torch, what is inside that I could screw up?

Ive tried to get screwdriver tip out, and I've tried driving the screw with a punch and chisel , no luck so far, maybe I should leave it alone.

johnod wrote:If I apply heat with a torch, what is inside that I could screw up?

Ive tried to get screwdriver tip out, and I've tried driving the screw with a punch and chisel

You're most likely not going to get the screw out unless you clean the broken screwdriver tip from the head of the screw,
I'm not sure I understand, "I've tried driving the screw with a punch and chisel" I don't think that's a good idea. Do you have a very small flat tipped punch that you can drive the broken screwdriver tip out with?

I wouldn't put a torch anywhere near the speedo drive, do the soldering iron trick I mentioned after you get the broken screwdriver tip out, then use a cordless hammering drill/driver that has a clutch so you don't repeat the broken driver bit. Having the correct tools will make the job a little easier, if not get some help or stop before you fudge something up.

Maybe try a good dental pic to clean the broken screwdriver tip out.

I have gotten broken driver bits out of deck screws with a small flat tipped punch, maybe someone else here has a better idea, slow down and don't do something you'll regret.

Tried dental picks, small punches etc, driver tip is broken off flush and in there really tight.

johnod wrote:Tried dental picks, small punches etc, driver tip is broken off flush and in there really tight.

In extreme cases I have used a dremel tool with a small disc to create my own slots in a striped fastener head, but in this case the head is counter sunk in the speedo drive housing and you will have to be really careful not to cut into it, I'd use this as a last resort.