Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Honda 11h engine, screw extractor, extracters

Question
Hi my proble is located where the muffler bolts to the engine. One of the studs that stick out of the engine where muffler attaches broke off. so i went down the the hardware store and got a screw extracter. Now i know from experience that the extracters often break-off inside the stud. And so it did. I was tring to be careful  i heated the meteal up with a torch and used penetrating oil. So now i am stuck with a broken stud, with a screw extracter in in. What can i do? Or do i have to replace the peice?

Answer
Once you break off an extractor, the level of difficulty increases exponentially.  First, try taking a small punch and breaking up the screw extractor inside the stud (extractor is hardened and a little more brittle).  Often you can break the extractor into pieces to get it out.  Then, if you get it out, drill the remainder of the stud out and, if you damage the threads, install a heli-coil.  If you cannot break up the extractor, take it into a good shop so they can weld a small post (or whatever other idea they may have) to the stud to extract it.  Machine shops are an excellent source to get difficult jobs like this done.  Hope this helps.