advice from car mechanic/handyman

parrothead · Apr 6, 2005, 05:11 PM

Hey all,

This has absolutely nothing to do with computers, but I thought it couldn't hurt to ask. I was trying to remove a Torx head bolt from a part of my car and the head stripped out. I need this bolt to come out to change out a bad part. Does anyone here know how to get a screw/bolt with a stripped head out? (btw, the nut that the bolt is screwed into is welded to the body of the car so I cant just unscrew it that way.)

dvdh · Apr 6, 2005, 05:19 PM

Your best bet is probably to get a bolt extractor. (see pic)

You would have to drill a hole in the head of the bolt (since it's a torx, you might not even have to do this). The extractor threads it self into the hole until it binds and then forces the bolt to turn out.

extractor

parrothead · Apr 6, 2005, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvdh

Your best bet is probably to get a bolt extractor. (see pic)

You would have to drill a hole in the head of the bolt (since it's a torx, you might not even have to do this). The extractor threads it self into the hole until it binds and then forces the bolt to turn out.

extractor

Thanks for the advice, I did a google search on bolt extractors and I saw one that looks like it fits on the outside of the head. Do you know if these are as effective as the kind where you drill the bolt?

dvdh · Apr 6, 2005, 05:49 PM

It depends on what type of Torx head it is. An extractor that grips onto the outside of the bolt would require a good straight surface to grab onto, so button heads bolts would not work well. Additional, because you are not drilling a hole of a specific size in the head of the bolt, the extractor that (I believe) you are talking about has to fit precisely to the diameter of the bolt head.

A mechanic may be your best bet if it looks like you may have to buy tools anyway. By the sounds of it, the bolt extraction you need to do is fairly straight forward (unless there is corrosion involved) and you would no likely be charged very much for it.

Button head - will not work well

Will work alright with an outside gripping extractor

parrothead · Apr 6, 2005, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvdh

It depends on what type of Torx head it is. An extractor that grips onto the outside of the bolt would require a good straight surface to grab onto, so button heads bolts would not work well. Additional, because you are not drilling a hole of a specific size in the head of the bolt, the extractor that (I believe) you are talking about has to fit precisely to the diameter of the bolt head.

A mechanic may be your best bet if it looks like you may have to buy tools anyway. By the sounds of it, the bolt extraction you need to do is fairly straight forward (unless there is corrosion involved) and you would no likely be charged very much for it.

Button head - will not work well

Will work alright with an outside gripping extractor

Right, the bolt I need to extract is a button head. I might be able to use a bolt extractor we have at my work. The bolt is pretty rusted over, is there anything I should do preparation-wise to make it come out easier? By they way, thanks for all the advice.

dvdh · Apr 6, 2005, 09:04 PM

If it is rusted up, you might be asking for some more trouble. . . there is a certain amount of risk that you might break the head off of the bolt if it really seized, in which case the extraction could evolve into drilling out the old bolt entirely. However that said, start off by putting a liberal amount of penetrating oil on the bolt (WD-40 works fine) well in advance of trying to remove the bolt. If you can get at the side of that the nut is on apply some there too.

In order to avoid snapping the bolt, don't put an overly large swing bar on the extractor. Too much leverage, and something may very well snap. The other option (which can be used in conjuction with oil) is to heat the nut with a torch. (again this is dependent on where the bolt is . . . you don't really want to set the car on fire)

Sun Baked · Apr 6, 2005, 09:16 PM

Heat and wax... if you are going the heat route.

patrick0brien · Apr 7, 2005, 05:38 PM

-parrothead

You could use a Dremel to cut a slot and turn it into a Flat-head screw. Just be careful you don't take it too deep or you'll break the metal side off.

parrothead · Apr 11, 2005, 05:16 PM

Now I've done it. This weekend was work on the car weekend for me and I think I made things worse. I went and got a couple different sized cobalt drill bits and a bolt extractor. The extractor looks a bit like a threaded screw or something. Anyway, I drilled into the head of the bolt a little ways and then stopped. (I probably should have just drilled the entire bolt, but you know what they say about hindsight.) Anyway, after drilling the hole, I inserted the bolt extractor, screwed it in tight and proceeded to try to unscrew the bolt. Well, this bolt must have been rusted solid or tightened by Hercules himself because it wouldn't budge. The nut that the bolt was screwed into was welded onto the underside of the part and it broke free. Finally the bleeping extractor snapped. It snapped flush with the top of the bolt, so now it looks like a rivet, rather than a bolt. I tried to drill again, but the extractor was made of cobalt, so my bits had no luck.

So now I have this bolt that is fairly loose, but the nut is stuck solidly on, so I can't get it out to replace the part. Does anyone have any other ideas? I thought of using a hacksaw on the bolt, but I would have to find the world's smallest hacksaw to get it to fit in the space. I will try to post a pic of where the bolt is if that would help anyone. PatrickObrien do you think a dremel would be able to cut a slot into the cobalt?

parrothead · Apr 11, 2005, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvdh

If it is rusted up, you might be asking for some more trouble. . . there is a certain amount of risk that you might break the head off of the bolt if it really seized, in which case the extraction could evolve into drilling out the old bolt entirely. However that said, start off by putting a liberal amount of penetrating oil on the bolt (WD-40 works fine) well in advance of trying to remove the bolt. If you can get at the side of that the nut is on apply some there too.

In order to avoid snapping the bolt, don't put an overly large swing bar on the extractor. Too much leverage, and something may very well snap. The other option (which can be used in conjuction with oil) is to heat the nut with a torch. (again this is dependent on where the bolt is . . . you don't really want to set the car on fire)

Ahh, you must have added the last part after I read it, or else I just didnt read it the first time. I did add the oil, didnt know about the heat, and must have used way too much torque.

Apr 6, 2005, 05:11 PM	#1
parrothead macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Edmonds, WA	advice from car mechanic/handyman Hey all, This has absolutely nothing to do with computers, but I thought it couldn't hurt to ask. I was trying to remove a Torx head bolt from a part of my car and the head stripped out. I need this bolt to come out to change out a bad part. Does anyone here know how to get a screw/bolt with a stripped head out? (btw, the nut that the bolt is screwed into is welded to the body of the car so I cant just unscrew it that way.) __________________ "If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane." - Jimmy Buffett check out my boatbuilding website at http://www.keakayaks.com/

Apr 6, 2005, 09:16 PM	#7
Sun Baked macrumors 603 Join Date: May 2002	Heat and wax... if you are going the heat route. __________________ May you be plagued by images of Richard Simmons flouncing through you brain, and squat thrusting his way though all waking thoughts.

Apr 7, 2005, 05:38 PM	#8
patrick0brien macrumors 68040 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The West Loop	-parrothead You could use a Dremel to cut a slot and turn it into a Flat-head screw. Just be careful you don't take it too deep or you'll break the metal side off. __________________ *Let's Get Stupid.* Switchers, and Experienced Gearheads go to Sneezing Frog

Apr 11, 2005, 05:16 PM	#9
parrothead Thread Starter macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Edmonds, WA	Now I've done it. This weekend was work on the car weekend for me and I think I made things worse. I went and got a couple different sized cobalt drill bits and a bolt extractor. The extractor looks a bit like a threaded screw or something. Anyway, I drilled into the head of the bolt a little ways and then stopped. (I probably should have just drilled the entire bolt, but you know what they say about hindsight.) Anyway, after drilling the hole, I inserted the bolt extractor, screwed it in tight and proceeded to try to unscrew the bolt. Well, this bolt must have been rusted solid or tightened by Hercules himself because it wouldn't budge. The nut that the bolt was screwed into was welded onto the underside of the part and it broke free. Finally the bleeping extractor snapped. It snapped flush with the top of the bolt, so now it looks like a rivet, rather than a bolt. I tried to drill again, but the extractor was made of cobalt, so my bits had no luck. So now I have this bolt that is fairly loose, but the nut is stuck solidly on, so I can't get it out to replace the part. Does anyone have any other ideas? I thought of using a hacksaw on the bolt, but I would have to find the world's smallest hacksaw to get it to fit in the space. I will try to post a pic of where the bolt is if that would help anyone. PatrickObrien do you think a dremel would be able to cut a slot into the cobalt? __________________ "If we weren't all crazy, we would go insane." - Jimmy Buffett check out my boatbuilding website at http://www.keakayaks.com/

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Apr 6, 2005, 05:19 PM	#2
dvdh macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Ottawa, Canada	Your best bet is probably to get a bolt extractor. (see pic) You would have to drill a hole in the head of the bolt (since it's a torx, you might not even have to do this). The extractor threads it self into the hole until it binds and then forces the bolt to turn out. extractor

Apr 6, 2005, 05:49 PM	#4
dvdh macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Ottawa, Canada	It depends on what type of Torx head it is. An extractor that grips onto the outside of the bolt would require a good straight surface to grab onto, so button heads bolts would not work well. Additional, because you are not drilling a hole of a specific size in the head of the bolt, the extractor that (I believe) you are talking about has to fit precisely to the diameter of the bolt head. A mechanic may be your best bet if it looks like you may have to buy tools anyway. By the sounds of it, the bolt extraction you need to do is fairly straight forward (unless there is corrosion involved) and you would no likely be charged very much for it. Button head - will not work well Will work alright with an outside gripping extractor

Apr 6, 2005, 09:04 PM	#6
dvdh macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Ottawa, Canada	If it is rusted up, you might be asking for some more trouble. . . there is a certain amount of risk that you might break the head off of the bolt if it really seized, in which case the extraction could evolve into drilling out the old bolt entirely. However that said, start off by putting a liberal amount of penetrating oil on the bolt (WD-40 works fine) well in advance of trying to remove the bolt. If you can get at the side of that the nut is on apply some there too. In order to avoid snapping the bolt, don't put an overly large swing bar on the extractor. Too much leverage, and something may very well snap. The other option (which can be used in conjuction with oil) is to heat the nut with a torch. (again this is dependent on where the bolt is . . . you don't really want to set the car on fire)