Stripped nuts

[rammstein]

I, on the advice of many here, have given one last shot to getting my car working again.

So- I am trying to get two screws out to replace an o-ring that is shot and letting coolant leak. These screws are hex type. I have been trying to grt them out, and I am afraid I am stripping them. In fact, I may have already. I had been soaking in WD40 since 2 days ago to prepare. No luck. Advice?

[drroccostein]

Originally posted by rammstein
I, on the advice of many here, have given one last shot to getting my car working again.

So- I am trying to get two screws out to replace an o-ring that is shot and letting coolant leak. These screws are hex type. I have been trying to grt them out, and I am afraid I am stripping them. In fact, I may have already. I had been soaking in WD40 since 2 days ago to prepare. No luck. Advice?

Ok first use a good penetrating spray, PB Blaster is my choice (found at major auto parts stores). Spray once or twice a day for 2 days.

Now take a dead blow hammer and give the top of the bolt a couple of wraps. If you have started to strip the hex out, stop right where you are and get out the trusty triple square (12 point) and using one size large than you are working on pound it in.

That should take care of the problem.

[rammstein]

OK- I guess I should have listened to every single piece of advice my mentors gave me before starting. Juvy told me to use PB Blaster. So I just went out and bought a can and soaked everything with it. It sure smells strong, hopefully it will do the trick. I'll give the bolts a light tapping and resoak every so often and try again later. The only part you wrote that I can;t do is hammer in a twelve point, as there isn't room to pound something into there.

Question- will PB blaster harm my belts? I got a fair amount of it onto my power steering belt.

[rammstein]

Side note- I DEFINITELY stripped out these bolts. I also don't have any bits with 12 points. Should I go get one? Where? What is it called? Other suggestions?

[JRMock]

Not sure about how PB effects rubber belts...check the can.

(1) 'Wake up' the bolt: After soaking in BP Blast...tap it a dozen times with the hammer. Then hit it once or twice with a good amount of force.

(2) wear gloves.

(3) Then add force: Go ahead and use the best fitting allen wrench, (or 12-point) and use your Vice-Grips to lock onto the outside of the bolt head. Use both tools, at the same time. May want to draft an assistant to use one tool, while you grab the other.

(4) If possible, add heat. Use a propane torch to heat the bolt, then let it cool throughly. Where appropriate, you can spray some water on it to help it cool down fast. Repeat steps 1 - 3.

Good luck
JM

[rammstein]

Thanks for the advice. Like I said, I should have looked into it before stripping the screws.

Even if I get them out, I will have to order new ones to replace them, so I need to figure out the part #s and order.

Finally some good news. It only took me like 25 minutes to replace my fuel filter! I had a little trouble loosening it, but a big extender bar thingy gave me the leverage I needed to get a facefull of gas! The old filter it was dated 1990 and is stamped west germany, and it looked ancient. So I'd say it was time to replace it! I blew through it to check for resistance, and there was quite a bit, whereas the new one had none at all. Perhaps this will fix the full throttle sputtering problem I've been having. Wouldn't that be sweet!

So..... I will try using more PB Blaster and a soldering iron to heat these screws. I really think I screwed myself (no pun intended ) by stripping these out. If I can get this o-ring replaced, my car 'might' be driveable soon! More suggestions are appreciated. Thanks so far. And from now on, when someone tells me to use something, I will do it. I deserve what I am getting now I guess

[rammstein]

Forgive my lack of knowlege on this one, by vice grips you mean what (I know what vices do, but I can't picture one fitting in there)?

[toolboy62]

http://www.irwin.com/irwin/consumer/jhtml/brandProducts.jhtml?brand=Vise-Grip

as they say, available at finer hardware stores everywhere. As for the 12-point, they are also known as a "triple square." You will find them useful as both VW and Porsche use them for CV joint bolts among other things. If you cant find triple squares, an appropriately sized Torx driver will do as well.

good luck,

nate

PS - the bolts are nothing special just take them to your hardware store and match them up once they're out. Get 8.8 hardness at a minimum for anything automotive.

[mattdavis11]

If the above suggestions don't work you can try JB welding an allen key or triple square into the head of the bolt. OverKill seemed to swear by that stuff.

[marko]

If you can't get a vise grip on it, you can also try this...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?threadid=172379

[rammstein]

Some people have suggested that pics might help- so here:

[toolboy62]

worst case you bust off the plastic piece and get a new one. I bet if you busted off the plastic froun underneath the bolt heads you would be able to get them right out with vice grips.

good luck

nate

[mattdavis11]

I really hope that your jack stand position in the last pic is a figment of my imagination. Get the hoses out of your way, please. They are very cheap, so are new clamps. Don't whack on that water pump anymore, please? Man, oh man.

[rammstein]

Originally posted by mattdavis11
I really hope that your jack stand position in the last pic is a figment of my imagination.

Umm... I used haynes. It said to jack from under the diamond, and to lower onto jack stands at the front and rear jack points. I hope I haven't screwed up. It all looked ok to me at the time...

[AFJuvat]

Vice grips...

AFJuvat

[speed]

teeth...

[scheistermeiste]

use a dremel to make a large enough notch in the bolt to put a screw driver in and use that.

[rammstein]

I bought a 2 pack of vice grips from home depot.

ONE SCREW IS OUT!!!! I beat the hell out of it with a hammer, soaked it with PB Blaster again and again, and 2 hours later it was out. Unfortunately, it was the top one, and the bottom one will prove to be harder. I noticed coolant starting to leak out, so I disconnected the hose going to it, to allow the 'excess' coolant to escape. As far as I can tell, the moment I did that I dumped everything. Is this true?

As for bolt #2, the only obstacle is the alternator belt and pulley thing. Should I seriously consider moving these? I was planning to get under the car and try from below, but I need to find some type of sheild, I already got a faceful of gas yesterday and would rather not add coolant to the list of things in my hair. I tried, now that one screw is out, jiggling the housing to help loosen it, but no luck. Also, now that my steering belt is covered in coolant and some PB Blaster, is it ruined?

Advice?

The light at the end of the tunnel is faint, but its there!

[rammstein]

Just before going to bed, I decided to go sick on the lower bolt, and after blood, sweat, curses, heat, hammers, and devine intervention it came out!!! After that, about 4 gallons of coolant came out too. Wasn't especting that. SO- I need to get two new bolts from the VW dealer tomorrow. No biggie. HOWEVER- the O-Ring the porsche dealer gave me looks clearly wrong. I had ordered part number 999.707.283.40

See pic below- who screwed up, me, them, everyone?

[AFJuvat]

That is the correct part number - that is not the correct O-ring though

take it back, with the old O-ring and housing and have them match it up.

AFJuvat