Stripped CV bolt head and related questions

[Bukowski]

87 944 NA

A CV bolt - the ones going into the transmission - has the triple square head stripped. I could grab it a couple times and push it, but didn't last long enough.

Should I repeat this as much as possible before trying vise-grips? Any other suggestions? I have other CV boots that are 6 mm Allen heads.

Also : the rear wheels are not rotating regardless of p- brake - is that because the drive shaft coupler is detached? When the CV wiggles - when getting bolts out - is that bad for the tranny?

Last q: can the coupler get pushed onto the drive shaft? Or is it supposed to come out through the inspection port, after the tranny starts to come down (but just enough for the coupler to come out)?

[mike leborgne]

Burowski, had a similar problem with my CV bolts, keep trying with the triple square. I soaked my stuck bolts with penetrating oil and let them sit overnight and eventually got them out with the triple square the next day. The good news is your stuck bolts are on the transmission side so you can get vice-grips on the bolt head. If the vice-grips don't work your last resort will be an easy out. However be careful with an easy out to make sure you don't break the bolt head.
Frenchy

[mikepellegrini]

If it was me, I'd probably attack it with my Sawzall. Or maybe drill the head off. I've had mixed success with EasyOuts. Sometimes they work, sometimes they break off in the holes. Bolts are cheap.

Vice grips are a longshot.

Another possibility is to cut a slot in it and take it off like a flat head screw. I bought a dentist-drill Dremmel like tool to do that with - haven't had a chance to use it yet (which is a good thing!).

As to your wheels rotating, I can only think your parking brake needs to be adjusted; whether the coupler was attached or not shouldn't make a difference.

The coupler should be pushed onto the transmission shaft. That's where it sits when you take the transaxle out.

[porschetub]

Originally Posted by mikepellegrini

If it was me, I'd probably attack it with my Sawzall. Or maybe drill the head off. I've had mixed success with EasyOuts. Sometimes they work, sometimes they break off in the holes. Bolts are cheap.

Vice grips are a longshot.

Another possibility is to cut a slot in it and take it off like a flat head screw. I bought a dentist-drill Dremmel like tool to do that with - haven't had a chance to use it yet (which is a good thing!).

As to your wheels rotating, I can only think your parking brake needs to be adjusted; whether the coupler was attached or not shouldn't make a difference.

The coupler should be pushed onto the transmission shaft. That's where it sits when you take the transaxle out.

Have used visegrips with 80% success ,next step is to buy the next size up inhex socket and drive it it to the capscrew,it will usually do the job.
Best to find out why they didn't undo in the first place,most common cause is dirt in the inside of the capscrew preventing your tool fitting in properly.

[Peter Burrowes]

First, take a fine wire or pick amd make sure the bolt head for the triple head is completely clean. Insert the socket and tap hard (not Bash) on the socket to both seat it and jar the bolt. If it will not back out then, try tightening it a little, sometimes its enough to break it free. If you need to you can drill it and use an easy out, they are not hardened bolts and Pelican sells new ones

[mikepellegrini]

Driving a slightly larger sized hex head tool into the bolt could work. You could also spot weld a nut to the bolt head and take it off that way.

It's just that the Sawzall will work. With the bolt on the transaxle side, it'd be really easy and take maybe 5 minutes or less (with a new blade).

Perhaps I'm too impatient?

And of course if you don't own a Sawzall, that changes things. Hack saws aren't even half the fun...

... As an after thought, a good way to prevent such occurrences in the future is to get a good set of triple-squares. I used to buy $15 sets (e.g., Lisle) at my local auto parts stores and had a lot of bad experiences rounding off bolts. After a while, I figured out that there were two problems: the cheap tools (in many cases) were not quite the right exact size - (close but no cigar) and so that sloppy fit contributed to making problems, then secondly, that the cheap tools often wore with age and became more sloppy as you used them. To summarize: they used cheap steel that probably wasn't case hardened, and the Chinese machinists (making 15 cents an hour) weren't very precise.

I solved that by investing in a set of SK triple squares - I think I paid about $65. I haven't rounded off a single bolt since I bought that set. Great investment.

[Bukowski]

Cool thanks all - mikepellegrini, is a rotary tool w/ cutoff like your sawzall idea?

What consequence is being on transaxle side?

Will report tonight!

[gtroth]

After dousing in PB Blaster or whatever, be sure to wake the bolts up by hitting the heads with a hammer. Since they are a liitle hard to reach, I might have used a punch on those when I did them, but I always do that. And blow out the triple square sockets with compressed air so the tool has the best chance of engaging fully (wear goggles).

If you must resort to a an extractor, I wonder if a bolt out will fit. Grabs the outside of the fastener. I have had the best luck with those.

[porschetub]

Originally Posted by gtroth

After dousing in PB Blaster or whatever, be sure to wake the bolts up by hitting the heads with a hammer. Since they are a liitle hard to reach, I might have used a punch on those when I did them, but I always do that. And blow out the triple square sockets with compressed air so the tool has the best chance of engaging fully (wear goggles).

If you must resort to a an extractor, I wonder if a bolt out will fit. Grabs the outside of the fastener. I have had the best luck with those.

That looks like it is only for hexigonal headed bolts but a handy tool.
Drilling and cutting won't be that easy as they are hi-tensile ,grade 10 (I think) so they won't be soft as in a normal mild steel bolt.
mike ,the use of a larger inhex socket or allen key driven into the capscrew has worked 100% of the time for me.

[mhariush]

those bolt out's from sears works great. I used one of them to get the stripped cheesehead bolt out from my flywheel. But I think it's going to be too tight of a fit to get it on the CV bolt...

[gtroth]

Originally Posted by porschetub

That looks like it is only for hexigonal headed bolts but a handy tool.
Drilling and cutting won't be that easy as they are hi-tensile ,grade 10 (I think) so they won't be soft as in a normal mild steel bolt.
mike ,the use of a larger inhex socket or allen key driven into the capscrew has worked 100% of the time for me.

They work great on round heads - they cut right in.

[Bukowski]

Well I am glad to report that in trying the triple square two more times - including tapping it in well - the bolt managed to loosen and come free - sleeping on problems can work wonders.

The right rear wheel rotor must have been a bit rusty because it now turns. The left rear is still stuck.

Now that my axles are free I understand how the bolts fasten.

Thanks a lot for sharing the great ideas that came up in the meantime!