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- Thread starter blasterkid1994
- Start date
Uh oh! Stripped, as in the head is rounded off too much to grip it with a socket or wrench? Or stripped, as in the threads inside are damaged to the point where the plug just spins but won't unscrew?
Hopefully, the bolt head is just rounded off. If this is the case, your best bet is going to be a Craftsman Bolt-Out (or similar) spiral socket. Probably a 17mm version. These special spiral flute sockets will grip even a severely-rounded-off bolt head, allowing you to wrench it off with a ratchet or box end wrench. I've had good luck with them on a variety of jobs. You may need to buy one thats slightly smaller than the rounded bolt head and tap it on with a hammer to have the best gripping power.
You can also usually get a rounded bolt head to budge with a sharp blow to the circumfrence, perpendicular to the centerline of the threads, with a sharp punch and hammer. A good smack to the left, with the chisel biting into the outer edge of the bolt, will jar it loose and break the gasket's seal (the whole reason the bolt wouldn't budge in the first place).
Failing these two methods, pull out a welder and weld a large 3/4" nut to the top of the damaged bolt, filling in the center of the nut with weld bead. Then just let it cool and wrench it right off with a 3/4" standard wrench. The plug will surrender easily as long as your weld penetrated properly.
Those are my suggestions. I use all 3 of these methods at work while fixing damaged lawn equipment, and 1 of the 3 almost always succeeds. Be patient, work carefully, and whatever you do, don't make it worse by using Vise-Grips. They suck.
Hopefully, the bolt head is just rounded off. If this is the case, your best bet is going to be a Craftsman Bolt-Out (or similar) spiral socket. Probably a 17mm version. These special spiral flute sockets will grip even a severely-rounded-off bolt head, allowing you to wrench it off with a ratchet or box end wrench. I've had good luck with them on a variety of jobs. You may need to buy one thats slightly smaller than the rounded bolt head and tap it on with a hammer to have the best gripping power.
You can also usually get a rounded bolt head to budge with a sharp blow to the circumfrence, perpendicular to the centerline of the threads, with a sharp punch and hammer. A good smack to the left, with the chisel biting into the outer edge of the bolt, will jar it loose and break the gasket's seal (the whole reason the bolt wouldn't budge in the first place).
Failing these two methods, pull out a welder and weld a large 3/4" nut to the top of the damaged bolt, filling in the center of the nut with weld bead. Then just let it cool and wrench it right off with a 3/4" standard wrench. The plug will surrender easily as long as your weld penetrated properly.
Those are my suggestions. I use all 3 of these methods at work while fixing damaged lawn equipment, and 1 of the 3 almost always succeeds. Be patient, work carefully, and whatever you do, don't make it worse by using Vise-Grips. They suck.
yea the bolt is rounded off. i started off on the wrong foot using the wrong size socket i wasnt using metric sized sockets.
Ok, gotcha. Yeah, go for the Bolt-Out first, and see what happens. As long as you have the right size, I bet you'll get it to come loose without having to resort to more drastic measures.
clean the oil off and do what braaptor said did you even read the posts above you? geez man
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