Just after mouthing off on a post here (somewhere) that a good 6 point socket will keep you from stripping a head bolt, I stripped a head bolt.

The socket gripped well on all the other head bolts and the rest came out fine (albeit with a tremendous amount of torque).

So now I have one last bolt that the socket will not grip on. The socket rides up and off the bolt head when I try to loosen it. I don't know if a bolt extractor will work as
1 - it may be too big in diameter to fit down in the head
2- it may not withstand the torque required to loose the bolt.

I was thinking about drilling the head off but am not sure how easy that would be or how it will work out.

Any BTDT's?

TIA

 

bolt extractor

 

Do you think they will work under the torque required to break these head bolts loose? Thanks for taking to time to reply.

Dave
getting ready to run the Democrats out of our capital... (PA)

 

to be honest I'm not sure..head bolts do require a lot of torque but I thought it might be worth a shot..it's a tool you can always use..$25 for a set at most auto part stores.

you can use a torch and heat around a bolt in a cast iron head but Im not sure about aluminium

 

Worth a shot indeed. I zeroed in on a high quality PROTO brand one of the exact size I need. I can buy it singularly so just the one may cost $20 but it will be worth it if it works! Thanks Again.

 

proto is like snap-on and over priced IMO. My irwins work fine and the whole kit was @ $25

 

point taken...

thanks

 

What size socket did you use? A 5/8"(.625) fits better then a 16mm(.630) I had to use a breaker bar with a jack handle over it to loosen mine, they are really tight. A short wobble extention helps with the rear bolts. I have never tried a extractor like that, looks like it would work.

Willie

 

Just make sure that the tool manufacturer has a lifetime, no questions asked warranty. That way when you break it they will just give you a new one. I LOVE my Snap-Ons but i also love my craftsman tools at 1/5 of the cost.

 

I have a set of those extractors, and while they are great, I'll be surprised if one works on a head bolt. Given the torque needed I expect it will just grind away the bolt head. But I guess you've nothing to loose at this point.
Depending on how badly it's rounded, I've had luck with other bolt driving on a slightly smaller size socket, 6pt impact would be my first choice.
My best guess is that you'll need to drill the bolt head to where you can remove the cyl head. From there I'm not sure. At first thought I'd probably try warming the block and using a stud remover.
Luckily all the head bolts came out on both the V8's I recently tore down.

It's really important to make sure there's no crud preventing the socket from fully seating on the bolt.