You can grip the extractor with a wrench. Bolt splitters are a handy device that has a sharp point and completely breaks the bolt down. The broken bits can then be removed from the hole with a pair of pliers.
Different techniques work for different situations. Start off with the simpler methods, such as using a metal file or heating up the bolt. If all else fails, use the hardcore methods mentioned and break the bolt to remove it. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Post comment.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Skip to content. Facebook page opens in new window Twitter page opens in new window Instagram page opens in new window YouTube page opens in new window. Aug 13 What Leads to a Rounded Bolt? Tags: Remove a Rounded-off Bolt. Related Posts. Threaded fasteners of many types have been developed over centuries and are generally used to hold two or more parts together.
In this article we will include pretty much all types of metal fasteners under the single term, bolt. If all goes well in a lifetime, every bolt needed to be removed simply comes out with moderate coaxing. Unfortunately, there can be trying moments. In such moments a formerly-cooperative bolt can refuse to unscrew. This bolt was probably over-tightened over-torqued. The threads of the bolt, or the threads of the associated hole where it is installed have stripped away.
Or there may be a stripped nut hindering bolt removal. This bolt is probably part of a corroded assembly such as parts of the exhaust system. The rust process has seized the bolt in place. It cannot be rotated using normal means. Sometimes, a removal attempt has rounded off the wrench flats. Usually this happens when using the wrong size wrench or socket. A good socket set and wrench set is something almost every garage should have. Often, the worst case is when the bolt head has broken off and you are looking at a rusty cylindrical pin.
A seized bolt can be impossible to remove when access to it is extremely difficult. An example of this might be a fastener for a starter motor located down between the side of the engine and the fender of your car. You might just barely be able to get a wrench or socket on this bolt. And the bolt head is now rounded off from your struggling to get it out. If it was difficult to get near this bolt with a wrench, you are probably not going to be able to get near it to remove it using the methods described in this article.
In this case, you will have to get the vehicle to a skilled technician for corrective action. But if you have good access to any offending bolt, the techniques below and some sweat may enable its removal. If this is the case, the bolt can be pried out. A sharpened screwdriver or small chisel will be required. The heat from the weld may help break the seized threads too. Sometimes, you just have to cut out rounded-off bolts.
An angle grinder with a cut-off wheel works best, but a reciprocating saw works great too. This is used when there is a nut and a bolt. Use a center punch to get as close to the centerline of the bolt. Use the smallest bit you can to start the hole, and then slowly work your way up. Eventually, you will get to the edge of the threads and the bolt will come out. Bolt extractors have a bad habit of breaking in the bolt, so be careful if you decide to use one. Know How. A life-long gearhead, Jefferson Bryant spends more time in the shop than anywhere else.
His career began in the car audio industry as a shop manager, eventually working his way into a position at Rockford Fosgate as a product designer. In , he began writing tech articles for magazines, and has been working as an automotive journalist ever since. Jefferson has also written 4 books and produced countless videos.
Jefferson operates Red Dirt Rodz, his personal garage studio, where all of his magazine articles and tech videos are produced. Just put it in a jar when the pan is down, for future use. I need one for a 17mm nut that is rounding. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Skip to content We have all had it happen. To wax a bolt, apply heat directly to the bolt. If the bolt head remains in good hexagonal form and condition, a standard wrench or socket should be adequate to turn it. In general, a 6-point socket will prove best for this purpose. A point socket grabs the high points of the bolt head and can more quickly round it off when it is seized in place.
If the bolt head is rounded off, the head is broken off, or the fastener is a stud and has no head, an alternate means of gripping it will be required. Most of these gripping and removal methods are not equal to having the head in good shape, but each can get a bolt out. Grip the head or bolt shank with a pair of vise grip pliers. Larger vise grips work better than smaller ones because they can exert more grasping power. Plus you will have better leverage with a longer tool. Do be aware when using vise grips that they may tend to slip off the bolt which can gradually wear it away or reduce its diameter, and it may break off.
On larger bolts, grinding or filing a pair of flats opposite one another on the bolt shank can provide a better gripping surface for the vise grips. Use a rotary tool ie: Dremel tool with a thin grinding wheel to make a straight groove across the top of the bolt. Square shank screwdrivers or a screwdriver with hex flats near the handle work best for this because you can use an open end wrench on the screwdriver shank to increase your turning power.
A very effective way to grip a damaged bolt, nut or stud is by using an external bolt extractor tool. Quality manufacturers such as Irwin offer such devices at reasonable cost. These sockets have internal spiral teeth with a slight internal taper and are made of high strength steel. Fitted onto a rounded off bolt head or broken off stud, the extractor must be hammered firmly into place.
Gradually increase the torque applied to the bolt to avoid spinning the grip socket on the bolt and rounding it off. If the bolt head is missing, but threads are present and in reasonable condition, this technique can sometimes work. Clean the threads with a fine wire brush. Coat the threads with Loctite Threadlocker Install two nuts on the end of the bolt and tighten them against one another as tightly as possible using two open end wrenches. Having the new wrench surfaces may enable gripping and loosening the corroded bolt with a conventional socket wrench.
A variant of this technique would be to weld a nut on the end of the bolt or stud. Of course, a light duty arc welder and some welding talent is needed to take this step.
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