MM951

I finally got ahold of a cheesehead tool today (6.50$ at NAPA) and removed all but 6 of the bolts that hold the CV joints to the trans. Those got stripped. I cleaned them out (never seen so much grease/buildup!) tapped the tool in with a hammer, had my little brother stand on the brakes and most came out easy. The ones that didn't are a problem.

I know I'm gonna have to do this job again (clutch is in the very near future...) so I'd like to replace the 12pts with something a little less likely to strip. What size bolt should I pick up?

Thanks
Mike

EDIT: Does cutting slots into the heads of the stipped bolts and using a flathead seem like a good way to get the stripped ones out?

theedge

Craftsman Bolt-Outs are a godsend here.

Chris_924s

Wade will be forever my hero for these..

MM951

Hmm..well..I got all but 3 cheeseheads out. I tried using my dremel to cut off the heads...after 9 cut off discs and cutting the 1/2 head off of only one bolt (and still not getting it out...how do I get that out? It laughs at the dremel and the drill!) after this.. I got the idea to leave the CVs attached to the tranny and drop it all together so it would be easier to get out the stripped bolts. I took off all the bolts and pull off the CV only to get some nices globs of grease on me! Put that back on and I'm stuck here.

Anyone have any ideas of what to do to take out the last 3 bolts? hopefully using a dremel/drill/something I dont need to buy? Im pretty broke until payday and I need a car!

thanks!
mike

David Floyd

M8-1.25x50 12.9

Dmitry S.

Take a chisel with flat edge that's about 1/4in wide. Chisel the bolts loose by placing the chisel onto the head of the bolt, and hitting it in the direction that it would loosen it.

Drifting STi

MIKE! Can you please post a tool/part number for the cheesehead tool. I dont know what it is and niether does my Napa, sears hardware, snapon guy.....help me out.

Fishey

Yea, basicly what I did (I used an Air Hammer) but same concept.

nine-44

Hammer a torx bit in there, almost always works.

formerGMguy

NAPA part number is 2304 or K-D 2304, not sure whether the K-D is included. I think they actually call it a "serrated bit" or something along those lines, the back of the package actually says something about "tripple square". I had to go to four differant NAPA's and just about every hardware store in the greater west Michigan are before I found a guy who knew what I was talking about and got it for me. The downside here is that the tool/bit is about 3" long and doesn't come with a driver. You'll also want to pickup a nice 3/8" drive deep well 8mm socket (which NAPA does NOT carry, go figure???). I got a decent one from ACE hardware for another $4.50.

Drifting STi

Oh mygod! Thanx so much. I was able to find it with the part number. We should have a sticky thread with all special hard to find tools and tool numbers.
Thanx again for the help.

Dsalillas

The NAPA tool is terrible. I'm sure others will chime, I made the mistake of buying the napa tool and all it did was strip most of the bolts. $6.50 is defintaley not worth the headches it will cause. The tool doesn't fit exact and the points are slightly rounded so it strips bolts easily. The metal the tool is made of is soft so will eventually warp. Luckily before I messed up any more bolts I borrowed some german made bits from a local lister. The rest of the bolts came out in a snap. The German made bits fit tightly, have very sharp, points and the end was not rounded at all. If you look at the Napa tool the the end doesn't sit flat because it's slightly rounded. I know its a little too late for the warning but maybe others may benefit. Eventaully I bought my own set of asst. Cheesehead bits at a considerable price but hey you get what you pay for so beware of the cheap stuff.

Drifting STi

Dsalillas, Thanx so much for the warning. I'll just go and return it. Where should I get it from? What should I buy?

MM951

Hey, if you are careful (clean out the bolt head, tap the tool with a hammer, and do even pressure you should be good!

Yabo

napa tool has always worked fine for me.. but I also replaced the bolts once.